Moving on to the RGE Assignment...I don't know about you, but I had a terrible experience trying to use the rubric generator sites! I spent a ridiculous number of hours to trying to create rubrics using Rubistar and Tech4Learning’s rubric generator sites. (Teachnology’s site looked really good, but required a $30 access membership, which I declined, since I was already mightily frustrated with the free sites).
Despite my repeated efforts, I was not making any progress and, while trying to work with these rubric generators, all I could think is “Why am I doing this when I know I can custom create my own rubric, in Word, within minutes?”
Which is precisely what I did!
I honestly don’t know if my problems with the rubric generator sites were due to my lack of understanding or inferior instructions. All I know is that none worked easily or effectively. I kept losing work or, if it was still there, I could not find it. I could not customize anything to my liking, and could not work on the entire rubric at once, just bits and pieces that were not even in the viewable mode. This was a nightmare for me. I am a very visual learner. I like everything in front of me, including the tools I need, and I like to see changes instantly and as they will appear in my final version. From this experience, I do not plan to ever use a rubric generator. I don’t even see the point. The generators are not any different than creating a table in Word, they’re just more complicated and inflexible! As for the rubric examples, most looked like regular Word documents. And, to find an existing rubric, from the thousands listed, would take more time to search and review than to make your own. Am I missing the point here? This was a time consuming, frustrating, and ultimately, unrewarding experience for me. How about you??? Leave me a comment on your experience and let me know, was this my problem or the rubric generator's problem?
Despite my repeated efforts, I was not making any progress and, while trying to work with these rubric generators, all I could think is “Why am I doing this when I know I can custom create my own rubric, in Word, within minutes?”
Which is precisely what I did!
I honestly don’t know if my problems with the rubric generator sites were due to my lack of understanding or inferior instructions. All I know is that none worked easily or effectively. I kept losing work or, if it was still there, I could not find it. I could not customize anything to my liking, and could not work on the entire rubric at once, just bits and pieces that were not even in the viewable mode. This was a nightmare for me. I am a very visual learner. I like everything in front of me, including the tools I need, and I like to see changes instantly and as they will appear in my final version. From this experience, I do not plan to ever use a rubric generator. I don’t even see the point. The generators are not any different than creating a table in Word, they’re just more complicated and inflexible! As for the rubric examples, most looked like regular Word documents. And, to find an existing rubric, from the thousands listed, would take more time to search and review than to make your own. Am I missing the point here? This was a time consuming, frustrating, and ultimately, unrewarding experience for me. How about you??? Leave me a comment on your experience and let me know, was this my problem or the rubric generator's problem?
Moving on to Technology and Professional Development, I was especially impressed with Tapped In, Teacher's Domain, and pdpoint.
Tapped In's virtual buildings in a 2.0 environment provides educators with a wealth of resource and support services, such as: learning communities to share strategies, resources and support, participation in topical discussions,opportunities to conduct learning projects with colleagues and students, a Job Bank, and an email/message system in which conversation transcripts are automatically e-mailed and messages are saved for users who are not logged in.
Teachers' Domain has partnered with PBS TeacherLine to offer a special collection of Teachers' Domain professional development courses in Physical, Life, and Earth Sciences for elementary, middle school, and high school educators. I love this site! It is filled with wonderful lesson plans and technology resources that students will, both, respond to and learn from.
pdPoint
http://www.pdpoint.com/My other personal favorite! This site makes being a "life-long learner" possible and easy! PdPoint provides teachers (and administrators) with ongoing, systemic professional development that is focused on technology integration, quality teaching and sound pedagogy. The beauty of pdPoint is that it offers a variety of methods (classes, workshops, books) that you can learn from at your own pace. It also provides you with incredibly comprehensive, and easy to use, management and reporting tools. And you know that if I think it's easy to use, then it truly is!
That's it for today! I intend to write one final blog after I've finished my CP...now, I must go and pray for inspiration!
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