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Resource 1: Formative Assessment Tools to Support Student Learning
Resource 1: Formative Assessment Tools to Support Student Learning
A primary struggle that many teachers are having is finding the time to analyze student learning in order to support their instruction. In truth, for many it has made our data teams feel like a chore rather than a time where curiosity about student learning can take over and lead to motivation to modify instruction to best meet the needs of students.
I have learned that many educators are straying away from new teaching tools and instructional strategies because they stray away from the curriculum they have been given. The following are a list of tools that can be used to quickly assess student learning and integrate well into most curricula.
Below are some tools that can make collecting formative assessment data more efficient while not interfereing with "the curriculum."
Quizizz
Quizizz
To staff, I have defined Quizizz as Kahoot! but quieter. Surprisingly, this reference has generated a fair amount of buy-in. Half of our classrooms do not have air conditioners and windows must remain open, and some that do have new AC units installed still choose to leave windows open for ventilation. Even the ones using AC units have to contest with the sound from two units and the multiple air purifiers running in their rooms.
Project-Based Learning
Project-Based Learning
Resource 2: Using Digital Tools in Project Based Learning
Resource 2: Using Digital Tools in Project Based Learning
When I first jumped into project-based learning, I was unaware that my school-site would go to fully virtual. From the first semester, I was comfortable using communication tools to maintain a high level of presence and collaboration between students. The part that I needed to develop was finding resources for students to create digital products that were of interest to them, but still easy enough to trouble shoot. Below are some tools that I used as options for students to use to create products. The overall inspiration comes from the assignment that is outlined in more detail on My PBL Project Site.
Book Creator
Book Creator
BookCreator is a website that I offered to students as a potential product idea for students. The task they had was to co-create a story with a student from a 2nd grade buddy class. The goal was for my middle schoolers to develop a story with specific content knowledge that aligned to NGSS grade-level standards (ecosystems), but explain it in a way that 2nd graders would understand. The second graders would do research on some of the organisms and provide the drawnings for the book as well as some of the animal facts.
Though this project concept never got fully off the ground, BookCreator became an invaluable tool for my students to use to create products for other projects while we were virtual. For many, it was a comfortable step above creating a product in Google Slides (which is what most were gravitating toward at the beginning of the year).
This website was a project that I started for a class when I first wanted to take the plunge and experiment with Project-Based Learning in my classroom. As I designed the lesson found in this site, I was unable to find a buddy class to work with and ended up adapting the overall concept once used in my class. In my own practice, the project was delivered in a fully virtual science classroom. However, it has been suggested to many other teachers and adapted to different subject-areas in more traditional classroom environments as well. In time, these resources will be fully integrated into this website instead.
More Great PBL Resources
More Great PBL Resources
Technology Integration Strategies
Technology Integration Strategies
This website was a project that I started for a class a couple years ago. I was interested in designing technology enhanced lessons specifically for distance learning environments. However, many of the concepts used to build the lessons seen here are applicable to the traditional or blended classroom environment as well. In time, these resources will be fully integrated into this website instead.
Technology How-To Video Tutorials
Technology How-To Video Tutorials
More Resources
More Resources
Coming Soon: Coaching Podcast
Coming Soon: Coaching Podcast
I would love to develop a Podcast for different coaching topics. The inspiration for the idea came from the feedback and comments forms we attach to the end of our Mini-PDs for our staff. Instead of individually emailing out to teachers or creating a text-based FAQ sheet, we thought it would be a great idea to cultivate a list of ideas that have a tendency to repeat themselves and take a deep Podcast dive! Our goal is to answer any curricular or instructional strategies, but if you know me I'll always add a technology twist to my work!
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