Kindergarten Digital Formative Assessment Tools

As the school year winds down I am assessing students in various parts of our curriculum and it’s a little overwhelming for both my students and myself.  Almost all of the “final” assessments for Reading, Writing, Math, Phonics, etc. are paper based in my school district.  We have students take the STAR Early Literacy test in the Fall, Winter and Spring on iPads as part of the K-6 testing schedule but otherwise most of my assessing is informal and I was happy to research some new formative assessment tools.  Since we only have 12 days left of school (but who is counting) I don’t have time to use new assessment tools with my students.   I’m looking forward to incorporating new formative assessments with my students for next year.

Kindergarten can be a tough age to give a lot of student directed tasks.  I always describe the beginning of year like herding cats, I’m trying to get the students used to being school and following routines and schedules and then on top of that I need to teach the curriculum.  September always seems to fly by I’m looking forward to using these tools in the upcoming school year.  That being said student directed learning is a key to educational change.  Because of that change I’m looking forward to seeing what formative assessments my IT&DML classmates will share.

Plickers is a quick and easy formative assessment tool that can be used with any age in various subject areas.   The description on iTunes says Plicker 'lets you poll your class for free without the need for individual student devices.'  First you need to register for free at Plickers.com, once you are registered you sign up your students and assign them a number. Once they are signed up you print their Plickers cards and give one to each student.  Then you ask students a question and students turn his or her card so that the correct answer choice (A, B, C, or D) is facing up.  The teacher then scans the class.  The Plickers application reads each card similar to a QR code.  The application then instantly turns the students answers into a graph or an individual student form, allowing the teacher to see which students are understanding a concept or which students might need more help.  It allows students who might be anxious about share their answers with their peer’s opportunity to show their understanding about a topic without the stigma of being right or wrong.

 

Students showing their Plicker cards

Plicker application showing students answers

Showbie is paperless way to collect student work making a virtual portfolio of some sort.  What is the great about this application besides being FREE is it is easy for Kindergartners to use!  Teachers create “assignments” as students complete the assignments they are filed into the student’s portfolio.  This helps teachers keep track of who has or hasn’t completed the assignment.  The teacher can then make notes to the assignment either as written or voice notes.  Showbie also allows the teacher to email parents assignments.  It’s great for providing students and parent’s updates on their student learning.  It also makes it much easier for report cards because all of the information is all in one place.  I am someone is always searching for new ways to best organize for my students and myself.  Showbie is a great tool to use a formative assessment because it can be both formal and informal and it involves feedback.  I also like how the students are the ones who are in charge of handing in their work, etc.  Teaching students responsibility is a life long skill.  Showbie is great tool to help them start to be responsible learners.

Easy registration process for teachers

Within the Showbie application students pick what assignment they need to complete

Book Creator is an application that allows the user to create a story and then publish and share with friends.  I have used Book Creator in the past to make class books and the kids love it.  Next year I would like to Book Creator as a math journal.  We began a new math curriculum last year and started using math journal this year as part of the roll out.  I have found a lot of success with math journals with my students and it allows the students to share their work easily with his or her teacher and his or her family.  Math journals are a quick and easy formative assessment that allows students to show their thinking with their work to help them with their learning.  Book Creator is a great application to try in conjunction with Math Journals.

An example of a math journal question using the Book Creator application

Formative assessments are important to teachers and students.  Using the applications such as Plicker, Showbie and Book Creator make it fun and less of an assessment.  Formative assessments help modify teaching and learning and these three applications certainly do that.   Using these digital FREE tools as part of formative assessments it helps everyone out including the school district.  Think of how much money could be saved with paper, copiers, ink, maintenance etc. if instead of hard copies of student work we had digital copies.  It would also allow students work to truly follow them as they continue to school.  I know my students are always surprised when they look back at their first day of school writing.  A lot of learning goes on in 180 days, making it a worthwhile learning experience is something that can continue on for years to come.

Week 7- Assessing with Technology

After reviewing other’s postings along with your, elaborate on what teachers need to know about assessing with technology and/or assessment of digital literacy: summarize main ideas, describe strategies/resources, draw conclusions, make recommendations, etc. Take an informative and persuasive stance.

Last week I attended a rally at the State Capitol with other teachers rallying against too much testing for our students.  This week I looked a little bit deeper into assessment with technology along with assessment of digital literacy.  Assessing is part of our jobs as educators, we teach and we want to see what the students learn.  Lately there has been a lot of emphasis on mandated testing fortunately as I looked at assessing with technology I saw the benefits of the some of the resources that were shared.

Jody shared the “Fab Five Tools for Formative Assessment”, what I liked about what she shared is that the assessments were listed is they took away the fear of students being wrong.  All of the assessments gave the teacher feedback on what students had learned and also let students maintain their privacy which is really important because who really wants to be the one who got it wrong?

Josh shared what he took away from the “Assessing Student Online Learning”.  Assessing can be harder than the traditional face to face assignments.  The assessments can be be quantitative, where students can show what they know and qualitative, where students can demonstrate a deeper learning of the topic.

Cari looked at technology from the classroom to large scale learning targets.  She shared that digital assessment can develop formative and summative assessments.  Assessments also need to be VALUABLE, technology can engage students and help them actively learn.

As I continued to read what the rest of my classmates shared from their readings etc. I was able to see that because of technology assessments are constantly changing.  Both formal longer assessments and quick assessments can benefit students.  We as teachers need to make sure that we are giving the assessments to benefit our students and ourselves as teachers.  Technology is providing us as educator instant feedback, we need to use this feedback to drive our instruction.  We also need to remember we don’t always have to assess to assess instead we need to keep the student in mind.  Our students are lucky enough to be surrounded by technology.  We need to use this technology to help them become better learners and then that allows us to become better teachers.

Final Infographic

Disclaimer: I'm having difficulty uploading my Infographic using Piktochart so I'm including the link that is less blurry.

For my infographic, I focused on what is the future of technology-based learning.  Specifically I looked at where technology is going in the future with education.  I also focused on what kind of technology might be used moving forward.  Based on my previous two focuses I discovered what the impact of technology might look like moving forward with education.

An "info-what" was my original thought when I began this project a few short weeks ago. Now I am beginning to think how I can use this AMAZING tool in the future! I have found myself looking at the news in a different way...I always thought that those charts they use are so informative and it must take forever to make. Yes, they are informative and yes they do take awhile to make but not impossible!

I wanted to show what the future of technology-based learning might look like. I first used a road like chart to show how technology in education works. I tried to break it down into parts to make easier for someone to follow and understand. Then I highlighted various ways technology can be used in the classroom; I thought it would be good to give a brief synopsis of each technology that is in the foreseeable future. Finally I thought creating a timeline would also show what might happen in the next fifteen years in technology-based learning would be a powerful way to show the endless possibilities of technology in education. I created the timeline using Google. I wasn't able to find a timeline part in Piktochart, maybe next time.

What I discovered was it wasn't the hardest thing in the world to make an Infographic. My classmates were able to provide encouragement and feedback to help put the finishing touches on the infographic. Their feedback included minor changes that made my work look professional(if you ask me). My professor also gave me a great website that helped me find even more details about what technology might look like in the future with education. Without their help I wouldn't have created this infographic. I hope that some of my feedback helped them create a better infographic. As always my classmates continue to amaze me with everything they produce! All of the infographics were great and all of the programs they used helped to show the information they found on their particular topic.

I think an infographic might be good as part of my Kindergarten Open House slideshow for next year. I could break part of the year into pieces using the graphics, I could also breakdown parts of the curriculum into easy to follow infographics. My recommendations for others who want to create an infographic is think of what you want to highlight and start small. It's not always going to be easy but the end result will look professional thanks to tools like Piktochart. I think that when it comes to assessing infographics it's all a learning process so as long as their is a final product produced that's a success to me.

Technology Based Lesson Redesign-EDUC 7726 Week #2

At the beginning of Raj Dhingra’s TED talk he said, “When you change the thinking, you can change the rules, you can change the solution.”   What an interesting way to look at technology in education and education in general, it’s all about changing the way you think.  Sometimes the smallest adjustment can make the biggest difference. 

This week the assignment was to take an existing lesson plan and adjust it by selecting purposeful technology to support instructional standards.  I choose a lesson for first grade students using graphing with a technology piece embedded into the lesson.  After reading the lesson plan I didn’t think that technology was used as much as it could have been.  In the original lesson the teacher had students ask students at a local college to list their favorite things and students created a database based on the college students answers and then compare to see who in the first grade class had similar favorites in various categories.  Students then drew a picture of themselves with the college student they shared similar favorites with and wrote a sentence explaining their drawings. 

It’s a good lesson but very basic and doesn’t require much technology.  One suggestion I would have made is make it a year long project and the first grade class and college class could have had a pen pal program through out the year and used Skype as well as other technology to create a greater connection between the two groups.  I have found once students have a connection with their learning they become more motivated learners.  When I adjusted the lesson I removed the pen pal piece for my Kindergarten students because I wanted to focus on the graphing instead of comparing similarities and differences with a writing component.  I adjusted a workstation that I currently use and extended it into a graphing/math lesson.  The adjustments I made to the lesson allows my students to use the “technology candy” that Raj Dhingra talked about instead of having the technology sit on the shelf.

Graphing Favorites

As I adjusting the lesson plan for my students I kept the SAMR model in mind:

·      Substitution- Technology acts as direct tool substitute, with no functional change.

·      Augmentation- Technology acts as a direct tool substitute, with functional improvement.

·      Modification-Technology allows for significant task redesign.

·      Redefinition-Technology allows for the creation of new tasks, previously inconceivable.  (Puentedura, 2010)

I wanted students to be able to create something on their own using information that they had found.  I wanted students to use various parts of Bloom’s taxonomy to add value to there learning.  Sonja Delafosse’s video highlights many of things I want my students to do.  She shares what it means to be a 21^st century teacher.  No longer are we expected to have students sit in their desk and watch a teacher go on and on and write on the chalkboard instead students are participants in their learning instead of spectators.  “Students do not need to entertained, they need to be engaged” (Delafosse, 2011)

Image Courtesy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=075aWDdZUlM

Technology needs to be used a tool and not as a toy in classrooms.  The lesson that I created is almost like a treasure hunt for my students.  They need to look for certain information in the text and video they are learning from and then record that on their treasure map (recording sheet).  Like most of the learning in Kindergarten students don’t see learning as boring instead they want to complete the task and share what they have learned with their classmates.  Similar to what some of the stories shared in the Barbara Means article, such as the “software-based activity can influence a teacher’s core instruction” (Means et al., 2006).

Changing students thinking about learning is changing the solution as Dhingra suggests.  Sometimes it’s not the students thinking that needs to be changed instead it is the teacher’s way of teaching.  Learning doesn’t need to paper and pencil all of the time nor does it need to be technology off of the time instead the challenge for teachers should be how to find that happy balance of both.

Thank you to Cari for helping me add some new elements to my lesson!  It was new experience to work with someone in different concentration area and grade level but it gave me new insight into what I do and what my colleagues do on a daily basis.

References

Delafosse, S. (2011). Teaching in the 21st Century. Retrieved April 14, 2015, from https://youtu.be/075aWDdZUlM

Developing Lessons with Technology. (n.d.). Retrieved April 14, 2015, from http://www.pearsonhighered.com/assets/hip/us/hip_us_pearsonhighered/samplechapter/0136101259.pdf

Dhingra, R. (2012). Can Technology Change Education? Yes!: Raj Dhingra at TEDxBend. Retrieved April 14, 2015, from https://youtu.be/l0s_M6xKxNc

Means, B. (2010). Information Technology and Teacher Education: Focus on student learning or on teacher change? Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 42(3), 285-0307. Retrieved April 14, 2015, from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ882507.pdf

Puentedura, R. (2010). SAMR: A Brief Introduction. Retrieved April 14, 2015, from http://www.hippasus.com/rrpweblog/archives/2011/10/28/SAMR_TPCK_In_Action.pdf

Teacher's Toolbox- EDUC 7726 Week #1

For years I have always wondered who is Dr. Robert Marzano and why does his findings affect my teaching practices.  Finally my questions have been answered!  Marzano is an educational researcher who studied various teaching practices that correspond with student achievement.  Through this study Marzano found that teachers matter and there are nine strategies that showed a higher likelihood of increasing student achievement. 

As teachers we are always looking for ways to increase student achievement, unfortunately receiving a book from your principal on your first day of professional development at the beginning of the school year telling you that you need to implement these nine strategies into your daily teaching on the first day of school which happens to be two days later isn’t what Marzano intended.  Marzano’s research suggests that teachers need to teach beyond the “right answer” and instead teach to give students a deeper understanding of their learning.

The Common Core is high set of standards/goals of what students should know and what they should be able to do at the end of a grade. The Common Core aligns with Marzano’s research, CCSS also wants students to go beyond the right answer and show their thinking and explain how they got their answer.  By explaining their thinking students are able to show that they deeply understand what they have learned instead of just giving an answer and moving on.  It also helps students who might have difficulty reaching that deeper thinking because instead of teaching with just one strategy there is nine to choose from that might help those students that need more.  The importance of this alignment is crucial for both students and educators. 

Marzano’s research also included technology because the students of this generation are using technology to enhance their thinking which then also enhances their learning, creating that deeper understanding that Marzano and the CCSS suggest.  Using technology needs to include deliberate planning and it must also add value to teaching and the learning process.  Placing a student in front of a computer or tablet and asking them to research a specific topic or idea doesn’t work.  Some students will become frustrated and instead of achieving a deeper understanding of a topic they will have the opposite reaction and not want to participate in their learning at all.  As teachers we need to show students how to use technology responsibly and give them the tools to go deeper with their thinking.  Using the I do, we do, you do model will show the students what they need to do, working with them together to make sure they understand what they need to do, and finally allowing them to explore and navigate on their own to help them deeper understand a topic.

Marzano’s strategies are great for educators to provide various ways to teach a concept or idea to students.  Students are given the chance to use these strategies to enhance their understanding and go deeper.  Using Marzano’s strategies as part of your everyday teaching is crucial to students and their learning.  What educators and administrators need to understand that Marzano’s strategies should be used to guide instruction not is the only form of instruction.  All nine strategies do not need to be a part of every lesson instead they should be used as tools and should be intentional when planning for various lessons.

This was my first introduction into John Hattie and his research about high yield research strategies what struck me the most was how much his research intertwined with Marzano and the Common Core.  Much like Marzano he suggests that teachers should provide students with different strategies rather than more strategies.  As adults this is true with completing various tasks in our lives.  We are given various tasks to complete in a given time period when more tasks are given to us we begin to drown in a sense.  We become overwhelmed by additions and sometimes just walk away rather than continue to drown and become frustrated.  Students don’t need more ways to complete something instead providing them with a choice helps motivate them and makes them feel as though they are in charge of their learning rather than the teacher.

That inner motivation is what helps to drive student achievement.  Hattie says that people shouldn’t say, “Do your best” because that allows the learner not to be challenged.  When the learner needs to be challenged to help them reach that deeper level of thinking.  Learners also need specific feedback so simply saying “Good job” doesn’t show what they did right or wrong.  Sharing with them specific feedback allows them to think about what they learned and how they can apply that learning to something else in the future.  “Good job” doesn’t allow for deeper thinking, it allows for learners to forget about what they learned because there is nothing specific about they did or didn’t do.  Deeper thinking allows students to be engaged in their learning and provide them the motivation to do better work not their best work.

Hattie’s strategies also allow educators a chance to align technology with the standards of the Common Core.  Allowing students to complete a task with options to complete it make students feel as though they are in charge of their learning.  The Wakefield article goes on to support Hattie’s strategies and thinking.  The idea of the “Flipped Classroom” is something that I know myself and many of my peers in this program have used with their students also found success.  As educators we need share these successes with parents because the idea of students being in charge of their learning can scare some parents.  We need to change their idea of thinking that the only teachers can teach, instead we can show them how students can teach each other and still learn which is the most important thing.

In terms of at intentional planning I looked at my peers ideas of using technology to support the deeper thinking that Marzano provides is something that should be used in an early elementary classroom setting like my own.  What Kara and Trish both did I also do in my classroom.  I work with students to summarize a story we have read and as a class we work together to figure out what was really important in understanding the story.  I also provide my students with multiple opportunities throughout the day to work in cooperative learning groups.  During literacy workstations I have students work together that have the same needs in homogenous groups but during math workstations students work in heterogeneous grouping.  In both ways of groupings students work together and help learn/teach each other.

Both Marzano and Hattie give various strategies that work in various classroom settings and grade levels, I cannot suggest just one that is a one size fits all.  Instead I suggest that teachers look at their student’s needs as well as the learning outcomes in the Common Core and use those to drive instruction.

References:

John Hattie, Visible Learning, Pt. 2, Effective Methods

Marzano's Nine Strategies for Effective Instruction

Technology in Schools: Future Changes in Classrooms