2. One of the primary issues associated with implementation of distance education revolves around the teacher’s ability to adequately and appropriately evaluated student progress and competencies. Do you believe that this is an issue? Why or why not?
I do believe that students’ progress cannot adequately be evaluated virtually. Chapter ten of Teaching and Learning with Technology reiterates that academic integrity is a concern of distance learning. According to the text, it is not possible to ensure that the student enrolled is actually doing the work. With online distance education, it is almost impossible for teachers to ensure that students are not cheating when testing. Taking a test online also increases the likelihood of students using online search engines to look for test answers. Unmonitored, students may also refer to their textbooks or notes for answers to test questions. Also, it is difficult to ensure that students are not sharing answers or working together to complete assignments.
Project 8 was interesting because I learned how to integrate a quiz into my class website. This is very useful for students to review what is learned by visiting the class website at home. I also learned that Weebly offers a simple forum for users, and I integrated this into my class website. The forum that Weebly offers is very basic, and I was slightly disappointed with appearance of it and the lack of customization available.
Project 9 was very helpful as I now have two additional websites to use as resources for my future teaching career. Constructing rubrics was a task that overwhelmed me initially and I did not know where to begin, but RubiStar made the process so simple and easy! Additionally, Easy Test Maker made creating a test quite simple and allowed me to incorporate a variety of question types. This is definitely a resource I will use in the future.
As technology considers to transform America’s education system, it is important to stay up to date with the latest technological tools. The tools used in project 8 and project 9 make virtual learning a breeze, and I am so glad to have added them to my repertoire of technology resources.
Link to Class Website (Project 8):
http://teachermsgibson.weebly.com/assignments.html#/
Project 9 Links:
Big6 Test Answer Key |
Oral Presentation Rubric |
Big6 Test |