Assessment Using Technology

How do you think you will assess what your students have learned in that time? In what ways could you use the capabilities of the technology they are using to assist you in this?

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Assessment is an important part of the teaching and learning process. Assessment can be done for learning, as learning or of learning. Assessment drives the planning and informs future teaching and learning. Assessment shouldn't fall solely on the teacher, rather self and peer assessment also play an important part in the reflection process to help students grow. There are a number of technology tools to support assessment.

Google Docs

Google docs can be used as collaborative document and has some great features for peer and teacher assessment. I would use this mostly for editing writing assignments or projects. The comment features allows a peer/teacher to leave feedback directly where they want it throughout the document. The suggesting feature allows the teacher or peer to go through and make suggestions such as where to insert a full stop. Students can then review the suggestions and choose to accept them (adding them into the document) or reject them (leaving the suggestions out of the document). Google docs is web-based.

Available at: https://www.google.com.sg/docs/about/ 

Image from: https://lh4.ggpht.com/-wROmWQVYTcjs3G6H0lYkBK2nPGYsY75Ik2IXTmOO2Oo0SMgbDtnF0eqz-BRR1hRQg=w300


GradeBook Pro 
GradeBook Pro is an app for iOS devices. It allows teachers to enter grades for expectations as well as ancedotal observations in a quick and easy manner. With the mobility of the device, teachers can move around the classroom easily to assess their students in a matter of minutes. As a teacher, you can also quickly see who you haven't assessed to make sure you are conferencing with all your students. Reports can be generated easily for specific students or classes.

Available at: https://itunes.apple.com/sg/app/gradebook-pro-grade-attendance/id393777614?mt=8

Image from: itunes.apple.com

Kahoot
Kahoot is a great formative assessment tool that is used as a game. Students need a device for this assessment. The teacher creates a multiple choice quiz and the students use a device to identify their answer. The teacher can see how students are understanding the concepts so far. This would be great as an warm up activity or exit ticket activity.

Available at: https://kahoot.it/#/

Image from: http://joanaflor.com/MorganRitchie/home/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Kahoot_colours-35.jpg

Instructional Tools for Teaching

Post to the forum an example of each of the five different instructional software functions using examples from your teaching discipline area. The five areas are outlined in this chapter, and on pg 82 there are some links provided where you might find examples. Include a sentence or two about why the example you have listed is a good example of each type of software.

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For the purpose of this blog post, I will choose teaching software for a Primary Junior Years classroom. 

Drill and Practice 

A drill and practice software allows students to have rapid fire of questions with instant feedback if they are correct or not (Roblyer & Doering, 2014, p. 81). This could include things like flashcards and multiplication practice. One website that is good for this is IXL. For example IXL for Primary 5 mathematics focuses on developing math facts and skills. Immediately after students submit their answer, they get the feedback of whether the answer is correct or incorrect. If it is correct, they are able to move on to the next question immediately. If it is incorrect, the students has the opportunity to review the question and their answer as well as view the explanation of how to solve the problem before moving on. Students can complete a great deal of questions in a short amount of time to build their basic math facts and skills.

IXL is available at: https://ixl.com/

Image from: https://www.graphite.org/sites/default/files/experience-media-file/ixl3.jpg

Tutorial 

A tutorial provides students with instructions on how to do a specific task or skill. The students learns independently form the teacher(Roblyer & Doering, 2014, p. 81).. Khan Academy is a good example of tutorials. There are so many online courses and resources for students to work through at their own pace to develop their understanding of a concept or explore a new topic of interest. Students progress individually based on their understanding of the lessons.

Khan Academy is available at: https://www.khanacademy.org/ 

Image from: http://pilnetwork.blob.core.windows.net/public/0cc1bfdd-976d-43e6-b929-7390ed653f39/khan-academy.png

Simulation 

A simulation teaches students the process of how something is done in a way that mimics how the experience would be life in reality (Roblyer & Doering, 2014, p. 90). In Year 5, students learn about ancient civilisations, specifically Egypt. The Mummy Maker simulation walks students through how the mummification process works. As students go through it, students are required to do the different steps, experiencing what it would be like to mummify a body in the times of ancient civilisations.

Mummy Maker Simulation is available at: http://discoverykids.com/games/mummy-maker/

Image from: http://games.talkingpyramids.com/wp-content/uploads/MummyB.png

Instructional Game 

An instructional game is a game that uses game features and rules for educational purposes (Roblyer & Doering, 2014, p. 93). There is the challenge of game elements such as points, leaderboards and badges that are highly engaging for students. An example of instructional games is typing.com. Students learn to type through a game situation where they are awarded badges for completing levels and their is a scoreboard. Students learn the proper finger placement for typing while engaging in fun, levelled game that continues to challenge students by building on skills from previous levels.

Typing.com is available at: www.typing.com

Image from: http://cdn.ilovefreesoftware.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Typing.png

Problem Solving 
Problem solving technology resources are challenging and help to develop specific skills. These skills do not always have to be content based but could also be thinking skills (Roblyer & Doering, 2014, p. 100). An example of problem solving is Portal. Portal is a game where a character has two portals to make it through to the end of the level. The player needs to strategise how to use the two portals and where to place them in order to complete the level. The game is based on logic and reasoning to be successful in completing each level. While not made specifically for a content area, it can be linked to mathematics and physics with angles and is highly engaging for students.

Portal is available at: http://portal.wecreatestuff.com/portal.php 

Image from: http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/29300000/Portal-Images-portal-the-game-29379422-1920-1080.jpg

References

Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2014). Integrating educational technology into teaching [Sixth Edition].

ICT in the Curriculum

Post to your blog your ideas about your software choices in relation to your discipline area and which part of the curriculum you will focus on. This might be a little tricky for those of you who have not spent a lot of time in the classroom yet, but if you spend some time looking at the curriculum document, you should be able to find an area of the curriculum that will be appropriate for you to use in this assignment.

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As the Education Technology Coach at my school, technology is my discipline. It is my role to support teachers and students in using technology in authentic and meaningful ways. Thus, for this course, I will focus on the transdisiplinary learning in a primary classroom using the International Baccelaureate programme. 

With the IB, there is no set curriculum, rather it is a framework of learning. Within our school we have a scope and sequence for the various subjects that is integrated into the units of inquiry. Our school has no specific ICT curriculum. Rather, the units integrate technology where appropriate. 

From this perspective, the curriculum is often taught using technology for teaching and learning. My focus though, is teaching transferable skills using technology. For example, communication skills like viewing and presenting are taught through the use of technology. Students construct visuals using technology tools such as Google Drawing, Pixlr or Paper 53 that convey meaning to an audience. Students need to use design elements and principles as they create their visuals. Another example is having students choose the most appropriate technology tool to show their understanding and demonstrate their knowledge. Sometimes that might be a Google Document, other times it might be using iMovie to create a video or Piktochart to demonstrate their statistics in a visual. 

With the IB, there are 6 overarching elements of ICT in the Primary Years Programme: Creating, Collaborating, Organizing, Becoming Digital Citizens, Investigating and Communicating. Through these, students develop their skills to become digital learners using technology tools as one of many resources in their learning journey. 

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Learning Theories & Technology Tools

Many of the resources I use fit with the approach to learning I strive for in the classroom: constructivist. This doesn't mean that other theories are not at play but I try to provide an educational environment where students are constructing their own learning.

Here are 3 examples of technology tools I am considering for my assignment: 

Laptop (Macbook Pro) 

In my class, students use MacBook Pro laptops throughout the course of the day as this gives them access to a productivity suite (Google Apps for Education) and creativity suite (Apple Creativity Suite). In the primary school, the school provides the laptops allowing for consistency. As an IB school, we do a lot of inquiry learning. Students inquire and share their learning through various digital platforms. Through these personal inquiries, the discovery learning theory is present as students will construct their own meaning and are ‘more likely to understand and remember’ through independent inquiry (Roblyer & Doering, p. 43). As they research, they are able to construct their understanding through a constructivist approach.

Image from: http://store.storeimages.cdn-apple.com/4948/as-images.apple.com/is/image/AppleInc/aos/published/images/M/AC/MACBOOKPRO/MACBOOKPRO?wid=1200&hei=630&fmt=jpeg&qlt=95&op_sharpen=0&resMode=bicub&op_usm=0.5,0.5,0,0&iccEmbed=0&layer=comp&.v=1425921682675

BrainPop

I use BrainPop as introduction videos, tutorials and provocations. After watching the video, students often generate questions to inquire further into or reflect on what they already know to make meaning. I use it as a constructivist approach to learning whereby students will use the video to provoke where they would like to guide their inquiries as they co-create the curriculum of learning. As students use this as a starting point and direct their own learning from here, the learning is student-centered (Bellflower, 2012, p.26).

Available at: https://www.brainpop.com/

Image from: http://globed.co/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/BrainPOP_timmoby.jpg

Google Slides

I really try to promote collaborate work and Google Slides is one of the tools that allow me to do this. Often my students choose a topic of interest, research and then share their learning through developing a presentation to share with the rest of the class ( a constructivist approach to learning)(Roblyer & Doering, p. 50). Within Google Slides, students can use a variety of Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences to demonstrate their understanding through pictures, images, videos and text (Roblyer & Doering, p. 50).

Available online with Google account at https://www.google.ca/slides/about/

Image from: https://lh3.ggpht.com/9rwhkrvgiLhXVBeKtScn1jlenYk-4k3Wyqt1PsbUr9jhGew0Gt1w9xbwO4oePPd5yOM=w300

References

Bellflower, J. V. (2012, January 1). The effectiveness of traditional and 21st century teaching tools on students' science learning. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, PO Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Retrieved from http://gateway.proquest.com.ezproxy.csu.edu.au/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqm&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3490048

Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2014). Integrating educational technology into teaching [Sixth Edition].