EDIM 508 Unit 3 Summary Posting Information Overload:

The Need for the Synthesizing Mind

Ive enjoyed reading your discussions this week. I hope that the readings have better opened your mind to
understanding the synthesizing mind and the technological tools and strategies that can be used to foster this
mind. Id like to highlight some thoughts from this weeks discussion.

Anna- I think being prepared is an important part of being a teacher and when we add in
technology to the mix it is just as important or maybe even a little more. I have found that when we are working
on any project that includes technology it's essential to have a back-up plan because there always seems to be
some technology issues. Something that works well for me is once a project in introduced, then it's used as a
center rotation task.

Ashlie- With this bleak outlook it is surprising that we bother with the
synthesizing mind at all but, with a world of technology at our fingertips, students need to
be able to possess this skill and utilize it to be successful in their futures. As educators
work hard to incorporate synthesis in the classroom we find an even more daunting
challenge: how to measure their success in synthesizing.

Charles- In order to achieve our goals as educators, we have to assure we are

properly assessing success in achieving synthesis. Some excellent ways of doing this are to provide various
assessment tools for students. We can provide them with a variety of reading sources, videos, projects,
interactive websites, and more. In measuring success, we have to challenge students to stretch their thinking in
multiple ways, across a variety of curriculums. We must use modern day technology, we have to promote
higher order thinking, and we have to allow students to use a variety of tools to showcase their abilities.

Daniel- When we plan our instruction and assessments we need to provide opportunities for
students to synthesize the material so it "sticks". By providing students with a variety of methods to reach the
the same outcome is a great first step in fostering s synthesized mind. I can see student growth in synthesis
through he various products they produce. By having students create a real world product it demonstrates to me
that they have developed a deep understanding of the content

David- In my instance, this better way was the melding of technology and project based learning.
Almost immediately, I realized that my students were capable of producing tremendous work. Additionally I
found that the more I allowed for creativity in the project, the better the results. In response, in only very rare
instances did I provide the students with a rubric and parameters for my projects were very loose. In addition to
an increase in student success, I also saw a marked increase in engagement and a stunning decrease in student
discipline. I quickly became a believer and have not looked back.

Emily- Students recall less of what I've said and more of what they've
observed me do in different situations. I think this makes it increasingly important for me
to model good synthesis in my classroom by being prepared and flexible. For many
students, synthesis is not innate. They are instructed in how to make these connections
and, sometimes, they are even told what connections to make. Once a safe space is
established, it is important to ask probing and leading questions.

Kelly- When we teach, we have goals in mind and outcomes that we are expecting. However, we
are dealing with the youth of America and they do not always achieve the goals or outcomes we expect.
Therefor, we need to be prepared to change our strategies and/or curriculum to help the students achieve the
goals we have set forth. One way to prepare for this is to understand when and where mistakes may occur and
have strategies in place to overcome these issues and concerns.

Lisa- One of the biggest ideas that my school district is pushing right now is the idea of formative
vs. summative assessment and how we use them in the classroom. Basically, we are to figure out how our
students are learning or progessing toward the goals that you mentioned before formally, or summatively,
assessing them. Creating quick formative assessments is one way to do this, and we can make these very
quickly.

Matthew- The amount of information and access to web 2.0 tools is unlimited in today's day and
age. It is important to challenge our students to rise to the occasion. It is no longer acceptable to have students
sitting in their seat for 72 minutes participating in a lecture. With the push for STEM, STEAM, and 21st
century learning, engagement and synthesis are key.

Meghan- My main goal for my students is to get them to acquire skills that allow them to think
critically about information and learn skills that can be used to learn as they grow. Reciting facts is one thing,
but thinking critically about that information and applying it to real life situations are qualities of 21st Century
Students.

Nicole- In order to be successful, students not only had to synthesize the information they learned
in Social Studies, but they also had to use writing, speaking, and persuasive skills that they had been learning in
Language Arts. They had to take all of the information they knew about Marco Polo, other explorations of the
time, and possible travel routes, and form their own narrative of what really happened during Polo's trip. They
then had to be able to present their thoughts and convince others to agree with them. In the end, I found that

this was a much more authentic display of the students understanding of the topics than just giving them a
traditional test.

Rebecca- A rubric is established with all of the specific criteria students

need to incorporate and synthesize. During this time, students are incorporating
reading, writing, social studies, speaking, and researching skills in one project.
Students complete this at the end of the year when all of the skills have been taught.
They apply what they have learned and always produce amazing projects!

Stephanie- In order for students to start and synthesis the information

and develop their disciplined mind, you need to start to address their interests. One way to assess students
achieving synthesis is by giving them many different options for a final product. Let them pick how they want to
show you their knowledge, whether it be a paper, poster, PowerPoint, or speech. Even though you are letting
them pick their product, you can still set the boundaries and topics that you want to see with a rubric or
guideline that they must follow when creating their product.