Some of my previous posts have focused on the new technologies I’ve learned as a Kenan Fellow.  I’ve blogged about how these tools will change the way I teach in the future.  So, for this post, I decided to focus on the technology in a different light.  I think the thing I’ve learned that will change my teaching is the idea of collecting data in new ways.  Of course, we’ve all been trained on formative and summative data and data analysis for student achievement.  But now I have that awesome Lenovo tablet that can capture images, videos, and surveys from my classes.

Our PD in Raleigh this summer helped me realize that I have missed opportunities to document accomplishments by my students.  I capture certain elements of data each year, but I had not thought about video or photo evidence!  I plan to become more “data informed” so I can overload my administration with all the great things happening in my room.  This PD helped me recognize that the data is there – I just needed to capture it.  Maybe I’m trying to stay lodged in the past, but it used to be enough to show the grades and tell the stories about what a class accomplished in a year.  Those days are gone!  And, while it’s often difficult to quantify what effect a teacher has on a student, we now have standards that require substantial documentation of our practice.

So, my “something learned” is the renewed clarity that I need to document the accomplishments of my students in several different ways.  And thanks to the Kenan Fellowship, I have access to the tools to do this and present it confidently to parents, administrators and the public.  I have already taken a few shots of my classes doing a lab on the first day of school!

photo credit: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/notbrucelee/7161141748/”>justgrimes</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/”>cc</a>