Blog Reflection 3

From the ten research-based principles of AFL, the one tenet that I can identify with is the first one which states that AFL should be part of effective planning of teaching and learning. The productive aspect of the assignments we have been doing is that I have created a web-based storeroom for some of my teaching material. My wiki will come in handy, and I will continue to develop it to assist me in performing my job. The class I am currently enrolled is helping me acquaint myself with the programs and software. I am essentially paying an overseer to whip me into doing much more than I would in the event that creating a blog and wiki were completely voluntary. Thus I have a positive feeling about what I am working on right now. From the article I have come to conclude that the literature on this subject makes a distinction between assessment for learning and assessment of learning. Though I have just said that I am happy to be doing this, I am happy because I am forcing myself to adjust to external standards so that I may find a position where I continue my learning, help others learn and be able to support myself by working in the field of education. Throughout my post-secondary education I have had problems with the underlying contradiction between what common sense dictates and how standards assessment is presented. When a project is assigned to a student with the full understanding that their future opportunities are affected by the final assessment of that project, whatever conversation pedagogues entertain themselves with, maintaining learner intrinsic motivation is not going to happen. Whatever models are created to explain the problem of creating genuine enthusiasm, such as the positivist-constructivist dichotomy, the portfolio is still initially forced on the student or something done to students. How that student runs with it is the only thing that can really be measured. Since I entered the education system, I do not ever recall owning my learning. On the contrary, I have noticed how my mind has been systematically rewired to conform to the standards outlined by society in general. When being told to create an advertisement to sell myself, I always accepted it as just that. Whether I believed that I had been the main decision-maker or not was a moot point. In my opinion, there is no need to even ask if this is “deanware” or not. The statement that the portfolio should support an environment of reflection and collaboration is nice to read, but the very meaning of “should” betrays the truth of the matter. This being said, we have to do what we have to do. The primary motivation for me to fulfill the requirements of this assignment is rooted in complying with the standards of the education system within I am trying to find employment. The state education board, and the teaching faculty of our institution has created a rubric with which to assess pre-service teachers. This is not a bad thing. The statement that “I Just Did It it to Get it Done” is not a horrible thing to say. We all work and have families. Anyone with a strong sense of morality coming from whatever religious background would, I hope, say that they work so that they can be with their families. They work to live, and not live to work. To me, the entire argument stinks of corporate team development in sales where sales personal circle a room giving high fives and making claims of breaking their previous record this coming quarter. Bridging the gap between individual self-realization and external assessment is a slippery slope if not outright unobtainable. A culture of lifelong learning and professionalism are not things that we hope will manifest from nowhere. We all have to survive and just like all other living organisms, we have to adapt to outside pressures in order to survive. We have to keep learning to stay competitive and whatever it is we need to do in order to remain in good favor with our 21st guild, we have to do. If I need to construct a digital resume highlighting my competence in my field, then so be it. The truth is the more a student attempts to explore and pursue his or her goals while doing an assignment, the more that student has to work. To get by and regurgitate what the teacher obviously wants to hear, see, or read is infinitely easier than exploring ones interests while still fulfilling the requirements laid out. With all this taken into consideration, I am still energetic to get my wiki up and running. I plan to use the benefits of its construction this week in the ESL classes I am currently teaching. Because I am absolutely in love with language learning, this will be fun for me. I will be making an archive of my work that I can use in my classroom. In organizing it, I am working in an environment where I am creatively reflecting on my work for the past four years and creating my very own digital story. This is most likely providing me with a vehicle to grow metacognitively. I am having to make a decision on what direction I will start taking in making use of technology in the classroom. It is becoming more and more obvious that I have been confined to using generic tools, while I should be mastering the use of information technology to strengthen my teaching. I fear that using power point presentations is becoming outmoded. Regardless I have compiled thousands of images and made connections about the subject matter I will be teaching for the rest of my professional life. I am becoming more acquainted with the new face of education. I am working on improving my methods. I hope that I will later be able to share this with colleagues and receive constructive and specific feedback. With my work so accessible, I will most definitely receive feedback with substance and hopefully will have the wisdom to make the necessary adjustments.