I Love Week 5!

 Hello Everyone!

I love Week 5 in Webskills! Donna is absolutely correct in finding this week her favorite. The thread of discussions in Nicenet is quite longer than the past week’s discussions. I am pretty sure that everyone is enjoying and at the same time learning much from the experience.

The articles on Alternative Assessment, rubrics, project-based learning and Webquests offer great ideas and lead me to some realization of the past assessment practices I and most of our teachers employed to our students. I clearly recalled it was in 2003 when the public schools in our country undertook a major revision in the rating system from 70-100% grading to zero-based rating system. Likewise, alternative form of assessments or performance-based assessments was introduced. These were at first met with resistance especially by most of the teachers who find traditional pen and paper tests their comfort zones. I clearly recalled the popular test types multiple choice, matching type, short answer/completion type, essay type which dominate the test papers of students during periodical examinations. Students were required to write essays during exams, but as how these were evaluated and how points were assigned were not clearly communicated to them. Each of the learning areas required students of projects and some performances requiring oral communications and written outputs however, the scores they got should I say were seemingly “mysterious” and worse, scores largely depend upon teachers’ subjectivity, specifically, on teachers’ moods. Not only an injustice but somewhat funny. Then, being part of the goals of the department to improve teachers’ skills for assessment procedures, several trainings were conducted and I am glad to note that there are changes somehow on teachers’ attitude towards assessment and students now are seen happier than before as they find meaning and connection of the activities they do in school to their life outside school.

Rubistar is one of the week’s best delights. This is a site worth- recommending for teachers specially in our local schools division since one of the concerns which confront teachers in alternative assessment is the preparation of the rubrics. With Rubistar, teachers shall be re-enforced of the categories they need to include and the degree they will set for each condition in assessing certain tasks, thus,  reducing teachers' burden because the site offers array of categories to choose from. What teachers need to do is only to make little revisions so as to fit to the context of the learners.

Webquests is worth trying. From the samples at Zunal.com and Questgarden, I’m sure students will not only learn but enjoy as well. I am thinking about coming up with an online treasure hunt materials for my students, hopefully I will learn the process the soonest time possible. With webquests, students shall be engaged in an interactive academic activity in a much more controlled environment, therefore their access to the internet shall not be solely for games and social networking.

What makes this week more fascinating are the shared ideas and tips from the Webskills participants. I am glad to have been surrounded by and benefit from someone’s kindness. I personally like to thank the following online friends who impact me positively during the week. Let me name a few:

• For pointing out what I need to improve on; for being generously tactful in giving comments; and for giving me a detailed instruction on how to create class wiki, hopefully I can perfectly create one before the classes in the second semester begin.  Thanks a lot Donna.
• For brilliantly illustrated his ideas during discussions at Nicenet; for sharing Markin http://www.cict.co.uk/markin/index.php  which I can study and learn about and eventually be used in the future;  the link http://youtu.be/yQRbUeM6HDM  for a video tutorial so that I can use tables/grids at Nicenet; for sharing the idea about errors and mistakes are “learning steps- the phrase I and my students shall surely love to hear. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Muhammad Rashid.
• For the very nice suggestions on how to improve my students’ writing skills and for extending earnest encouragement so that I can possibly do things right and get best results. My sincerest thanks Olena.
• For the shared ideas and experiences about alternative assessment, PBL and rubrics which stirred me to reflect how am I being a teacher. Thank you so much Letty, BinLi, Ma. Elena, and Sebnem and the rest who I fail to mention.

Week 5 also leaves me a challenge- to create a Webquest at Zunal.com or Questgarden. Well, I miss this extra credit for the week. Perhaps, with more nights of burning midnight candles browsing and making attempts, I can finally create one soon.

Lastly, week 5 offers well taught lessons and these are actually contained inhttp://www.finestquotes.com/select_quote-category-Challenges-page-0.htm through the quotes of William Arthur’s “Failure is not fatal. Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. It should challenge us to new heights of accomplishments, not pull us to new depths of despair. From honest failure can come valuable experience”, and Michael F. Staley’s “There is no challenge more challenging than the challenge to improve oneself”.

Indeed, I LOVE WEEK 5! How about you?

REBECCA CASAS SAGOT