An assessment I did that did not work well for the House Planning class I teach, was a short paper I asked the students to do that was reflective of the content we had covered to date.
The intent of the the paper was to have the students self assess what they had learned and what they thought they needed clarification on.
I was very dissappointed in the lack of structure and actual self reflection of most of the papers. I had expected a higher level of writing skills than was demonstrated.
What I learned from the experience was valuable in that I recognized that many of the students needed to learn about the writing lab that is provided by UAS. I will also restructure the assignment with very specific instructions as to the outcome I expect from the students.

what i learned this morning

When doing research on the internet it's imperative that I try to stay focused or I can easily get side tracked and become overwhelmed with the massive amounts of information that I end up finding. The ability to reach this information is so much easier now than when I was first going to school back in the 80's. This definitely makes me a digital immigrant who will have to work hard to understand the learning styles of the students in my classes that are digital natives.

if information was food

• At the top of the food pyramid I would put the sugary stuff like celebrity news. Interesting but worthless for sustained mental energy.

• Next I would have sports news. It is slightly more nutritious for the brain than celebrity news but not of great importance.

• In the middle of the pyramid I would put political information. I would include what I think really matters like, legislation dealing with social programs, freedom of speech, and debates over spending.

• Toward the bottom would be current world news and information.

• The bottom layer of my information pyramid would be history of all types. I would include history of architecture, art, culture, politics, religion, philosophy, sports and war. This is the information that provides us with the standards we can judge ourselves by in the world today. This is the nutritional information our minds need for sustained energy and good health.

what's so great about teaching

Teaching is very satisfying because the teacher has the ability to help students learn and grow. Ultimately students will use the information given them by the teacher to expand their world view.
When students get jobs from the knowledge they have learned from me I get real satisfaction.