Progress Monitoring
A progress monitoring digital assessment that is effectively used for standards-based learning experiences for technology-based formative assessment is “Edpuzzle” (Davis, 2017). “Edpuzzle” allows educators to “embed questions in the video, interact with your students, and know how your students are engaging with digital content” (Davis, 2017). “Edpuzzle” is an excellent resource and assessment tool that models the effective use of technology that continually assesses student learning and technology literacy with progress monitoring (Davis, 2017).
Edpuzzle Instructional Video Below
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One of the “most exciting formative assessment methods is to have students create videos to demonstrate learning” (Davis, 2017). Our 21st century “students can use Let’s Recap or Explain Everything to create videos documenting their learning” (Davis, 2017). Regarding these formative assessments purpose and connection to progress monitoring and effective data collection, “when students watch videos, as they do in flipped classrooms, you want to know that students know what they’re doing” (Davis, 2017). These formative assessment methods with videos are “exciting because it is a huge time-saver” for teachers (Davis, 2017). An example would be “students who are learning to count can do so on video or audio” and “using the same app or a tool like Seesaw” which can be found at https://web.seesaw.me/ that would allow a teacher to “listen to and give feedback on their work after class or at another time” (Davis, 2017).
Let’s Recap Instructional Video Below
Explain Everything Tutorial Video Below
Nearpod is also a great resource and tool for progress monitoring of your 21st century students with technology. According to the online news article found at the link http://news.nearpod.com/CCTE%20Nearpod%20Research.pdf, which discusses Nearpod’s success for students in the classroom, important features of this website are that “Nearpod reports provided feedback on student learning which were formal and informal” and “displayed the report results in graph and chart form to show how well students responded to questions” (McKay & Ravenna, 2016). Nearpod offers a variety of formative and summative technology-based assessments for progress monitoring. Nearpod is a resource tool which presents academic, “authentic cross-curricular assessments” and “summative assessments” options that will easily be made available to educators online that can be referred to for progress monitoring purposes (Falconi, 2015).
Nearpod Instructional Video Below
Pear Deck is an effective app and website “that can connect teachers to every single student” and “integrates with Google Classroom” (Pear Deck, 2017). Pear Deck is known for creating “Powerful Learning Moments for Every Learner, Every Day” (Pear Deck, n.d.). Pear Deck’s website states that “with Pear Deck, each student in your class will connect to your presentation on any device, answer your interactive questions, and learn from their peers” (Pear Deck, n.d.). You can go to the website http://help.peardeck.com/article/51-google-classroom-integration to integrate Google Classroom with Pear Deck seamlessly. Teachers can easily “build engaging lessons, or use one of Pear Decks’ (Pear Deck, n.d.). “Pear Deck works like any slide presentation program you’re used to,” and “you can even import your old PowerPoints, Google Slides, and PDFs to turn them into powerful interactive Pear Decks right from your Google Drive,” which is an excellent feature to assist with progress monitoring (Pear Deck, n.d.).
Ultimately, “formative assessment is done as students are learning” and “summative assessment is at the end (like a test)” (Davis, 2017). With Pear Deck, teachers will “Hear from every student, every time” (Pear Deck, n.d.). “Pear Deck brings the classroom ‘clicker’ into the 21st century with not only multiple choice-style questions, but text responses, numbers, drawings, draggable pins on images, and more” (Pear Deck, n.d.). Every digital age learner in your class will engage rigorously “with the interactive activity on” their “own screen, and knows their response will be anonymous to the rest of the class” (Pear Deck, n.d.). Student participation is less daunting knowing that only the teacher will see their results, and the expectation is set that “every single person in the room” will “be thinking and engaged” while using Pear Deck (Pear Deck, n.d.). As the teacher “you can quickly see what each individual thinks on the instructor-only session console” for formative or summative assessment purposes (Pear Deck, n.d.).
Pear Deck Instructional Video Below
Summary
The benefits of utilizing various types of technology-based formative and summative assessments in the classroom are that utilizing technology-based formative assessments such as these improve instruction for teachers by creating a positive environment for students while engaging them with “formative assessments” for progress monitoring, which “make better teachers” (Davis, 2017). As a teacher, it is reassuring to know that an assessment that “was intended to be summative” and “if a child does poorly for whatever reason, you’re allowed to make it a formative assessment” instead now (Stenhouse Publishers, 2010). “Something that was summative now becomes formative” as this is acceptable to do as an educator and “within your prerogative” (Stenhouse Publishers, 2010). In teaching “formative assessment is the most important aspect,” not summative assessments, which is what teachers usually spend most of their time on designing (Stenhouse Publishers, 2010). “The enterprise of learning and teaching really boils down to that formative assessment” (Stenhouse Publishers, 2010). Formative assessment “has the greatest impact on student achievement, feedback to the teacher, and everything” that will help the student to make positive progress and succeed in the classroom (Stenhouse Publishers, 2010). As teachers “do assessment for learning,” they are “also helping the learners to learn and be able to become autonomous, and take charge of their learning, which is a very important goal in the teaching and learning process” (OUPIndia, 2013).
Example Activity
An example of an activity that I created using the Survey Monkey website and is aligned with the ISTE technology standards is a digital citizenship survey that can be found at the website address link of https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/digitalcitizensurvey.
International Society for Technology in Education Standards Being Met:
Empowered Learner - ISTE-S Standard 1.c: “Use technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice and to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways” (ISTE, 2016).
Teaching, Learning and Assessments - ISTE-C 2.g: “Coach teachers in and model effective use of technology tools and resources to continuously assess student learning and technology literacy by applying a rich variety of formative and summative assessments aligned with content and student technology standards” (ISTE, 2011).