Project, Rubric and Solution.

Thanks to the readings for this week, I could understand clearly what PBL is and why we need PBL, rubric and alternative assessment in language education and learning. The 10 steps listed that maximize potential benefits of project work help the students to be more committed and more independent in the accomplishment of their work. Most of the decisions and the procedures are centered on the students, so they feel more involved and responsible. They are given the chance to do their own research freely, to use their creativity and to work cooperatively. The rubric is there to guide them and to encourage them to do their best as they know how their work is going to be assessed. They can be more productive. The assessment also helps them to check and evaluate their progress. PBL, rubric and alternative assessment form a good way to increase students’ interest and motivation in learning. I’m sure that my students will really like PBL and the fact of using a rubric and/or alternative assessment. I can integrate different skills and technology tools in PBL.

One of the tasks for this week was to create a rubric. We’ve always used common rubrics when we assess students’ interviews or presentation at our school but it’s the first time I’ve created a rubric myself. The tool that was suggested for creating it (RubiStar) really helped because it already includes different points to consider and contents for each point but you just need to choose those that are appropriate to your activity and you can also add other points or adjust the contents to your needs.

Though it took me some time to create it, I really enjoyed it and I’m going to always use Rubistar to create rubrics for my class because it’s easy to use and it really helps.

The most challenging task for me this week was finding and deciding on the technology tools I’m going to use to solve the issues in my class. The issue is about tracking student progress in accuracy. Courtney’s idea about using Vocaroo was really interesting; I think it’s really a relevant solution and her idea also helped me brainstorm other tools. I’m really thankful to her for advising me this tool. So finally, I’ve decided to use it as a first solution, but in case the condition of the materials in our computer lab doesn’t allow it, I’m thinking of using Blog as an alternative solution. I wish the tools I’ve chosen will really work for my project and I’m always excited to continue with the next steps.