Assessing Music
with Technology
Assessing Music
with Technology
Embedded Files
with Technology
Bauer (2020) described the two types of assessment as formative and summative, and warned that teachers must ensure that a digitally created tool is in fact a valid and authentic form of assessment. There are several options for both formative and summative assessments that involve the use of technology, but they are not interchangeable. For instance, a Google Form or Flubaroo quiz can not authentically evaluate a performance test. It can, however, measure content knowledge in a formative context, so long as it is valid. In order to insure that a test is valid, it must only measure the desired learning outcomes that were pre-determined during the planning process. In the Google Form quiz below, as an example, the learning goal was for students to identify and define and apply the musical forms ABA, Rounded Binary, and Rondo. If I had included a question about anything extraneous, then the quiz would be deemed invalid. An authentic and valid form of summative assessment that includes the use of technology could be that a student submits a recording of themselves performing an example, which is then graded electronically using an app like Rubric Scorer. For this reason, TPACK must be considered when planning for evaluations, as the incorrect usage of a technological tool may result in an invalid or inauthentic assessment (Bauer, 2020).
One resource that was presented throughout the course, which I will surely be using with my instrumental students next year, is SmartMusic. My district has had a subscription to the service for several years, but it has only been used by the secondary ensemble leaders up until now. However, the elementary teachers have been directed to use it with their instrumental students this year, due to distance learning. My district arts administrator gave us a training on it a few weeks ago, and I was impressed by their repertoire selection for young players. I had assumed the content would be more applicable to secondary ensemble students, but even our beginner level lesson book was included as an option. I immediately saw the potential for conducting assessments next year, when I am back to teaching at the elementary level. I often struggle to administer playing tests with a student who has met proficiency, while also giving attention to those who are struggling. SmartMusic will allow me to assess students outside of class, and take my time providing them with specific and detailed feedback. The assessment tool in SmartMusic can be used to authentically administer both formative and summative assessments, as the performance itself would still be scored by me using an analytic rubric. This is yet another application of the TPACK approach, as the assessment itself did not change. Instead, the mode of delivery was replaced by a technological program, which creates a more efficient and effective assessment experience.
Google Forms Quiz Assignment
Google Forms Quiz Assignment
I have used Google Forms for an assortment of reasons in the past, such as to create attendance lists, submit links for Song Maker assignments, and to give surveys. I have not administered as many quizzes using the Form, though, so this was somewhat new for me. I learned how to set up the answer key and point values, and experimented with adding media to the questions. I also had not experimented with changing the form's theme or adding an image to the top before this assignment. I never considered the personalization factor as being important in terms of sending a quiz to the students before. I recognized upon designing the theme that a more inviting and welcoming exam may help to relieve performance anxiety. Presentation is key, as they say!
The video took a little extra work, as I had to first create a song in Song Maker, record it using ScreenCastify, upload it to YouTube, and then finally I could insert it into the question. I also realized that my district account will not let me upload YouTube videos, so I must first make the quiz in my personal account and then share it with myself. This process took a bit of time, but it meant being able to include a higher order thinking question to the quiz. We learned in the Assessing Music Learning course that a test should include more than just recall responses, which is why I was determined to include the video in the last question. Students can demonstrate that they are not only able to define song form, but that they can correctly apply the concept, also. Even though Google Forms cannot assess a musical performance authentically, the options and features that are incorporated into its format make it an ideal option for delivering formative assessments.
For more information on how technology can be used to differentiate assessment, please refer to my blog post, "Let me Ask You a WebQuestion."
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