Self Assessment

When viewing the class progress report sent out on via e-mail October 28th, I noted that my class participation grade was a B+. From that day forward I made it a point to participate more in class, as well as, through the online discussions. While I believe that I participated when relevant or when I was able to meaningfully contribute to the discussion, no one wants to respond to a topic when unsure. The great thing about graduate school is being surrounded among individuals from various backgrounds and disciplines so that one may be able to compare and contrast the various needs among our students. When looking at the class participation rubric, I believe I have earned an A-/18 points. Although I demonstrated a strong time commitment to the course, I believe I functioned more as a “listener” than as a “leader.” Every assignment was completed on time and while creating and sustaining a blog page was a new concept for me, there was great satisfaction in constructing the posts. With this said, I believe I met the criteria indicated to receive a grade of an indicated.
Because I obtained a significant amount of knowledge within this class, it would be difficult to describe what I learned in one short paragraph. For me, Understanding by Design and recognizing the value of integrating technology into my lessons were the most beneficial. I’ve applied this in helping me construct my lesson/unit plans and have even shared the benefits of this design with my department chairperson, as well as, my peers. Another constructive aspect of this class was the methods of assessments. Supplying my students with rubrics for assessment was a concept that was not only an advantage to me as an instructor but to my students as well. With this, my students no longer assumed what was expected from me in terms of various lessons. This knowledge has helped me to not only understand the importance of assessment but the various types as well.
Above all, whether I aspire to become an administrator or not, my sole concern is the education of my students. Overall, the class has assisted me in becoming a better instructor, keeping in mind the reason why I chose this profession. Every assignment in class was useful and allowed me to transfer my newly acquired information to my students. Creating a mash up movie, as well as, a blog page are experiences I’ll never forget. These activities alone are skills that I am anxious to incorporate into future lessons. Since this class seemed to center around the 21st century learner, online classes opposed to in-person ones conveyed a better understanding of what this “type of learner” should entail. In terms of participation by the use of on-line discussions, I prefer being assigned groups to respond to topics opposed to responding randomly to selected classmates. The methods of assessments and feedback are also techniques that were presented to our class but also could and should be incorporated into our classrooms. Generally, the class as a whole was one of the best, as well as, challenging class I’ve had while in graduate school. Keep up the good work.