Reflect: Review the (9) nine data image artifacts from this lesson on student enrollments, student progress, communication and feedback in the course. What can you learn about the hypothetical instructors course from each of the (9) nine data images? From the images, I've been able to determine: the teacher has over 160 students to keep up with (WOW! And I thought my 120 was a lot) the teacher makes communication a high priority the teacher strives to include descriptive feedback on assignments, not just scores the teacher communicates regularly with all students and with individual students the teacher has an awesome SIS that generates a communication log (jealous — wish my SIS did that) the teacher does a great job with differentiation Answer: Based on your analysis of the (9) nine data images, how might the teacher adjust the course in the future based on the previous activity of these students? What other uses does data have for online instruction? What advantages ...

Create: In your blog, provide or create a student work sample and accompanying feedback that showcases some of the expectations listed below and offers a sound example of quality, authentic feedback. Encouraging, customized feedback which propels the student to strive for better performance or for deeper thought and application Student data drives the feedback provided as individual feedback, as well as the class as a whole. Teacher is not only assessing current progress on individual items, but is also analyzing each student’s continuous progress from grade item to grade item. Instructor clearly strives to assist all students in meeting and exceeding expectations and considers feedback as the cornerstone of that success. Artifact: Provide a student work sample and accompanying feedback. In my blended biology classroom, I begin each new unit with a phenomenon or mystery. Before we begin instruction, students propose explanations based on prior knowledge or in some cases, resea...

Artifact: Create a formative assessment related to a learning standard. Post a link to the assessment or activity and standard in your blog. Explain the purpose of the assessment. Answer: How does your assessment provide students multiple opportunities to demonstrate understanding, practice concepts or self-check progress? How does the assessment allow you to assess student readiness for course content? How do the results of the assessment change your teaching plans or method of delivery? The assessment described in this post is a quiz over Mendel's laws of inheritance. The standard for this segment is Georgia's Biology Standard of Excellence SB3: SB3. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to analyze how biological traits are passed on to successive generations. a. Use Mendel’s laws (segregation and independent assortment) to ask questions and define problems that explain the role of meiosis in reproductive variability. After reviewing a module and some require...

Answer:  How do communication practices in the online environment correlate to effective feedback? Why is authentic feedback important for online learners? In what ways might an instructor enrich a student’s online experience through feedback? Continuous communication and effective feedback are both directly linked to student success, especially in an online environment. Students in a hybrid or online course often miss out on the informal forms of feedback that students would receive a traditional classroom: Q&A with the teacher, reading the teacher's body language and facial expressions during conversations, being able to engage in discussions. It's crucial that online instructors maintain open lines of communication and multiple means of communication to "pick up the slack" in these areas. Authentic feedback is important for online learners -- as it is for any learner -- because it gives them an idea of where they stand with regard to the standards or learni...

Create:  Using the examples above as a point of reference, create three original digital resources that could be utilized when evaluating student work. Then discuss in your blog how these resources would enhance the level of specific feedback offered to students. I'm currently in an online teaching endorsement program, and in one of our recent courses we have been learning about the importance of targeted feedback. (The artifacts shared here are some things I've recycled from submissions to my endorsement instructor). Candidates in the program have been taught that it is important that feedback must be aligned to the standards and learning objectives, timely, positive, and instructional. Lessons in the TOOL have been very closely aligned with what I've been learning in my endorsement program. One very interesting thing that I learned from Communicate 3, Lesson 1 is that there is an important difference in praise an encouragement. I know that I personally am "guilty...

Create:  Choose a standards-based area of study and create an assignment. Then create a method for assessing student work utilizing one of the mediums discussed in this lesson. Ensure the tool demonstrates an instructor’s employment of effective feedback. In a recent unit on evolution, students studied Charles Darwin and the various theories, experiences, and persons who shaped his explanation of evolution by natural selection. Students were then asked to create a product that summarizes their understanding of people and experiences that shaped Charles Darwin. Below I've outlined the details of the assignment, provided an example of a student submission, and an artifact showing my feedback to the student. STANDARDS: The Georgia Standards of Excellence for Biology that are assessed in this assignment are below: SB6. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to assess the theory of evolution. a. Construct an explanation of how new understandings of Earth’s history, the emerg...