Comments on: Grading Technology? Not again! http://www.thethinkingstick.com/grading-technology-not-again/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=grading-technology-not-again Educator Consultant Author Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:34:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Jeff Utecht http://www.thethinkingstick.com/grading-technology-not-again/#comment-8772 Jeff Utecht Wed, 02 Nov 2011 14:05:13 +0000 http://www.thethinkingstick.com/?p=67#comment-8772 ...and I think this is the issue....I too have mixed feeling about this switch....hence the reason I'm throwing it out there. :) Do your teachers need to have these skills? Absolutely especially if they expect kids to have them every time the research an assignment, a paper, etc. Search is a great example. No were in most curriculums do we teach search in context...which means in the classroom...but from about 6th grade on we expect kids to "just know how to do it" sure we can all search Google....but really understanding search is a skill...a skill that can be and should be taught each time we require kids to do it. We don't teach kids to write once in 3rd grade and then never come back to it...it's a skill we continue to work on....continue to teacher. Do we need to assess it....or is it a skill that is a means to an end.......that part I'm not sure of yet. …and I think this is the issue….I too have mixed feeling about this switch….hence the reason I’m throwing it out there. :)

Do your teachers need to have these skills? Absolutely especially if they expect kids to have them every time the research an assignment, a paper, etc. Search is a great example. No were in most curriculums do we teach search in context…which means in the classroom…but from about 6th grade on we expect kids to “just know how to do it” sure we can all search Google….but really understanding search is a skill…a skill that can be and should be taught each time we require kids to do it. We don’t teach kids to write once in 3rd grade and then never come back to it…it’s a skill we continue to work on….continue to teacher.

Do we need to assess it….or is it a skill that is a means to an end…….that part I’m not sure of yet.

]]> By: Tracey Amend http://www.thethinkingstick.com/grading-technology-not-again/#comment-8751 Tracey Amend Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:06:58 +0000 http://www.thethinkingstick.com/?p=67#comment-8751 I have such mixed feelings about your post. I totally agree on one hand and wish that I could move my staff in the direction of 'teaching' the tech skills within the context of the assignment they have given the students. But they can't always do that themselves do to lack of skills or lack of time, and then I have to rely on my tech teacher to support this. The bottom line is about the learning...in our school, the tech person doesn't give grades at all. And to me it says it's not important. It's a district report card, or I would change it. I've seen an 'attitude' difference in the teachers when they are giving grades vs not. This is why I have mixed feelings. Again, I bring it back to the kids and what they are learning and not the grade per se. I have such mixed feelings about your post. I totally agree on one hand and wish that I could move my staff in the direction of ‘teaching’ the tech skills within the context of the assignment they have given the students. But they can’t always do that themselves do to lack of skills or lack of time, and then I have to rely on my tech teacher to support this. The bottom line is about the learning…in our school, the tech person doesn’t give grades at all. And to me it says it’s not important. It’s a district report card, or I would change it. I’ve seen an ‘attitude’ difference in the teachers when they are giving grades vs not. This is why I have mixed feelings. Again, I bring it back to the kids and what they are learning and not the grade per se.

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