21st Century Assessments

When I hear the words “pop quiz”, my palms automatically get sweaty.

When I was younger a memory that has stood with me, and actually

shaped me as an educator today, was staring at the teacher who sat

behind her desk and barked out spelling words to us. All tests and quizzes

were paper and pencil. All. of. them. I was never the best test taker,

however survived by studying well the night before. I memorized and

crammed the information in only to lose it all as soon as the test was turned

in. These were not true indicators that I learned the information. These

classrooms need rescued! We live in the 21st century and not a multiplechoice

world!

Nancy White (2012) ,from Innovations in Education posits an intriguing

thought-”...to understand what is meant by assessment of 21st century

skills we need to examine the term assessment. At it’s core, assessment

should be thought of as an opportunity to give feedback.” According to

White (2012), in order for a 21st century learner to obtain the knowledge

and content necessary to be successful several aspects need to be

obtained: critical thinking/reasoning, self-direction, invention, information

literacy, technology literacy, and collaboration. Assessment doesn’t have to

be in the form of a paper and pencil test. Sometimes we can learn about

how much a child has learned by listening to them in a discussion of the

content. We all know the different forms of assessment: informal, formal,

summative, etc.

Because we want to assess students within the 21st century paradigm, that

also means our instruction should be focused towards the 21st century

learner! Incorporate rich, real world tasks- this will allow learners in depth

exposure to content and engagement. Allow learners the opportunity to

create portions of the assessment. Although we teachers hate testing, there

is a place for it. We need to be able to assess if students understand the

content taught. Using Bloom’s Taxonomy allows educators to determine the

thinking skills required to answer the questions, whether higher or lower

order thinking skills. A good quality assessment should have plenty of

opportunities to extend their learning and how what they know.

But at the root of it all, assessments can be fun AND integrate technology

at the same time. How? One of my favorite days of the school year are

when students bring their own devices in and we can incorporate

technology into assessing what they know. For the students who don’t have

the available technology to bring in, there is ample lap tops for utilization!

Below are some great sites and apps to download to get students “plugged

in” to showing what they know through 21st century assessments!

Fast Formative Assessment Tools:

1. Kahoot- One of my favorites! Teachers (and even students) can build

quizzes where the audience logs in using a code and can answer

questions in a game show method.

2. Socrative- The class can be divided into teams, and similar to Kahoot,

answer questions. Both Kahoot and Socrative can save student answers

that can be used as a grade!

3. Zaption- If you are an educator who likes to “flip” your classroom, these

videos that can be uploaded can serve as an educational instructional

tool. Students cannot skip through the video, and questions can be

embedded within the video!

4. Plickers- A mobile scanner! Students do not need to bring their own

device! Each student has their own pre-determined card where they can

turn to answer the question. The teacher scans the room with their own

mobile camera and can see each students answer, whether it’s right or

wrong!

Even those these fast tools are fun to use, it gives valid data to teachers in

a more engaging manner as opposed to the paper/pencil method. In my

school district there are no formal paper/pencil tests given- we utilize online

software to create and allow students to take the assessments. If we want

to continue to help students succeed, we must continue to motivate them in

the classroom! I have students who beg to “play” Kahoot throughout the

year. Little do they know it’s a form of assessment for me!

Resources

Davis, V., (2015). 5 Fantastic Formal Assessment Tools. Retrieved from:

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/5-fast-formative-assessment-tools-vicki-davis.

White, N., (2012). Assessing 21st Century Skills. Retrieved from: http://

d20innovation.d20blogs.org/2012/11/03/assessing-21st-century-skills/.

Creativity in Coding

What is one of the fastest rising careers in our nation? Technology. What do

our kids grab as soon as they get home? Technology. How can we get

students excited about learning? Technology. How can we get students to

think creatively? Technology!!!!

I always try to set goals for my upcoming school year during the summer,

and one of the first goals is extending creativity in the classroom. With the

integration of technology one idea popped into mind- coding! I follow a few

principals on the west coast who incorporate Hour of Code into their daily

curriculum, so I decided to search the web for options and more

information.

Through my exploration in the world of coding, I have stumbled across

several sites and apps but didn’t have a clear understanding of what it was

(I thought it was just Minecraft) until reading a few blogs. According to

Huerta (2016) from Edutopia, coding links problem solving and analytical

reasoning which can correlate to “... a natural ability and drive to construct,

hypothesize, explore, experiment, evaluate, and draw conclusions”. All of

these are of course key skills that students struggle with in school!

Students who code learn how to program and code software. Kids are

learning to become computer programmers!

Additionally, Huerta (2016) posits several reasons to teach coding to kids!

1. Coding is a new type of literacy- students can learn over 40 different

languages AND solve problems!

2. Coding is a tool to improve educational equity- more technology access

to kids whose socioeconomic status would otherwise prevent them.

3. Coding offers inclusion- Students with autism have been trained in

software programming and now are developing talents that can be

utilized in a high-tech economy.

4. Coding can improve neuroplasticity- AKA the brain can “change”.

Research done in children who began coding softwares showed

functional changes in the inferior parietal cortex of the brain.

5. Coding improves STEM proficiencies AND testing proficiency- Critical

thinking and testing can go hand in hand. Especially in the Virginia

SOLs- students must think critically and analyze problems. Coding has

assisted in better equipping students for the real world!

After all this research, one site I am going to try this upcoming school year

is a highly acclaimed Tynker. There is a free trial, however I may make the

investment to purchase the classroom course option. Tynker’s curriculum

boasts introducing students to computer programming by aligning courses

based on grade and skill level. Each child does not need to have their own

computer, even if I wanted to have students BYOD (Bring Your Own

Device), students could pair up if I couldn’t gather enough resources. I

already incorporate STEM into my daily lessons, however Tynker also

offers ready to use STEM courses to integrate coding into the classroom. I

am REALLY excited to get this up and running. Happy Coding

References:

Huerta, M., (2016). Coding in the Classroom: A Long-Overdue Inclusion.

Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/coding-classroom-longoverdue-

inclusion-merle-huerta.

Dust Off the Computers for Authentic Learning!

If you have computers collecting dust in the corner of your room, then you

might need a #classroomrescue! Seriously, though. Just because there are

computers housed in your room doesn’t make you a techie teacher. They

must be utilized and not just for random websites students can access

during centers or rotations. When I reflect on a daily basis how many times

I search google or other internet related sites for a plethora of information

it’s frightening to think what I did without it in my earlier years! The same is

true for students. This generation has never known a life without

technology at their fingertips. So let’s utilize it!

In my school district, the push towards extending critical thinking skills and

problem solving abilities is evident in the recent trend of project based

learning activities (PBLs). Textbooks, although beneficial, are archaic. As

adults we all know too well that information is best learned through

exploration not memorization. I spent some time recently in an amazing

professional development from High Tech High educators who explained

the paradigm of PBLs and how they propel student learning! This authentic

learning is hopefully replacing the barrage of testing students will be

exposed to each year that acts as both a curriculum and instructional tool!

The goal of PBLs is deeper learning- students achieve academically and

develop a deeper learning of skills taught. Or, in most cases PBLs can be

utilized as the “flipped classroom”- where students are learning content at

their own pace with support from the teacher.

Project Based Learning is not giving students all the information, showing

them how to create and having each student create a similar looking end

result. Instead, the teacher takes a “hands off” approach as they help guide

students towards launching their own unique way of solving the problem

posed. In essence, quickly, there are multiple steps to PBLs: launch phase

(get kids excited), essential question (pose the problem to students- must

create a way to cross a body of water, and allow for authentic learning in

the “field”), adult connections, brainstorm phase, planning phase,

collaboration/drafting/revision phase, publishing/exhibition phase.

When most people think of “projects”, the tri-fold, glittery parent created

masterpiece is what comes to mind. PBLs are the TOTAL opposite.

Instead, a PBL allows students to experience the content as real world

connections and experiences. And technology integration is PERFECT for

this aspect! PBLs allow naturally embedding classrooms into authentic

environments- whether digital or physical. My school district does not allow

too many field trips, so for some students it is difficult to obtain the real

world, concrete information gained from being there!

So, what technology can be integrated to help students during the learning

process of PBLs? There are a TON of sites, apps and software available

however be mindful that some are free whereas other require subscriptions

and/or software requirements. Here are some of my favorite I have found

while diving into the PBL trend!

1. MindNode- can be used during the Brainstorm phase, students can

create concept maps to help track their ideas, drafts and even revisions.

One stipulation of PBLs is that the teacher should be able to visibly see

what stage of the PBL groups are in.

2. DigiSocial- FREE- a platform where students can collaborate as a group

and chat/share ideas.

3. Smart Drawings- $3.99- students can create blueprints and sketches of

proposed ideas. Great for upper elementary and secondary classrooms.

4. Google Docs- manage documents, deadlines, organize tasks as a group

5. Google Maps- If field trips are out of the question, allow students explore

the world, geography, topography at the click of a mouse! This allows for

free, authentic exploration of content.

6. Animoto- If students are creating videos or slide shows, this free app can

allow students to present their project during the publishing phase!

There are a TON more resources out there, which of course this list is not

exhaustive. I am so pumped to begin my PBL with my sixth graders this

Fall while utilizing technology to integrate within our Zombieography

project :)

References

Bhaskar, S., (2013). Best Tools for Project Based Learning. Retrieved from:

http://edtechreview.in/news/436-best-tools-for-project-based-learning.

Creating a Classroom Culture with Technology

#classroomrescue

Simple phrase with an imperative mission.

Why are the majority of students ranging from primary to secondary

dreading to go to school each day? The answer is simple- stress. Gone are

the days where kids can just be “kids”, instead replaced with testing and

more testing. We are living in an era where educators are under constant

scrutiny and an endless barrage of what teachers are doing to fail students

and it all comes back to data. If teachers are stressed, it can be transferred

onto students. Thankfully, in my school district the burden of testing has

diminished substantially over the past few years, but in adjacent districts

almost 90 out of 180 days of the school year calendar were filled with some

form of assessment or testing.

So how does this relate to #classroomrescue? Our students need super

hero teachers to rise above the testing villains/stress and bring back the

engaging classroom from the brink of extinction! Our profession needs

saving, our students need saving. Period.

How can it be done? First and foremost, creating an classroom culture that

is creative, collaborative, energized, student and technology-centered. An

engaging classroom culture embraces the unique intricacies of each

student and can transform the educational atmosphere. Several features

can help bring students out of the school slump- creativity of classroom

space and extending learning with technology.

Trending lately are playful spaces motivated by student choice: lounge

seating for reading and collaboration, flexible-seating to allow student

choice and active spaces to propel ideas to optimize authentic learning.

According to edutopia.com, this specific educational environment

encourages “social networking” within the classroom - as seen in startup

companies throughout the country. Think of a typical classroom, students

are told to “sit down, be quiet, and work”. Is this how it really is in the real

world? No! Collaboration is key! I’ve found in my years in teaching,

sometimes students learn more from their peers then they could ever from

me. Thus allowing students to network socially can stimulate discussions

that can extend beyond the classroom and/or topic. But they need the

space to do this!

One of my favorite ways to extend learning outside of the classroom is to

engage with students within social networking integration- no I’m not talking

about Facebook. Rather edchats on Edmodo.com- where we can further

discussions outside of classroom walls. I can post a video for students to

watch that night and groups can reflect in chat mode. Because I teach 6th

grade, some students even take the lead some nights and post questions

for their classmates to respond. The more students incorporate themselves

within discussions the classroom culture remains dedicated to the class

mission: representative that every member of the classroom community is

vital.

Top 5 FREE sites for Social Networking Students: Fostering Collaboration

in the Classroom Culture

According to mashable.com, the following are the most trending sites to

utilize to engage students collaborative efforts.

1. Edmodo.com- Obtaining student accounts (parents can create accounts

too!), chat forums can extend learning from the classroom at home! The

teacher can create polls, quizzes and pose questions for students and

groups to chat about!

2. EDU 2.0- Teachers can share lesson plans, quizzes, videos, online

gradebook, classroom blogs, debate tools and chat forums to create a

network with classrooms and even schools.

3. Collaborize Classroom- An online discussion forum which allows ALL

students to have a voice, unlike in the classroom where just a few

students always raise their hand ;) This site is actually an app where

educators can choose from four discussion format choices.

4. EduBlogs- Can be utilized for group projects, journals, class web pages,

parent newsletters, etc.

5. Kidblog- Best for younger students and is a great tool to use for

classroom chat forums. Educators are able to edit and remove any

content posted by students.

Students AND teachers deserve less stress within the classroom walls.

However it is up to us to foster that positive and engaging classroom

culture. What better way to start then integrating technology?!

References

Help Readers (2012, August 30). 300 Potential Teachers [video file]. YouTube. Retrieved from: https://youtu.be/OFc3NiHFHh8

Kessler, S., (2015). Fantastic Free Social Media Tools for Teachers.

Retrieved from: http://mashable.com/2010/10/16/free-social-media-toolsfor-

teachers/#4Uut97cVXsqW.

Williams, J., (2016). Create a Startup Culture in Your Classroom. Retrieved

from: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/create-startup-culture-in-classroomjennifer-

williams.