C4T #3 - A Summary

For my C4T #3 assignments I visited the blog Nebraska Change Agent and blogged with Beth Still, a Social Studies teacher from Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Beth uses Skype, Twitter, Google Docs, and Web 2.0 tools in her classroom. She is a “self- proclaimed edtech evangelist.”

I joined two conversations: “Controversy Over Grades” and “Twitter 101.” “Controversy Over Grades” was a hot topic garnering 21 comments as of today. Beth blogs about the latest “bandwagon” movement to abolish grades. As expected, bloggers weigh in on both sides of the debate. All had valid points.

Here are a few thoughts I expressed: I must admit that I am responding from a limited perspective because I don’t have a classroom yet. However, I can speak to your post from a parent’s perspective and a student’s perspective. Grades (evaluations) are important. They set a standard…a goal…a benchmark. Of course, all teachers will not grade the same (neither will future employers when it comes to performance evaluations.)

So far, two of my three children have earned full scholarships to attend college. They worked hard to make good grades because they understood that colleges admit students based on 1. ACT Scores 2. GPA and 3. Community Service. All are equally important in forming a prospective student profile. Both of them in their past had good grades and bad. Each received an occasional zero when they MISSED an assignment…but, this was an EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY for learning.

If you don’t do the work, you don’t reap the reward. If we soften our standards (or abolish them), where does that leave our students, our future workforce, and shall I say it…our society as a whole? For example, not so long ago, a winning team would receive one trophy as a team. Today, everyone on the team receives a trophy whether they participate or not. What does this teach? Entitlement? Teachers should make it their mission to know their individual student’s strengths and weaknesses and grade them honestly (I agree with you, Liz.)This may not earn them a seat on the latest bandwagon…but, their students will have a clear understanding of what is expected and how to earn it.

In “Twitter 101” Beth made an excellent point, “helping someone get started on Twitter, but failing to provide suggestions of who to follow is like starting out on a road trip without a map.” In my comment, I sent out a call for advice on building my twitter following and PLN. I was excited to receive a response from a blogger (Stephanie) who suggested I follow #edchat. From that suggestion alone, I added several new people to the list of those I follow. I would like to have more visitors to my class blog. So, I sent out a tweet inviting everyone to “come on over.”