Creating Products, not just taking tests

In the final chapter of the text, Richardson discusses how new technologies allow students to demonstrate mastery of material by creating authentic products, rather than merely performing satisfactorily on a written test. I whole-heartedly agree with this! Hearing ideas from other people and seeing what teachers around the country are doing has pushed me to expand my thinking and my conception of what it means to demonstrate mastery. I am excited now to find new ways for my students to create meaningful, authentic products that can be shared with a wider audience. In making assignments more practical, I truly think that I can have another shot at reaching struggling students and those who are apathetic about school. As a high school teacher of struggling students, I think that this may be one of the only way to reach students who do not see the purpose of their education and who have been unsuccessful in conventional school settings so long that they have lost faith in themselves as students.