Formative Assessment Using Technology In a BYOD Class

This week’s inquiry was based around how I can assess learning in my math or chemistry classroom using digital tools/ technology in a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) setting. I read Deepening Connections: Teachers Increasingly Rely on Media and Technology. It quantifies teacher’s adoption of technology into the classroom. It said that teachers felt laptops have the greatest potential to affect learning, however, iPods, game devices, and cell phones are largely banned in many schools making their percentage of use difficult for my BYOD focus. In 4 Things You’ll Miss by Banning Cellphones in Your Classroom the author encouraged cellphones in the class for teaching soft skills like responsibility, independence, and management. Fellow student, Muddy Kinzer recommended I view the NMC Horizon Report as the panel of experts recommend teachers embrace the BYOD model.  I also read The Brutal Authenticity of BYOD about leveraging the devices already owned by students so they do not have to navigate unfamiliar software at school and then at home, acerbating the learning gap.

Using technology for assessment can make things easier on the teacher if they are using the right tool for their needs. Technology can aggregating data, grade, adapt to the learner's strengths, create artifacts, or collect student voice. Because Deepening Connections: Teachers Increasingly Rely on Media and Technology spoke to the fact that school media budgets are shrinking and teachers are turning to free online applications and even opening their own wallets to get the online resources they need. I spent much of my energy looking for formative assessment tools of the free, or cheap and robust variety. I investigated each one to get a feel for the tools it offered me and any overt student privacy issues. I viewed them on my laptop, but I did not get the time to vet them on my cellphone. I created for myself a toolbox with the following inside:

* Khan Academy - https://www.khanacademy.org/ - My favorite math tutoring site, now offers science, history and more.

* Kahoot!  - https://kahoot.com/ - You can design quizzes and reviews to be played by the whole class.

* Quizlet - https://quizlet.com/ - Create quizzes for your class to play.

* Quizizz - https://quizizz.com/ - Create quizzes for your class to play.

* Plinkers - https://plickers.com/ - Students respond anonymously using symbol cards and the teacher’s cell phone translates and gathers the data. Great implications for on the fly questions during class.

* Survey Monkey - https://www.surveymonkey.com/ - Use technology to gather student voice.

* Formative - https://goformative.com/ - A more robust tool for gathering formative data from many sources.

* Zipgrade - https://www.zipgrade.com/ - Fast bubble sheet grading from a cellphone.

* Desmos - https://teacher.desmos.com/ - An excellent graphing app. Has math activities too.

* GeoGebra - https://www.geogebra.org/ - Graphing and geometry and a few math activities.

* MobyMax - http://www.mobymax.com/ - A robust tool for differentiating and adaptive learning.

* Brilliant  - https://brilliant.org/courses/ - Has content in math, physics, and computer science in a quiz format. It is limiting without paying for it. It might be best used as differentiation for advanced learners.

* LearnBop  - https://www.learnbop.com/ - Is a robust tool for math grades 3 through Algebra. It is built for teachers, particularly in reference to assessments. It is roster-ready but I would scrutinize their privacy policy.

* Math Reasoning Inventory (MRI) - https://mathreasoninginventory.com/Home/Index -  It is a free pre-assessment tool to look at how students are learning for mid-grade math teachers.

I created the above list as a quick reference and aggregation of my fellow student’s recommendations for digital tools for assessment and more that will hopefully inspire student engagement. The NMC Horizon report spoke of new tools that will soon be affecting my classrooms. My house already has a maker space, 3D printing, and embraces digital badging. I am excited to see these in my future classroom.

Heick, T. (February 2015). The Brutal Authenticity of BYOD. Retrieved October 19, 2017, from https://www.teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/byod-is-shortest-path-to-student-centered-learning/

Kinzer, M. (2017). Retrieved October 19, 2017, from https://spu.instructure.com/groups/6245/discussion_topics/48018

NMC Horizon Report: 2015 K-12 Edition. Retrieved October 19, 2017, from https://spu.instructure.com/courses/24664/files/759106?module_item_id=170163

PBS & Grunwald Associates LLC. (n.d.). Deepening Connections: Teachers Increasingly Rely on Media and Technology. Retrieved October 15, 2017, from https://spu.instructure.com/courses/24664/files/759125?module_item_id=170160

Sterner, R. (February 2015). 4 Things You’ll Miss by Banning Cellphones in Your Classroom. Retrieved October 19, 2017, from https://www.teachingquality.org/content/blogs/robert-sterner/4-things-you%E2%80%99ll-miss-banning-cellphones-your-classroom

To Inspire Student Learning With Games - Teaching with Technology

This week in Teaching With Technology, I inquired how can I create equitable use of technology and incorporate real-world applications into algebra and geometry lessons when not all of my students have a device or the same device (smartphone, laptop, tablet, Chromebook, etc…).  This question was inspired by my observations of districts that provide laptops for their students however, my daughter’s district has a “Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy. If I teach in a BYOD district, I want to find some tools that will work for all students.

The first web page I went to help me answer my question was my daughter’s district’s website. The district recommends a laptop, a Chromebook, or a tablet. However, the research paper, Pockets of Potential (Shuler, 2009), they use as the basis for their BYOD model refers to a cell phone, game console, and some tablets. The equitability stated for Pockets of Potential  (Shuler, 2009) makes sense because of the pervasiveness of cellphones, and the district cites the same equitability for their larger devices. What I realized is this is probably a political issue and this blog is not my place to discuss my opinion on this policy.

If I have a classroom in this district or another district with a BYOD policy, I want to be prepared to teach with whatever device students bring to class. My classmate Middy Kinzer (2017) cited an article that proposed several tools for a biology classroom that could be used on an ActivBoard or projected from the teacher’s computer or be used by the students in classes with 1:1 laptop ratios. In her discussion post, she reminds me that integrating technology into the classroom does not mean it has to be at the student’s fingertips. I can project games and interactive educational material for all the class.

Searching for my answer, I read Learning, Teaching, and Scholarship in a Digital Age (Greenhow, Robelia, and Hughes, 2009) about how the Web has changed since I learned how to navigate it. My students will view it as a tool and resource as much as a source of entertainment and games. I can have my students use it for answers and create their own personal identities. Identities they can transfer from my class to home via their device of choice. They can play games in my class and take their identity with them to continue the game outside of class, starting from where they left off. To that end, I found the following websites contain math applications that can cross platforms and even integrate with each other. Using Kahoot! or Quizlet Live students can make their own avatar and answer review questions across platforms. I found the BrainPop website contains more real-world-like videos, games, quizzes and more, to use on the ActiveBoard or let the learner drive their speed through the content. Manga High website contains very addictive math games with a high production value so they are very engaging. With these applications, I hope to facilitate creativity and inspire student learning by engaging my students with immersive games and visually appealing content. I will find it more challenging to find applications that will run on any device my students bring to my class and to provide equitable opportunities for students who may not have a device.

Kinzer, M. (2017). Retrieved October 07 2017 from https://spu.instructure.com/groups/6245/discussion_topics/48016

Shuler, C., ED.M. (January 2009). Industry Brief: Pockets of Potential: Using Mobile Technologies to Promote Children’s Learning. Retrieved October 03, 2017 from http://joanganzcooneycenter.org/publication/industry-brief-pockets-of-potential-using-mobile-technologies-to-promote-childrens-learning/.

Greenhow C., Robelia B., and Hughes J.E. (June 2009). Learning, Teaching, and Scholarship in a Digital Age. Retrieved September 29, 2017, from https://spu.instructure.com/courses/24664/files/759107?module_item_id=170140