One of the only activities that happens in my classroom right now that is device-less is portfolio reflection.  All the students have a file folder and notebook that sit in a filing box in the classroom.  Each time they get an assessment piece returned to them, it gets added to the portfolio, and the students spend some time reflecting on their progress and making goals for the future.

I've often wondered what the easiest method would be for getting this to go digital.

I think for some students, it may not.  Some students do prefer to have paper and pencil - and that's okay.

But for others, I'm looking at different ways to make an electronic version of this work.

A brief Google search for e-portfolios is going to lead you toward Weebly.  Well, sounds good to me - I'm already using Weebly, and so are my students!  Seems like it could be an easy transition.

I've been reminded this weekend of some of the challenges that come with technology.

A number of our students have discovered a "trolling" site where they can post and answer anonymous questions to others.  It's become a treasure trove of inappropriate language, exclusion practices, and hateful propaganda.  And, to be honest, having it brought to my attention and reading through many of the comments my students have made has really shaken me.

A large part of integrating technology into the classroom is providing students with the opportunity to learn how to use the technology effectively and productively.  I want my students to be good digital citizens.  Actually, what I want is for my students to be good citizens . . . and I want those behaviours to stretch online as well.

In the aftermath of the Ask.fm fiasco, my students and I have had many conversations about the public nature of posting on the internet, the permanent nature of posting on the internet, and the fact that it seems so easy to write something down on the internet even when one would never say it aloud.  We've discussed what it means to have an online presence and how our online persona tells others about the type of people we are.

It's been a rough week for me.  And a learning experience for us all.

I joined Twitter about 3 months ago.  I did it mostly just to see what it was all about.  People are always talking about twitter this and twitter that, tweet this and tweet that.  I felt like I was missing out.  I was.  And I wasn't.

I have come to enjoy the 15 minutes I have added to my before-bedtime ritual as I glance over the latest tweets of the few educational gurus I'm following.  Twitter has provided me with yet another way to have lots of information at my fingertips.

The difficult I've been having with Twitter is decided what to tweet myself.  Who could possibly care what I have to say?  So I've been quietly consuming the ideas of others over the past few months.  And I've been having fun doing that.

But it's time to step it up a notch.

My colleagues and I were planning a trip with our students to see Rob Stewart's new documentary, Revolution.  The film has its own Twitter account.  That knowledge was enough to get my mind rolling.  How could we get the students connected to this movie and the message in it?  How could we get the students talking with each other, both within their respective classes and between classes?  How could we let Rob Stewart, the film's young director, know that we are supporting him and his cause?  The answer to all these questions was one simple word: Twitter.

So that's been our (my colleagues and I) challenge for the week.

Recognizing that instruction should stem from assessment is not a new concept, nor should it be.  It seems quite obvious to me that your knowledge of your students, their abilities, their background knowledge and understanding of concepts, and their readiness to learn should all factor into your day-to-day plans.

My elementary school teachers - for the most part - were the opposite of forward-thinking.  Perhaps that's not a fair statement . . . it was 20ish years ago.  Nevertheless, my teachers cared very much about their thematic bulletin boards, their science fair projects, and their spelling tests.  They didn't always care about what was best for their students.

But I can remember one instance in Grade 7 when my teacher did something radical.  We'd done a whole (text-book based) math unit on decimals and percents.  And then we'd written a test.  And the majority of the class failed the test.  Instead of moving on to the next unit, our teacher announced that we were going to be doing something a little different.  She was going to re-teach the unit for those who had had trouble using different examples and different practice questions.  Meanwhile, the group of 6-8 of us who had been successful with percents were going to work independently on a problem-based rich task throughout the week.

As a student, this is one of the most memorable moments of my Grade 7 year.  I thought my teacher was so cool for spending the extra time to ensure everyone knew what they were doing while challenging the rest of us with something new.

As a teacher, I recognize the radical quality of this decision (it was the mid 1990s after all) and applaud my teacher for her creative and wise idea.

Students aren't put first if we ignore their challenges.
Students aren't put first if we encourage disengagement.

Yes, the data we collect in our classrooms tells the students how they are progressing.  However, more importantly, that data informs US about how the students are progressing, about the effectiveness of our instruction, and about where we should be headed tomorrow and the day after and the day after that.