Mr. B EdTech Blog

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-09-16-inside-the-school-where-every-student-gets-their-own-teacher Olivia is currently enrolled part-time in one of the most unique high school models in the country. Where many schools struggle with ever-expanding student-teacher ratios, Futures Academy, a California network of private schools serving middle- and high schoolers, follows a distinctly personalized model: Every class in every subject has one teacher and only one student. The model takes an eyebrow-raising twist on one-to-one instruction, which in many education circles has come to refer to one computer for every student. This sounds like a discussion I have had many times with other educators when talking about school models and how to improve schools. "What if every student had their own teacher?" It is an intriguing idea that, on the surface, sounds like the ideal learning environment. However, most times I have discussed this, the conversation usually ends up saying t...

Earlier this year, Google rolled out the "LOCKDOWN" feature on Google Quizzes. According to Google, this feature will block students from being able to open new tabs, thus preventing them from cheating. https://techycoach.com/2019/01/24/google-forms-lockdown-mode/ I do find this tool useful for those that use this type of assessment. However, one question I would ask, Is this type of assessment the best way to assess what students have learned. I find myself moving away from question and answer based assessments and moving toward project based assessments. This philosophy is summed up by saying that I am moving away from having students tell me what they learned to having students show me what they learned, putting the skills to actual use. Though I still see where the old style Q&A assessments can be valid, I am not sure that I would utilize this function often. I would encourage those using technology for assessments to think how to transform their instruct...