School 2.0 Reflection Tool NETS-T 4

NETS-T that i chose to reflect on: Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
The Question that I was prompted with a resource was  I provide students with multiple and varied opportunities to demonstrate their learning, and I make data-based decisions to customize and adapt future learning opportunities aligned with content and technology standards. I said that I did this moderately but had room for improvement and as a resource I was given two different choices. I chose the first one which was a journal article by Ruth Reynard titled; 21st Century Teaching and Learning: Assessing New Knowledge. I chose this article because I am interested on how we are going to teach our students about technology and team work, networking, and communication using the new electronic tools we are given while simultaneously "teaching to the test". I think it is so important that as students we are being taught to use technology and all of its wonderful resources to have the ability to network and learn so much from other people we haven't had access to before. If teachers are always teaching to the test I do not understand how we are going to continue teaching the younger generation how to appropriately and adequately use technology as the helpful tool it is. Some of the important aspects of education are thinking, interaction, collaboration, communication, application: All represent areas of process. but the article says that teachers not only need to focus on the outcome of these processes but also the method. The author goes on to talk about different ways to address the assessment of ideas using technology which is what I was initially interested in. Focusing on the process of getting to an end result, finding ways for the students to show their process, calculations, innovations etc. Then I got to a part in the article where she talked about how this process may not work for all your students. She said that there must be a balance that will favor each style. I loved this because many of the classes I am in now have several on-line components and it really stresses me out although I have been raised with technology. Some of the authors ideas for capturing concepts were combination of Online and hardcopy text resources (articles, papers, textbook etc.); Online discussion topics, blogs, or wikis; In-class group work; and In-class and online project work and new knowledge work.