B. Use technology resources to collect and
analyze data, interpret results, and communicate findings to improve
instructional practice and maximize student learning.
Evidence:
1) I have found that using a spreadsheet
to organize students' grades is both helpful and efficient. Not
only does it allow me to quickly view individual students' averages
across a subject, it also provides me with a class average for each
assignment. The former helps me to determine which students
may need some extra instruction and the latter helps me to judge the
quality of my assignment and instruction.
2) Also, I recently discovered the amazing world of Mail Merge!
This feature allows me to type one standard form letter, then fills in
the needed information automatically from my pre-existing
spreadsheet. This serves as a wonderful communication tool, as it
takes only five minutes to create 25 individualized grade
reports. Directions for using Mail Merge can be found here.
Reflection:
I believe that one of the defining characteristics of a great teacher
is the ability to analyze not only her students' performances, but also
her own. The spreadsheet program serves as a great tool to help
teachers consider how well a unit or lesson was received by all
students. As a beginning teacher, it is vital that I have some
sort of quantitative data to
assess my lessons. My gradebook spreadsheet easily calculates
averages of all kinds; if left to do it manually, I may never find the
time to average the class performance on each lesson. Many
failing grades could signify that my lesson was ineffective, or that my
assessment was inappropriate.