Chapter 8: Systemic Issues

This chapter was very interesting to me since I am studying to become an ESL teacher and a Gifted Teacher. The former issue was addressed in somewhat lengthy detail in this chapter, providing helpful information for instructors. One of the things that I appreciated about this chapter was the suggestion for the use of blogs for communication. It is true that often times one division of a language development in a student is lacking and so blogging offers a way for the student to work on these skills. It also provides a safe and non-threatening environment for the student in which to work. I also liked the blogging community aspect because it reinforces the component that everyone in the classroom has something to offer to a composition of an piece. This would cultivate the classroom community and would be beneficial for everyone. I also appreciated the "blog as a tutor". This format offers a system for the students to be able to communicate with both the teacher and other students in order to share knowledge and help each other in the path to knowledge.
The second main component that I gained from this chapter was the explanation of e-portfolios. I like the idea for use in teaching ESL students. I like that the materials can be tracked in one place and the students can personalize. One thing that I am excited about ESL teaching is that it can be individualized instruction and so the e-portfolio gives me the chance to individualize assessment.
Finally, I think that there are extreme benefits in using e-portfolios in the professional world. Our year is the first year in Teacher Ed. at JBC to use Livetext as our final portfolio. We will update it at the end of this year in order to include the artifacts from our internship. I like that I can update the artifacts but still maintain the same format. I also like that this portfolio can be used to share with other principals in other states without having to send a big stack of papers. It offers the person hiring with the option of scanning what they deem important and skipping the things that are non-essentials. I believe that I will use it if I ever do become a principal in order to more effectively get teachers that would be best for the job.