Day 12: Going on the Road

A successful presentation starts with a one sentence summary about what your topic. Care about your message and seem excited to share it. Establish credibility by being prepared and knowledgable about your presentation. Develop rapport with the audience and watch your body language as you interact with them. Tailor the presentation according to what the situation calls for, but allow for audience engagement. Communicate confidence, control, and enthusiasm because the audience mirrors your feelings and emotions. Watch great speakers in order to learn their body language and presentation tips. Videotape yourself presenting in order to evaluate and improve your delivery. "Be quick, clear, and gone - you'll be the best they've heard lately."

Day 11: Portfolios and Assessment

Student portfolios have their advantages and disadvantages. Among the advantages are that students understand their own learning process, it increases their accountability, and it shifts the teacher's focus to individual evaluation rather than comparative ranking. Some disadvantages include that it requires additional time to plan, especially with younger students. There is a need for extra support to direct students on what to include and how to access special equipment. It requires additional time to plan/update but is beneficial in the long run.

I would seek technical support in order to maintain/store portfolios properly. My students would need help selecting meaningful artifacts and working with peers to evaluate their work. I would invite outside viewers to view student electronic portfolios each semester. This would put accountability on both the students and I to grow as learners.

Day 10: Electronic Portfolio for Students

We gain a better understanding of a student's ability by looking at a collection of their work rather than a final grade. A learning objective should be clear in order for them to demonstrate a vivid record of what they are able to do. Portfolios demonstrate work in progress because student work is always improving. Teachers can drive their instruction better when student needs are identified from this kind of assessment. Students receive the support they need to become successful learners.
I found three sites most helpful: KidPub authors, Marci Turner's, and Susan Silverman's. All sites showcased student published work and supported classroom instruction. Collaboration within the community is what I found most remarkable. Everyone was learning from one another, and Marci was blogging even before it was invented.

Day 9: Electronic Portfolios

Often students know little about how their work is evaluated and see assessment as something done by the teacher. Electronic portfolios gives students ownership to "tell their story. It motivates students to be actively engaged in the selection and expression of their achievements. Students feel a sense of control and it helps them to understand their own learning. Rubrics allow students to reconsider or resubmit their work on the basis of the criteria. Students can apply what they learned into new contexts because the process encourages deep thinking about active engagement.
Adding hypertext links,video, and audio are a great enhance the portfolio. If every teacher at school began an electronic portfolio with their students, students could have a collection of their K-8 experience at their fingertips. Student motivation would skyrocket in the pride of their work.

Day 8: Professional Teaching Portfolios

It's true. When teachers examine their practice, their teaching improves. You start to self reflect about your areas of strength and standards that you'd like to become more accomplished in. You set future goals and begin to measure your growth as a learner. A teaching portfolio is a perfect way to showcase your effort and achievement. The collection of work you gather over time can help you assess your effectiveness and examine yourself as a learner and educator.

My students have taken ownership in selecting work and artifacts to share at student led conferences. They've been involved in the assessment process by self reflecting on their growth, too. I'd like to incorporate (student) electronic portfolios in my class this year. But I'm not really sure about the management piece? Any ideas for 2nd grade?

Day 7: Tips for Presentations

You're confident presenting if you're well rehearsed. Coming across as honest and eager to help the audience is probably what will sell your presentation. The article suggests singing the presentation to yourself as a means of rehearsing, I think that's a great idea! Rehearse what you're going to say and how you're going to say it during down times such as showering or taking a walk. Deliver your message in an interesting way that's natural, confident, and inspirational. Share a presentation that will help your audience fix a problem or save them time with an issue.

Concluding a presentation can often be overlooked. Deliver a strong finish by making eye contact or sharing an analogy/story that will piece all of the benefits together. In the end, inspire enthusiasm by reiterating the valuable information they can walk away with.

Day 6: Multimedia Peripherals

I learned many tips for photographing digital photos from these articles. Capturing natural activities as opposed to poses seems to make more sense. Taking lots of pictures gives you more opportunities to capture the right moment. I especially appreciated the pictures with action and real emotions. Their personalities were captured in a relaxed and natural setting. It was a good idea to vary the position of people in a group photo. It changed the focus from a more uniform look, to a fun photo.

The photo class integration piece was helpful, too. I'll try the autobiography lesson where students compare themselves from the beginning of the year to the end. What a great way to measure social and intellectual growth! Students can self reflect and set goals for themselves.