Tech Tool Round-Up

This week, I just want to share some quick tech tools that sound amazing, are getting great reviews, but that I haven’t had a chance to check out fully with a class.  If you decide to use one, I’d love to hear about it!

Quizizz -

This tool is a lot like Kahoot! and Socrative.  To create an account, go to Login and choose “Login with Google.”  You can create your own, use quizzes that have already been created, view reports of student answers, etc.  My favorite part is that you can create your own “correct” and “incorrect” memes to use in the game. View the video tutorial here.

EDPuzzle -

If you were a fan of Zaption before it went away, you’ll love EDPuzzle.  You can choose a video for students to watch and have them answer questions.  Other options, though, are worth noting.  You can also talk over the video so you can explain it differently.  Maybe even personalize it for each class?  You can get data from the results of your video quiz to plan accordingly for the rest of your lesson.  It connects directly to your classes in Google Classroom and you can assign it to the whole class or just specific students.  When you first login, it gives a nice screen-by-screen tutorial, too. View a video tutorial here.

Buncee -

This one is great for the elementary level and students would even enjoy making their own.  This is a presentation creator, but it has much of its own content for dragging and dropping.  Students could create a story, share what they learned about a topic, or play a game.  There are great examples out there, so check it out. View the tutorial here.

If you’re not sure how to get started or need to brainstorm, contact your librarian!

How Students Use the Library

At Warrior Run, students can visit the library in one of two ways: with their classes or on their own.  When they come with their classes, it’s usually because they’re working on a project of some kind:

• At the high school, they could be researching for a paper or collaborating on a multimedia project.**  
• At the middle school, they could be learning the steps in a new project or creating with a web 2.0 tool.**
• At the elementary school, they’re learning how the library works and checking out books in “library class.”**

Even though classes are not scheduled in the libraries all day every day, students are using them independently all day long.  Why??  According to AASL (and we librarians know)...

So what are students actually doing when they visit the library on their own?



As you can see, students make the most of their libraries at Warrior Run. They are taking charge of their education and making wise use of their free time. With ever-increasing demands on students' time, they have found a space that allows them to work efficiently and effectively during the school day.

Encourage your students to visit the library as soon as possible!

**These lists are by no means comprehensive.

Feedback

Adding to Theresa's post from last week...

Feedback is important.  Some one say it is a (the?) key to learning.  For students, timely and constructive feedback is everything.  Students appreciate receiving personalized comments and individualized responses.  High quality feedback directly correlates to high quality assessments.

"Feedback helps us learn from our mistakes.  It reveals new perspectives and options you might not have explored otherwise."  - Natalie, grade 10

This article from Edutopia quickly explains how, when, and why to give students feedback.  Its key points are:

1. Be constructive, kind, and specific.  Start with what's working, critique without scolding, and be relevant.
2. Reflect, then revise.  Try handing back assignments with JUST comments, which sort of forces students to read them instead of just glancing at the grade.
3. Be timely.  Provide feedback within 24-48 hours so it keeps its context.

Several of the educational technology pieces we use offer opportunities to give high quality feedback.  To name a few:

• Google Docs Revision History
• Noodle Tools teacher/student comments
• Google Classroom - grade/return assignments, give quizzes, hold discussions, and more!

Of course, traditional methods work well too!  Handwritten comments and individual conversations go a long way with all students.

Do you give high quality feedback in other ways?  Leave a comment and let us know!

Feedback vs. Grades

Joe gets 100% on his project.  Sara got a 60%.  What is the difference?

Within the classroom, I have seen teachers that give back scores and allow time to meet with students to discuss and give feedback on why they received the score that they did.  We are moving into an age where instead of the percentage being the focus, the feedback will be the focus.

Giving continual and consistent feedback is much more time-consuming than giving a percentage grade, but it is also much more meaningful.  It encourages the student to grow, seeing the skills or concepts where they are proficient and focusing their efforts on the areas where they are struggling.

Project-based learning lends itself to assessment via feedback.  It allows for a continual process of improvement, getting input from the teacher, making small edits, growing into the best and most polished example of the student’s ability.  This also strengthens the student’s “soft skills:” communication, collaboration, adaptability, reflection.

Have you ever told a student that they are really smart?  I’m guilty.  But this feedback isn’t enough.  How are they smart?  What made me believe that?  Is intelligence able to be ranked?  Instead of giving this general feedback, what else could we say?  See this link for some ideas.

We have some amazing examples of teachers already implementing this idea in our district, from the World Language Department using proficiency-based grading (see below for resources), to the standards-based report cards at the elementary level, to the shift from quizzes and tests to project-based learning.  

As the workplace becomes an environment that focuses on “projects” and collaboration, I hope you will continue to feel inspired and encouraged to move away from traditional assessment and embrace a more modern and meaningful approach by giving feedback.

For some ideas, check out this article from Edutopia.

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Language department proficiency based “grading” system resources

PBGS Parent Letter

PBGS Explanation

Language Proficiency Targets