Formative Assessment in the Digital Age

Link to Article: Formative Assessment in the Digital Age

          Incorporating digital assessments into the classroom is becoming more the norm among teachers, especially at the elementary school level. As part of the continuously shifting digital landscape that has redefined the way we communicate, technology can easily be integrated into the assessment process. One example of using technology to assess students is online book clubs. Instead of assigning students a specific time to discuss their books in class, third grade teacher Ms. Whitmore decided to have her students post their thinking and communicate about the text anytime from anywhere within a blog. This helped her not only manage the groups more effectively, but the blogs provided her with a record of discussions and allowed her to monitor and scaffold student learning with groups and individuals. Ms. Whitmore also used this as an opportunity to connect with a wider audience by partnering with a nearby university. Two or three pre-service teachers were assigned to blog with each book club, not only giving the students blogging buddies, but the pre-service teachers an authentic opportunity to interact with elementary-aged students as well.

          Ms. Whitmore also used the blog as a way of assessing student comprehension. Using a rubric, she gauged students’ comprehension based on their blog posts. First, she provided each student with a digital and hard copy of the rubric prior to beginning the blogging experience. She then used the rubric to guide her in providing feedback to her students. The use of the blog as an assessment tool allowed Ms. Whitmore to respond to students’ conversations from home or school without having to be physically present, comment on students’ posts to probe their thinking through questioning to foster deeper comprehension, make informed data-driven decisions to help tailor instruction to meet students’ needs, and it provided her with valuable information about individual learners to help differentiate instruction.

          While I do think digital assessments have their many benefits, I feel they would be difficult to incorporate into a middle school math classroom like my own. So much of math these days is being able to show your work. As much as my students despise me for it, I am always, always making them show their steps and work. I do this because if they happen to get the answer wrong, I want to be able to look back at their work and see where they made their mistake. Was it just a simple math error with their adding, or does the student completely not understand the concept? I do however think digital assessments would be beneficial in the math classroom if students could write out or explain their thinking through some type of audio or written assessment tool.

Resources:

Stover, K., Yearta, L., & Harris, C. (2016). Formative Assessment in the Digital Age. The Reading Teacher, 69. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.library.aurora.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=9a6a8ff3-5faa-4bc1-97e9-9caf3ab931c6%40sessionmgr102

Exploring Integer Addition Screencast

Lesson: Exploring Integer Addition Screencast

Intended Audience: 7^th Grade Students

Objectives: After completing this lesson, students will be able to represent addition expressions of real-world integer scenarios. Students will also be able to create their own real-world scenarios given an addition expression including integers. (7.NS.A.1)

Rationale: Before getting into strategies for adding integers, it's important for students to understand the key words or phrases that give away whether a number is positive or negative. For example, words such as "won, increased, gained, and earned" represent positive numbers or positive integers. On the other hand, words such as "decreased, lost, and owed" represent negative integers. Integers are a vital standard and skill all 7^th graders need to master because we constantly refer back to and use them throughout the remainder of the school year. This lesson is just a brief introduction to two methods students can use to add integers. Instead of just giving students the basic rules for adding integers, in this lesson they can explore numerous ways of getting the correct answer. Once students have learned all of the strategies for adding integers, they can then choose whichever one works best for them. The podcast is split into 2 parts: part 1 covers adding integers with number lines and then gives students time to practice on their own and with a partner. Part 2 then covers using plus and minus signs for adding integers with again time for students to work independently and reflect on their answers with a partner.

Link to Screencast: Exploring Integer Addition

Cast from the Past

Link to Article: Cast from the Past: Using Screencasting in the Social Studies Classroom

          A lot of teachers today often think they need to trade in student-centered teaching and learning and revert back to direct instruction. This is because many of the tests both students and teachers are measured by nowadays are based on knowledge and comprehension, not important citizenship skills such as cooperation, collaboration, and critical thinking. That is until, David Besozzi, a high school social studies teacher in New York, decided to create a series of screencasts and infuse more technology into his classroom to increase student engagement, meet the learning needs of a wider range of students, and “flip” his classroom to increase inquiry and student-centered learning opportunities. A “flipped classroom” is one in which students listen to teacher lectures at home at their own pace, typically through instructional videos that are posted online or podcasts that they can download easily.

          Besozzi’s solution to invert the learning model was using screencasts. After receiving a grant for the funding, Besozzi created screencasts for all units in his ninth grade curriculum, with each unit consisting of about 7-10 screencasts. The goal was for students to listen to the 8-12 minute long casts for homework about twice a week and take notes guided by graphic organizers. When they returned to class the next day, Besozzi would start by reviewing the students’ notes followed by activities that allowed students to apply what they learned in the screencast to a social studies topic. All in all, Besozzi discovered that the screencasts met his initial goal of increased differentiation of teaching methods, increased student engagement through the use of a novel learning tool, and students recognized that the Internet could be used as a tool for learning, not just entertainment.  

          The more I read and learn about using podcasts and screencasts to complement my teaching style, the more intrigued I become. I love the idea of students being able to listen or watch something at home that I created to help them understand concepts better or just for extra practice. Students need to be able to work at a pace that works for them, so if they struggle with a specific skill in class, they should be able to go home and review/practice on their own for better understanding. As much work as I know this will take, I plan on hopefully integrating these technological tools into my 7^th grade math classroom in the coming years. I hope to somehow be able to go over practice problems for students on their daily homework through screencasts where they can pause, go back, or fast forward as needed.

Resources:

Snyder, C., Paska, L., & Besozzi, D. (2014). Cast from the Past: Using Screencasting in the Social Studies Classroom. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.library.aurora.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=69e97e25-be99-4ec8-b82a-fcd8cadb2818%40sessionmgr103

Exploring Integer Addition Podcast

Lesson: Exploring Integer Addition

Intended Audience: 7^th Grade Students

Objectives: After completing this lesson, students will be able to show addition of integers on a vertical and horizontal number line. Students will also be able to show addition of quantities by showing positive or negative direction from one quantity to the other. (7.NS.A.1)

Rationale: The 7^th grade math curriculum begins each year with integers. Integers are a vital standard and skill all 7^th graders need to master because we constantly refer back to and use them throughout the school year. For example, we incorporate integers into equations, inequalities, ratios and proportions, geometry, etc. This lesson is just a brief introduction to two methods students can use to add integers. Instead of just giving students the basic rules for adding integers, in this lesson they can explore numerous ways of getting the correct answer. Once students have learned all of the strategies for adding integers, they can then choose whichever one works best for them. The podcast is split into 2 parts: part 1 covers adding integers with number lines and then gives students time to practice on their own and with a partner. Part 2 then covers using plus and minus signs for adding integers with again time for students to work independently and reflect on their answers with a partner. Both of these lessons can be differentiated to meet the needs of all learners. In part 1 students can be given number lines they can draw on with dry erase markers, and in part 2 students can be given chips with plus and minus signs on them. 

Exploring Integer Addition Part 1

Exploring Integer Addition Part 2

Lesson 2 Notes

The Power of Podcasting

Link to Article: The Power of Podcasting

          There are countless benefits of using interactive, educational podcasting between teachers and students in the classroom. Although podcasts are not necessarily considered as “new” technology, all of the benefits it offers when integrated into learning and the classroom are still being discovered. The use of podcasts in the classroom has great potential because they help differentiate learning, provide additional support to students with specific learning needs, and they help foster a sense of inclusivity and belonging to the learning community. The best and most effective way to incorporate podcasts into the classroom is by “chunking” the delivered material into five or six single casts, rather than just recording an entire lecture in one. This is most effective in the classroom because if the podcasts are supplemented with related examples and activities, the students are more likely to remain engaged and motivated in the lesson.

          Other benefits of podcasting related to students include the ability to access podcasts at home or on the go, the ability to engage with the content by taking written notes, the opportunity to repeat podcasts to retrieve information, clarify issues, and/or highlight knowledge gaps, and they give students the opportunity to help manage their own learning by encouraging student autonomy. All in all, although podcasting is innovative and technologically advanced, and its future in the educational setting is immensely strong, the main focus and final result must be on the potential to positively impact and effect the student experience and enhance student learning.

          Although I have never personally used podcasts to enhance my teaching in the classroom, after reading this article I can definitely see its benefits. While I’m not sure if I would completely alter my teaching style and revert to the “flipped classroom” teaching method per say, I really like how the article mentioned the ability of using podcasts for delivering feedback to students. The article reported that students are 10 times more likely to open audio files when compared to written feedback. I thought this was very intriguing because I’m only used to giving my students written or verbal/face-to-face feedback in the classroom. However, I can now see the benefits of using a combination of feedback avenues – both written and audio and want to consider how to positively incorporate this into my classroom in the coming years.

 Resources:

Maher Palenque, S. (2016). The Power of Podcasting: Perspectives on Pedagogy. Journal of Instructional Research, 5. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1127626.pdf.

Creating A Paperless Classroom

Link to Article: Creating a Paperless Classroom

          With technology constantly updating and new types of programs and apps coming out on the market, teachers need to be willing to incorporate these new and exciting technologies by creating paperless classrooms. For those that are unwilling or hesitant to the change, classroom structure does not have to necessarily change with a 21^st century classroom. You can still have your bell ringer, anticipatory set, lesson, and exit activity, just use different methods. Either way, having a systematic plan is essential in order to build confidence in moving towards a paperless classroom. The best way to approach this is to start small and then gradually increase the amount of technology used. For instance, begin with just one class or one lesson and transition from there. 

          There are countless options out there to get started with paperless classrooms. One technology tool you can use for assessments is polleverywhere.com. This site allows you to collect real-time data for formative assessments. Another tool, for those interested in the flipped classroom concept is zaption.com. Zaption allows the teacher to embed questions into videos. Students must answer these questions before the video continues, and then data is collected on students’ responses and linked to the teacher’s account. Others include Prezi, Nearpod, Slide Shark, Live Binders, Socrative, and Quizlet. 

          In my opinion, all educators should be moving towards the paperless classroom. We need to stay up to date with the latest technological changes and advancements if we want our students to truly become problem-solving, critical thinkers. In my own classroom, I feel I am slowly moving towards this trend. While I believe in mathematics assessments should always be paper, pencil, everything else can technically be transitioned digitally. For example, I use OneNote to take notes with my students. In the coming school year however I want to try and have my students take their notes electronically too – using stylists and solving problems on their laptops using OneNote as well. I’ll still have the option of writing the notes available, but will try to shift their thinking and skills towards our ever-changing technological world.

 Resources:

Bonomo, J. (2016). Creating a Paperless Classroom. Association for Career and Technical Education. Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/Rene%20Regan/Documents/MAET17/EDU%206210/Paperless%20Classroom%20Article.pdf

I Have an iPad. Now What?

Link to Article: I Have an iPad. Now What?

          Numerous generations of people, young and old, are using mobile devices on a daily basis. This article focuses on the use of mobile devices, specifically iPads, being used at the university level for pre-service teachers. In 2013, an iPad initiative was introduced to all physical education majors at a university in New England. The goal of this initiative was to prepare future teachers to use the iPad as a teaching and learning tool so they could be successful in schools where iPad use has become universal. Despite some initial drawbacks such as faculty member’s comfort level with the technology and student anger over the purchasing of the iPads, it generated important discussions regarding pedagogies and student control over their own learning.

          The first step in the initiative was gathering learning objectives from all required courses for physical education majors, ensuring that they were measurable and used active verbs related to Bloom’s taxonomy. Faculty members then created assessments using those learning objectives to show what the students should know and be able to do by the end of each course. Some examples of assessments that were created include student-created blogs, concept maps, digital ethnographies, and public safety announcements. Next, staff members created their own pedagogy wheels and then presented their work at workshops and conferences. In the end, although many students and faculty were hesitant about this initiative, it created great opportunities for student-centered learning, technology innovation, and higher-order thinking skills.

          In my opinion, this initiative is an awesome idea, especially in terms of assessing students. We all know that no student learns the same. Therefore, when students are constantly being assessed through quizzes and tests, some are unable to show what they really know. I think the idea of assessing students through programs on an iPad could be very beneficial for all. They are able to use their imagination and creativity, problem-solving skills, and show their teachers what they know in a way that makes most sense to them. I will admit as a math teacher, that my PLC and I have all of our assessments using paper and pencil, because that’s the easiest way for us to assess what the students know. However, after reading this article I think I want to explore more ways I can assess my student’s mathematical skills.

Resources:

Rosenthal, M.B., & Eliason, S.K. (2015). “I Have an iPad. Now What? Using Mobile Devices in University Physical Education Programs. JOPERD: The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 86(6). Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.library.aurora.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=20&sid=0cfe3cc0-ea91-4a1c-a417-c1ed78c8a95e%40sessionmgr120