C4Ta #3 Post #1 & Post #2

Summary:
My Ongoing Struggle with Diffusing the Impact of Grades

This is a very interesting blog post. The author Dean Shareski discusses his opinions about grades and self-assessment. He mentions that he has written many posts regarding assessments and that they are something very challenging to discuss. He also indicates that he is always looking for new ideas to explore on better methods of assessing students. He values feedback and thinks that students will value their work and time if they have the opportunity to assess themselves. He would also like to see the students receive more feedback from their peers. Although most institutions require the submission of grades, he expresses the importance of reflection and self-assessment. No matter the age of students, all students should be able to reflect and evaluate themselves. Mr. Shareski doesn't like traditional methods of giving grades, so he has made a template for his students to follow in assessing themselves.

This assessment looks like this:

• What I did well this week?
• What I struggled with?
• My interactions?
• My grade? (with 10 being a perfect score)
• How might I improve this assignment?

This template works well in his classroom, and usually the students assess themselves correctly. He usually honors the grade they have given themselves. Granted, some students will give themselves a perfect score knowing there is room for improvement. In this case he always tries to be considerate and provide meaningful feedback.

Comment:
I also value self-assessment. I think that students will try harder when they they are providing a personal assessment of their performance and resulting grade. At times when teachers provide a grade they may not take into consideration how hard someone has worked, it just may not be something that comes easy to that student. I feel it is fair to give the student consideration for how hard they have tried, not the grade based only on the number of incorrect answers. This is definitely a method of assessment that I would prefer to use in my classroom. Thanks for a great post.

Summary: What About Snapchat?

Dean Shareski gives us a look into Snapchat and what it is all about. He states that, "Snapchat has been around for years" and he also explains how he thought it has been used for sharing inappropriate videos and images. After a conversation with his daughter, he realized that may not be the case. His daughter informs him that she likes Snapchat because it enables her to share images and have private conversations with friends, and that just because they are private that does not mean they are inappropriate. Mr. Shareski believes that while we try and protect our identity, as well as our children's identity, he now realizes that Snapchat may be a tool that helps to aid in protecting privacy and identity.

Mr. Shareski has created his own Snapchat story which he embeds in his blog. He finds it interesting to make stories and learn from others stories. He assures the audience that he isn't pushing for the use of Snapchat in schools, but if it seems to enhance learning and be useful he would explore the idea further.

Comment:
I think that like all social media tools, Snapchat can be fun and informing. I have had my concerns about Snapchat as well, as I am a little confused with where the images go once they disappear after being viewed. I believe that we can all share too much from our personal lives and use inappropriate images. We should train ourselves and our children to use these tools in moderation. We should also continue to learn how to protect and respect ourselves.