Week 2 Blog - Doverspike

PART ONE:

As described in Authentic Instruction and Assessment, " authentic intellectual work involves original application of knowledge and skills, rather than just routine use of facts and procedures." (Newmann et al., 2007) There are 3 different components in authentic intellectual work. These are construction of knowledge, disciplined inquiry, and value beyond school. 

• Construction of Knowledge is essentially thinking outside of the box to apply baseline knowledge to your unique situation and constructing existing knowledge to solve unique problems. 
• Disciplined Inquiry is broken down even further into three sub categories: prior knowledge base, in-depth understanding, and elaborated communication. Your construction of knowledge needs to be guided by your disciplined inquiry. You need to be able to have some pre-existing knowledge as well as the ability to develop an in depth understanding of what you are learning. 
• Value Beyond School is when you find value in the knowledge for other reasons; aesthetic value, personal value, etc. In academic settings, our education is measured by tests and competence, not overall thinking. Seeing value in knowledge beyond school is important for all students so they can exists beyond standardized tests and essay prompts. Making lessons in school more student centered and relevant is also another way to allow for students to see the value in their knowledge beyond the classroom. 

One example of authentic intellectual work in my classroom is our "safety mouse" project. Students are tasked with creating a "mouse" out of wood using 2 saws, 2 drill bits, and rulers. This project, on surface level, will test their construction of knowledge showing me their pre-existing knowledge in regards to tool usage. They are learning how to use drills, change drill bits, measure and mark wood, and use saws safely. This is good for our class, but they can also transfer these skills to any home projects and have these basic skills for life. 

PART TWO:

The NETP has 3 key divides; the digital use divide, the digital design divide, and the digital access divide. The digital use divide shows authentic intellectual work, because students already have pre-existing knowledge of how the internet works, and this divide is providing them with tools and resources to enhance their learning. The digital design divide allows for teachers to do the same, but being the ones creating the assignments and activities via the online tools. The digital access divide applies to both educators and students, allowing for access to the tools for success.

In the Digital Use Divide, there is a recommended plan of "Develop a “Profile of a Learner/Graduate” outlining cognitive, personal, and interpersonal competencies students should have when transitioning between grade levels and graduation." (Tech Ed, 2024). In my current school district, we have the "Profile of a Graduate" poster throughout our classrooms and hallways. It has the graduation requirements on it, but also other life skills that students need to succeed. It is included below for viewing. Technology is vital in my school district - we have over 34 different languages in the district and rely on technology, such as translation apps, to communicate with our students and allow them to do work in their native language and translate it. 

PART THREE:

The Triple E Framework has four steps to its process; defining the learning goal, selecting the correct technology, engage students, and connect what you are learning with real world tasks. These steps align with AIW because students have to use the same steps to reach their end goal, they are simply adding technology. With the profile of a graduate graphic, it could be posted online and students could create an interactive version of the profile with different hyper-links or other presentation methods to highlight the different traits and how to achieve them.

References

Newmann, F. M., King, M. B., & Carmichael, D. L. (2007). Authentic instruction and assessment: Common standards for rigor and relevance in teaching academic subjects. Prepared for the Iowa Department of Education.

The Digital Use Divide. Office of Educational Technology. (2024, January 31). https://tech.ed.gov/netp/digital-use-divide/