It was last year that I discovered the wonders of Google Forms. I had used it off and on from time to time, but after attending ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) and was able to squeeze into the room dubbed the "Google Classroom", I learned about all the updates Google had made to their forms feature. They introduced Google Forms - Quizzes, and t was amazing. It was one of the things that really pushed me toward a paperless classroom. Google Forms is a MUCH more efficient way to assess your students, and to provide them with meaningful feed back quickly. I loved how quickly I could type a response to my students with detailed information on how they could make their responses even stronger. I loved that I could return their results within seconds, or if needed hold those results until every section of my class has completed a quiz or a test.
I use Google Forms regularly in my class. In my reading class, my students take their weekly (curriculum) required vocabulary tests. I can embed pictures that help them remember the word meanings, and even include video clips of someone signing in ASL which is one way that I teach them meaning. It is so powerful to be able to support them with context clues, so that my students could be successful. I also use Google Quizzes for our weekly comprehension assessments. Here are some of my favorite features:
Feedback - not only can I type specific feedback when grading a student's work, but I can embed specific feedback based on their response. For example, getting an answer correct can trigger a premade response, and getting an answer wrong can trigger a different premade response - including a video clip. For example, when my students get a specific question incorrect on their Internet Driver's License quiz, it will take them back to my website where I teach about that skill. It is instant reteaching. Of course my favorite example of this was when I embedded a video if students got a particular problem correct. It had a tiny button that popped up and said click here. This triggered a video and I loved their surprise and the surprise of the class as music filled the room; an educational Jack-in-the-Box.
Students receive an email copy of their quizzes. They don't have to wait for me to work through the pile on my desk, but can see fairly quickly how they have done.
Parents' email can also be attached to the student's accounts, so parents get feedback before the child even gets home.
My grading turn-around time was cut in half. Often I would have tests scores recording in the system the SAME day that my students took their test. When does that ever happen? I taught 9th grade English for 7 years and would have LOVED to have this technology then. Grading 120 papers is NO JOKE.
I love that you can use extensions like Orange Slice and attach a rubric RIGHT TO AN ASSIGNMENT! It is a beautiful feature!
I plan to continue my use of forms and quizzes with my capstone piece. Google forms is obviously great for data collection, and I used it with my students during my research. They responded to both a pre-treatment and post-treatment survey. I plan to embed a survey on my website/capstone piece to assess different factors of those who visit or use the site.
SOCIAL MEDIA
A. I am a huge fan of using social media to fuel your personal learning network (PLN). I began utilizing Twitter nearly two years ago, but really embracing it as a PLN support system, a year ago. I have made connections with fellow educators around the United States, and connected to resources that have transformed not only my classroom, but the classrooms of my coworkers. I have spent a great deal of time sharing the power of social media with my coworkers and have even set up smaller twitter chats to help them see how they can connect with other educators. One of my most powerful connections involves a teacher who lives in Tennessee. We met in a twitter chat and discovered the following: we both teach technology, we both teach at a Title 1 school, we both teach students who have little to no WiFi access outside of school. It is so powerful to share ideas, tips, and plans with someone who has a similar teaching position. It is so rare, particularly when you are a specialist, to find someone who is doing just what you do, and I only found her because of social media. It is important to remember, however, that my twitter account is a professional one -- it isn't appropriate for me to retweet news from my favorite film actor or musical group. As a professional, I must make sure that my twitter account is professional too. This caused me to create two twitter accounts - one is personal and one is professional. Thoughtfully and carefully tweeting, retweeting and responding is important as I maintain a professional social media footprint. B. I do not follow any students on social media. I do follow several former students, but did not start following them until they were 18 years old. Having taught high school for nearly a decade, I found this a necessary and essential policy. I do NOT want access to my students social media accounts, and have made my personal social media accounts private. According to district policy, teachers must not be social media friends with students. However, I do occasionally accidentally stumble across a student social media account, or have researched a student's social media in order to solve a problem, or research issues of bullying. One extreme case occurred when I was teaching high school, and one of my freshman girls was suicidal because of them rumors a boy was spreading about her through social media. I contacted my principal and showed him the posts that had written about her, and her own posts about her personal despair. We met with her and her parents, and were able to get her the help she needed. While, I disagreed with some of the responses my principal made (the boy suffered NO consequences for his actions), I am grateful that I took the time to listen to my student, and had the technical savvy to research the situation. Today that young lady is twenty-five years old, and a crisis counselor. Social media was a powerful tool in this situation, and gave me the evidence I need to force the principal to take this issue seriously. I do not have a class Instagram account or class Facebook account. Having spent a year being filmed for a documentary, I am VERY aware of the necessity of waivers and student's privacy rights. I have seen some fantastic examples of using a class Instagram, and am not necessarily opposed to its use but would NEVER include pictures of my students faces without permission, and would endeavor to use pictures of projects and work, rather than people. It is ESSENTIAL to be familiar with your district guidelines, your school's guidelines, and which students have opted out of your school's media release.
I've included a link to the document we created regarding creating social media guidelines because I'm really proud of the document we created, and also because I think it is important and useful information to consider.
As a teacher of technology, I spend the first part of every school year teaching digital citizenship. We spend a great deal of time talking about our digital footprint, building a positive online presence and thinking about personal security. We spend time talking about the importance of being thoughtful about our passwords and our user names. It is usually right during this time, that students are given their school wide accounts to things like iRead or System44, typing web, Reading Inventory or FASTmath. Inevitably, the password that has been given to them is: Password. I find tremendous irony that the same institution that values, and endeavors to teach them importance of online safety does not follow the rules when assigning accounts to students. I understand the difficulty of creating usable passwords to our youngest students, but the disconnect between what we teach and what we do is significant. Students in my classroom must first earn their Internet Driver's License before being allowed out on the internet at school. This License has two components: Internet Safety and Technical Skills. For the first aspect we spend a good deal of time discussing, watching videos (Common Sense Media) and creating a pledge to remain safe on the internet. They also sign an agreement that involves appropriate use of computers at school. It is important to establish parameters for the professional use of computers while at school. The second portion of our class involves making sure students have the basic tools necessary to contribute and collaborate in all their classes. Students learn how to create in google slides, docs, and how to share these with teachers and classmates. I also instruct them on the use of their school email. Involved with all of this instruction I teach them the specific skills of inserting links, pictures, screenshots, as well as how to utilize research and editing tools. This is taught 3rd-5th grade. Our younger students learn how to log on to their Chromebook, how to email, and how to insert pictures. They earn their Driver's Permit. I use a WONDERFUL resource from Teachers Pay Teachers. It is a series of slides (google slides) which teaches students each of these skills. The culminating assessment project is for students to create their own Internet Driver's License which includes the skills they've been working on. They must take and insert a picture of themselves, and edit the License to standards that they are given. Our students exist in a wide digital world that is full of dangers and pitfalls, as well as opportunities and amazing experiences. It is our responsibility to send them out to meet this world armed with the necessary skills to not only succeed but to ensure their safety and privacy.
Competency-Based Classrooms
I spent two years teaching in a school that embraced competency-based learning, as discussed in the article by Katie Varatta. Students were given an assessment of math and reading skills, and then scheduled a plan based on that information. As a result I had students of all ages learning to master fractions, or a multi-grade level group sitting and discussing a book they'd all been reading together.
My favorite story from this time, involved a student who had failed algebra three times. He felt completely helpless when tackling it, and was defeated. His parents were determined to try a new approach and enrolled him in our school. During his intial assessment, we discovered that he had no understanding of fractions. He could not even correctly identify 1/2. He then set about to mastering this missing skill which he rapidly did. He then went on to successfully complete algebra - earning high marks on his exams.
The contrast between this students past school experiences, and the success he found in a competency-based program highlight what works well when students are allowed to master skills before moving on. This student had been advanced year after year and always struggling because of this one glaring gap in his math education. Once this gap was addressed and master, he was able to move forward with success. Simply moving him along, and even hiring tutors to help him with his algebra were useless because he had not mastered a previous and neccessary skill.
I've also had experience with this, using Khan Academy with my students. My 5th and 6th graders worked their way through a series of lessons teaching JavaScript, Html/CSS and SQL. Students moved at their own pace, and some raced quickly through the early lessons. The best experiences from this activity was the community of learners created in this environment. Students helped each other, and cheered each other on. Best of all, because I was also completing the same lessons, students would teach me and help me through lessons that they had already completed. There was a corporate recognition that some students found certain lessons easier than others and could help those who struggled, but later those same "experts" might need help on a different lesson. It was a beautiful environment where everyone - student and teacher were learners.
Which is not to say that the complications addressed in the article aren't real. Managing a large group of people working on different levels and on different skills can be very complicated. Utilizing students and working with small groups who are struggling with the same skill are the best ways to manage such a diverse learning environment.