Writing Rubrics

A rubric is a tool used to evaluate student work. The rubric presents a list of the criteria that are considered important. Each of these criteria are accompanied by descriptions of different levels of success in demonstrating proficiency in each of the areas.

Here is an introductory video that uses chocolate chip cookies to explain the basics of using a rubric for evaluation.



 Rubrics serve multiple roles. While people usually consider rubrics as evaluation tools, their most important task is to inform the learner of what is expected. Each cell tells you what is expected for each criteria.  Learners can use this tool to evaluate their work before submitting it.

Here is a video that is a bit more technical than the cookie video. It appears to have been created by a college student, but it is complete. The only problem with the  presentation is that they place the "unacceptable" column in the left column. 

It is generally accepted that it is easier for learners to place the "exceptional" column in the left column so that it will be directly next to the criteria name.



You can easily create a rubric using a table in Word or Google Docs, but you can also create a rubric using RubiStar (rubistar.4teachers.org)  The advantage to using RubiStar is that there are many samples of rubrics that you can modify to fit your needs.

Do you use rubrics?  What tips do you have building more effective tools?

Z

Related articles

• What Should Rubrics Measure?

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• Blogging Rubric

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• A survey about rubrics

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• Rubric Resources

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• Thinking Outside the Rubric

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#1 - Trends in ICT Education in the USA workshop

On Thursday, Feb 23, I will be presenting a 75-min workshop, Trends in ICT Education in the USA as a follow-up day of workshops for the Conference on Vocational Training in Amman, Jordan. This will be part of an all-day workshop entitled Technology-Empowered Learning.

Here is the SlideShare.net English Version.

Trends in ICT Education in the USA

View more presentations from Leigh Zeitz

Here are the resources mentioned during the workshop:

• Seminar Wiki - Find and contribute resources used in this presentation.
• Ms Noor's blog - Active Jordanian secondary computer teacher's blog,Me, My PLN and Ed Tech Blog. 

100 Best YouTube Videos for Teachers

WOW!!!!

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, John Costilla shares a list of the Top 100 Videos for Teachers provided by SmartTeaching.org.

This list of videos have been divided into 9 different categories including history, arts, science, language, classroom management, How-Tos and a variety of others.


I can take a tour of the Rijksmuseum or learn sign language or get tips on classroom management.  It even includes The History of the World and The Theory of Everything. The selection is quite varied.

I must admit that some of the videos were inaccessible because they had been removed from YouTube. Some of the links weren't touch and go. I had to copy the link to paste it into a new browser window.  Anyway, it is a useful set of resources that you will enjoy.

Bill Strickland: A Man Who Changes the World with his Vision

Bill Strickland is a man who has a vision. He grew up in Pittsburgh in a rough part of the city. He learned about building things with clay in high school and hasn't stopped building since.

He has spent his life building schools, facilities and lives for inner-city kids and parents. He believes that people will respond to respect. He creates an environment for kids filled with sunlight and flowers to reflect hope and human possibility.
He says that "it is often the way that you think about people that determines their behavior."

It is difficult for me to explain Strickland's story so it is best for you to just watch this 35-minute TED Talks presentation.



I used to teach drop-out recovery in East Los Angeles and this strikes a deeply-seated chord in my heart. What is your reaction?

Z

6 Resources for Using Twitter in Education

Twitter is sometimes considered a tool that is "a solution looking for a problem to solve." it is cool and immediate and useful for people to keep in touch. Here are some resources that educators will hopefully find useful when considering using Twitter in their classrooms.

Twitter Handbook for Teachers
An 18-page ebook for teachers. Begins with a basic intro about Twitter and then provides insight about using Twitter in the classroom. These ideas are from teachers and written for teachers.

Twitter for Teachers
A collaboratively-written, wiki-based ebook to "Teach Teachers about Twitter."

Twitter 4 Teachers
Another wiki created to help teachers find teachers through Twitter. This can be quite valuable if you want to find a group of twitterers in your field of instruction.

"Where Do You Learn?": Tweeting to Inform Learning Space Development
An EduCause article about how you can use twitter to provide real-time information about your learning environment.

Twitter Tips: For Teachers and Educators
David Hopkins' Overview of how and why to use Twitter in education.

Twitter in the Classroom (YouTube Video)
In this 9-minute video a high school AP Biology teacher tells how he uses Twitter in his classroom. Begins with an explanation of Twitter and then discusses the applications.

Iowa Core Curriculum - Dr. Nadene Davidson @ UNI

The Iowa Core Curriculum (ICC) is a curricular program that provides guidance for educators in "delivering challenging and meaningful content to students that prepares them for success in life." This curriculum identifies the "essential concepts and skills for K-12 grade in literacy (read, write, speak, listen, and think), mathematics, science and social studies. It also identifies 21st Century Skills (civic, employability, financial, health and technology) that people must master to be successful in life. More than just identifying the content area, the ICC is designed to develop deeper learning engages students by "emphasizing interesting, robust, and relevant learning experiences."

The ICC is intended to be more than just another curriculum that is written by a group of specialists and then placed on a shelf to collect dust. The Iowa Legislature enacted Senate File 2216 that requires all Iowa school districts and accredited nonpublic schools to implement the ICC by 7/1/2012 (grades 9 - 12) and 2014-15 (K-8th grades).

This Iowa Core Curriculum is well researched and forward looking. It is still in the process of being developed. The Intent is there but the content/requirements haven't been completed. The key to success in learning and using the ICC will be in developing your knowledgebase.

In Spring of 2009, I taught a Selections and Integration of Instructional Technology Materials course at the University of Northern Iowa. I knew that I couldn't didn't know enough about the Iowa Core Curriculum to benefit my students so I asked Dr. Nadene Davidson, the Interim Director of Department of Teaching, to share her vast knowledge of the subject. Dr. Davidson has been an active participant in developing the ICC so she was able to provide the necessary insight.

I have linked to Dr. Davidson's 1 hour 40-minute lecture for your enjoyment. She does a wonderful job of describing the background for the Iowa Core Curriculum, its structure and the process of implementation. This video requires Real Player to watch. (Dr. Davidson's presentation actually begins 4 minutes 37 seconds into the video.)

Please review this presentation and share your comments.

Z

The Story of Stuff

Here is an interesting video about using STUFF. Annie Leonard presents a 20-minute expose about the connections between environmental and social issues. This is a blunt realistic description of how our out-of-control consumption cycle is destroying our environment and globe.

Ms. Leonard uses an effective integration of animation and real world statistics to explain the integration of the 5 stages of Extraction, Production, Distribution, Consumption and Disposal.

I learned a great deal watching this video. I knew something about the consumption cycle and am an avid recycler. This video demonstrated the importance of finding and using a new way to consume, preserve, conserve and recycle. Did you know that 99% of the things we purchase are trashed in 6 months.

Annie Leonard is an American critic of international trade, development international sustainability and environmental health issues. Her mission is to make us aware of the life-cycle of goods and services.The Story of Stuff is an important video for you AND your students to view. It really makes you think about what you do and how you do it.

Z

Related articles by Zemanta

• Precycle to save money and the planet (canada.com)
• Poisoning the Poor with eWaste in Ghana (greenchemistry.wordpress.com)

How to Take a Good Photograph

I was just reading Rushton Hurley's newsletter when I found a link to Amber Blow's trilogy of videos about How to Take a Good Photograph. These videos involve various aspects for taking good photographs. She discusses long shots, close ups, rule of thirds, filling the frame and many other important considerations in photography.

This is by no means a "Kodak Production", but it covers a number of the primary considerations in photography and demonstrates how we can create informative tutorials with quality photos and ample planning. These videos appear to be the product of a class project at the University of Regina. They are worth a look.

More in this series: Part 2 and Part 3

Rushton has posted these videos on his Next Vista for Learning website. Check it out!!!

How to Use Iowa AEA Online - Kay Rewerts

Iowa AEA Online is a significant set of clip art, photographs, streaming video, graphics, online tutorials, reference resources that are available for teachers and students to use. Beginning in the late 90s, the forward-thinking sages at the Iowa Area Education Agencies began to purchase statewide licenses to support learning resources. These licenses provide access for all public and private K-12 schools across the state of Iowa. The Iowa AEA Online resources include:

• AccuWeather
• AP Images
• Atomic Learning
• Clipart.com
• Discovery Education Streaming
• EBSCO
• SIRS Researcher and
• World Book Web

The licenses for using the graphic resources vary somewhat, but most of them allow students to use them on projects and web sites. Atomic Learning provides hundreds of tutorials for learning software and have recently begun to describe teaching strategies for educators. Discovery provides a plethora of videos (many editable) for instruction and to be used in video creation. Ebsco, SIRS, AccuWeather and World Book Web provide a wealth of research information.

The only problem with having access to all of these resources is learning how to use them.

TA-DA!!!! Enter Kay Rewerts!!!!!

Kay Rewerts is an educational consultant who have helped educators in 30 states. Fortunately, she lives here in Iowa and has worked as a never-tiring source of information and innovation for our educators. A few weeks ago, we were fortunate enough to have Kay in our class where she took us on a 45-minute tour of the obvious and not-so-obvious opportunities with Iowa AEA Online.

Mrs. Rewerts has given me permission to include her demonstration through my blog. It is something that will be well worth your time watching. Even if you don't live in Iowa, these resources are available globally and there are sections that will be useful for all educators.

If you are interested in contacting Kay Rewerts, please send her an email at krewerts@mchsi.com

Here is a link to the 45-minute Iowa AEA Online workshop that Kay provided.

Tinkering as a Mode of Knowledge Production

Tinkering as a Mode of Knowledge Production in a Digital Age: John Seely Brown from carnegie commons on Vimeo.Wow! I just visited the Generation YES Blog and enjoyed listening to John Seely Brown discuss the importance of "Tinkering" to build knowledge. He is discussing the opportunities of working with others in a world where craftspeople will work "shoulder-to-shoulder" to develop new ideas. That is what the collaborative movement is all about. It is about people coming together to work together to develop knowledge and make a better world. This is only a 10-minute video and it is WELL WORTH the time. Watch it!

You should also go to the Gen YES blog to read what Sylvia Martinez has to say about this. She always has such great insight into such topics.

Z

HyperStudio is Back!!!!

An old friend is back in the classroom!!

HyperStudio is a program that has enabled students to share their ideas, thoughts and creations through a multimedia for many years. I have had the good fortune to use it with students in my classrooms and share it with educators on 3 continents.

Unfortunately, this wonderful program was sold to Learning.com in 1999 which resulted in a series of flawed updates. Eventually, this lead to the program disappearing from the educational scene about 5 years ago. The originator, Roger Wagner, bought back the rights a few years ago and enlisted MacKiev to completely reprogram the product. The new product was announced at the 2007 NECC in Atlanta but it never shipped. MacKiev showed it again at the San Antonio NECC in 2008 and it began shipping earlier this year. HyperStudio is BACK!!!

I must admit that I haven't had the opportunity to thoroughly examine the new version, but I liked what I saw at NECC. HyperStudio now has the capability to export to self-contained programs, webpages, podcasts and even iPhones. It is fully integrated to share media with iTunes and iPhoto. The opportunities with version 5.0 are great.

Philip Roy gave positive reviews about HS5 in his NZMac blog.

I look forward to working with HyperStudio 5.0 in the future.