COVA, EDLD 5303 Applying Educational Technology Portfolio, eportfolioLeave a comment

Is this thing on?

Brent Mischnick

Sometimes I wonder whether it is truly on; or in other words, is anyone listening to what I am saying? If you walk into my classroom, that may or may not be evident, some days more than others, but overall I would hope that my students are listening when I am talking. Do I really want them to though? Shouldn’t I be pushing them to create and explore in their own way? They should only need to listen to me when they are asking for guidance or clarification or maybe some help with finding their path. I think about the way … Continue reading Is this thing on?

COVA, EDLD 5303 Applying Educational Technology Portfolio, My students, TeachingLeave a comment

How Is That Going To Work?

Brent Mischnick

Reflecting on some of the reading I have done over the past week has me really wondering ‘how’? How will I get started with implementing the COVA approach in my classroom? What can I really expect my fifth-graders to accomplish? How do I get my students to take initiative and make choices for their own learning? As you can see I have a lot of questions going through my head right now. I know there are more questions that I want to be answered as well, but I don’t think my brain will allow me to ask them yet since … Continue reading How Is That Going To Work?

COVA, EDLD 5303 Applying Educational Technology Portfolio

COVA or Not to COVA…

Brent Mischnick

I continue to wonder about my abilities to implement a true COVA environment in my fifth-grade classroom. I know that I believe in the COVA model and the philosophy behind it. I know that if my students “aren’t thinking about the learning process, we must ask if they are really learning?” (Harapnuik, Thibodeaux, Cummings 2018). Fighting with my fixed mindset about this is becoming a daily grind for me, and starting to really be frustrating, but I know that I cannot give up for the sake of my students. I used Choice menus last school year in my classroom and thought I was providing … Continue reading COVA or Not to COVA…

EDLD 5303 Applying Educational Technology Portfolio, eportfolio, My studentsLeave a comment

Do My Students ‘Own’ Their Digital Portfolios?

Brent Mischnick

To answer this question, I believe you have to ask yourself, Can the students truly take their portfolio with them wherever they go? What if a student leaves a school district? Can they continue building that portfolio to show off their learning? What if they can’t take it with them? Then what? All of these questions need to be considered if we are truly going to understand if we are giving our students a true choice in their learning. My students have their own digital portfolios on Weebly as soon as they start third grade. These websites are created and controlled … Continue reading Do My Students ‘Own’ Their Digital Portfolios?

EDLD 5303 Applying Educational Technology Portfolio, growth mindset, My students, TeachingLeave a comment

Why Am I Writing this Blog Post?

Brent Mischnick

Why? That is the question I have asked myself A LOT in the last few weeks. It might be about, why did I teach it that way or why didn’t think of that before I did it that way? This process of asking myself ‘why’ is not a new concept for me, but I feel like I am reflecting on the process and what the outcome of asking this question is more often now that I am pursuing my M. Ed. and pushing myself toward the growth mindset. Can I improve on this process? Of course. The growth mindset is … Continue reading Why Am I Writing this Blog Post?

EDLD 5303 Applying Educational Technology Portfolio, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Why Use An ePortfolio?

Brent Mischnick

Ever since we were asked to create our ePortfolio in EDLD 5302, I have reflected over and over about the best way to use this medium with my students. My school district has promoted the idea of students having their own digital portfolios for a few years, but I was never really fully committed to the idea. After reading the article from the Educational Technology and Mobile Learning blog called, ’13 Reasons Why Portfolios in Education are Important’, I find myself realizing just how many missed opportunities I have had with my students over the past few years. Letting them … Continue reading Why Use An ePortfolio?

EDLD 5302 Concepts of Educational TechnologyLeave a comment

What’s Next?

Brent Mischnick

As my first class in the pursuit of my Master’s degree comes to an end; I find myself wondering what’s next? I started by being reintroduced to the growth mindset and realizing that I really did not know what it was truly about. So I began my first assignment after reading Dr. Dweck’s book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success Dweck, C. (2017) and was just chomping at the bit to explain all of the ways to introduce my students to the growth mindset at the beginning of the school year. As I began to list all of the steps in … Continue reading What’s Next?