Old Words for New Times

Our second reporting period ends next week. Report cards go home to parents next Wednesday and they are invited in for conferences on Friday. As a teacher, closing in on the end of a reporting session means hooking up the caffeine IV drip and putting in long hours trying to make some type of objective statement about the progress the kids have made over the last several months.

Tonight as I'm working on the Language Arts section of my report cards, I'm struck by two things. First, by how I don't have piles of "stuff" to sort out and lay out across my living room floor anymore. Eight years ago, teaching much smaller kids, between my wife (who is also a teacher) and I, our tables were hidden under stacks of paper at this time. If I want to refresh my memory about a student's assignment, I simply sit here on my couch and head off to their blogs, our wiki, and the sample podcasts kids have made for me. Of course, they have many pieces of writing that are not online, but looking at their stuff that is online, or that I have on my laptop's hard drive, I usually get an idea about where I want to go.

The second thing I was fascinated by this evening is how much the work we are doing changes even the meanings of the words we use. Pasted in below is the list of the language arts descriptors I have to evaluate the kids in my class on for the divisional report card. Each students receives a grade of 1 - 4 on each of these indicators, as well as a percentage grade. I am not arguing about the validity or value of the descriptors, but what is interesting is how the meaning of them changes once we start considering podcasts, vlogs, wikis, and blogs.

- Uses prior knowledge/experiences
- Makes predictions before learning
- Asks relevant questions
- Uses cues to read fluently
- Develops and uses vocabulary
- Uses comprehension strategies
- Responds to a variety of texts
- Understands techniques used in text
- Makes personal connections to texts
- Creates a plan
- Finds and uses suitable resources
- Organizes ideas and information
- Records ideas and information
- Creates text using a variety of forms
- Is aware of audience and purpose
- Uses pre-writing to draft texts
- Revises texts
- Edits texts
- Uses correct spelling
- Handwrites legibly
- Presents ideas effectively
- Recognizes others' ideas/opinions
- Participates in a variety of groups
- Accepts responsibility for learning
- Sets realistic goals

 The entire bolded set of descriptors in the middle of this group has to do with locating information (good!) and then creating something new out of it (good as well). But how I look at these descriptors as someone who blogs, makes podcasts, and produces wikis with my kids is entirely different then someone who spends their days writing on paper.

For example, the idea of being "aware of audience and purpose" changed dramatically for my students this year when their blogs were splashed across the net earlier in the fall. They learned a huge lesson about audience and the power that they had, even as kids. These kids have an audience and it certainly often isn't me. It isn't;t hard to be aware of your audience when you are in the same classroom as them for an entire school year. It is more complex for kids to be aware of their audience when comments roll into their blogs form South Africa, Lebanon, across Canada, the U.S., etc. etc. A much more complex consideration for kids developing an online presence and solidifying their voice.

What about "presents ideas effectively." When you're blogging, this is essential, otherwise someone will come back to you and straighten you out about how you could be saying things more clearly, or more correctly. Not a bad thing, but another real - world lesson for kids who work with authentic information in authentic spaces.

The idea of "participating in a variety of groups" has certainly changed. "Are you in on the Skype call with the kids from Australia tonight? What about that time in the chatroom earlier with those kids from New Orleans? Where were the last five blogs you left comments on? Let me take a look at your Bloglines account, I want to see who you're reading?" I've thought a lot through this winter about networks of learners. How much more complex does this descriptor become if it were to change to something like: forms and participates in networks of learners.

Watching kids learn to podcast has certainly allowed me to update my idea of revising text as I watch kids record themselves, grimace, complain about their boring (or squeaky, love junior high!) voices, and then re - record again and again, trying to work on their expression, their tone, their level of excitement. Definite revisions as scripts and podcast outlines get heaved into the garbage can to be replaced by newer versions. It will be interesting to watch this in action as the podcasts and vlogs develop an identity over a series of episodes. How will the kids ensure they are staying close to their chosen themes?

I've spent a lot of time this reporting session thinking about the importance of language, the power of language, and how our use of language in various spaces is changing. Creating a classroom studio doesn't only change our ideas of education, it just might have a drastic effect on the words we use to define the spaces we are working to create.

technorati tags: evaluation, reporting, classrooms

Comments

[Bronwyn G]

Web 2.0 definitely brings in complications to the older system of reports.

I hope the report markers will keep it in mind, what they can do and what they can't.

So long as it reflects the excitement and connections the kids have had this autumn and winter I would be happy. Thank you Clarence for letting us in, and I'm sorry I haven't commented as much as I would like, especially on the podcasts.

[EdWonk]

Your right. As the old song says, "The times, they are a-changing..."