Here’s a bit of an update as I move forward in my GAME plan established
last week. I chose two International
Society of Technology in Education (ISTE) indicators in which I wanted to improve.
My first goal is incorporating technology with my assessment. I am unhappy with the clicker response system
that my district has available for assessment.
It is far from user friendly to set up. I have to import each student’s
names and district ID number from an Excel sheet I created for the system. With close to 500 students, that is a lot of
work! I need to research other types of response systems besides Smart
Response. For now I will seek out help
from my district technology department to work with what I have. So far I have asked fellow art teachers in my
district with an email inquiring any other technology they have used for
assessment.
My second ISTE goal is to engage in professional growth and
leadership. In order to keep my sanity, I
have decided to not register for and of The Art of Ed classes I mentioned in
the previous post until summer. I would
go crazy if I had to balance home life, my Walden classes, my art classroom, AND
another online class. However, I plan on
checking on dates that will work for me.
I also want to find some reviews of the iPads in the Art Room and the Tech-Ready Teacher course to be sure they are classes that would benefit me.
Cohorts, have you or do you have plans to use technology for
assessment in your classroom? Do you
have any programs you can recommend?
Hi Lindsey:
ReplyDeleteI believe you are exploring some valid questions incorporating technology into assessing the number of students that you are required too. Collaborating will hopefully bring you the answers that is much needed. I have found this method to be a life saver in helping to gather data that is much needed. There is normally some who has explored the same similar questions and received results that is very helpful.
My class sizes are very small because of being in the exceptional service area. However, I wish you the very best in finding the answers to your questions.
Michelle R. Person
Hello Lindsey,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I would like to say that I fully understand your frustration with clickers, and I have been there myself. I have never tried to take the time to register them to each student. I have only ever used them as an on the fly, anonymously assigned classroom review tool. The usual issues I have with them are batteries randomly failing, and kids randomly clicking responses rather than choosing options from the screen.
Secondly, as a fellow teacher, graduate student, father of two, and generally a person that tends to bite off way more than I can chew, I would second your choice on waiting until summer to throw more online classes on your plate. Stretching yourself too far is never a good idea. It only comes back to haunt you with physical ailments.
Finally, I do know of 2 systems that can be used for classroom assessment/grade keeping, and report card generation (if that is what you are referring to). The first is called Powerschool, and I believe it is made by the textbook publisher Pearson. I think this is available for download on iPad. If you search around the Appstore you will probably find it. The second one is called Easy Grade Pro. I believe this one is a little older, and originally designed to run on a PC platform, but is also a very good piece of software. It can be run on a Macbook too. I currently use both systems in my classroom. Good luck, and I hope these are helpful.
Ryan Maxwell
Ryan,
DeleteAs far as grade keeping and report card generation goes, I must use my districts program, Infinite Campus, which is not my favorite. We recently switched from Powerschool. Thanks for the Easy Grade Pro suggestion. I will look into it!
Lindsey,
ReplyDeleteI noticed you had a question about using technology for assessment. I do not know of any specific programs available for this purpose. However thinking about art education, I was thinking you could use online digital portfolios in blog format that the students could evaluate each other’s work using rubric formulas. You could take into account the students’ feedback as you evaluate the work. You could also assess how each student evaluates another student’s work. Sometimes, through evaluation, students show that they are able to evaluate effectively due to a good understanding of the content. Students could also take part in a discussion about the artwork and how it makes them feel. These are just thoughts that hopefully you will find useful. I think your opportunity to attend a professional development class is fabulous. I feel that you will learn a lot from the courses involved. Taking the course in the summer is a wise choice, so you can focus your attention and get the most out of the learning opportunity.
Ashley Davis
Ashley,
DeleteThanks for the feedback! I am currently building digital portfolios for my students using Artsonia.com. However, there is no way for students to comment on each others work. I do like the idea of a digital critique using a blog. I was planning on re-purposing this one after I am done with the Walden program.