There are many great tools out there to assess your students. One that I have recently started using is called Formative. There are some really great features that make this tool simple yet very robust.
Set up
Creating an account is free for both students and teachers. You have the ability to create an account with your email address, Google or even with Clever.
Building Classes
Creating a class is done by clicking "+ Create New Class." You will notice after creating a class that you are given a class code for students to manually type into their accounts to join your class. You have five different options for enrolling students into your classes.
1) GAFE: If using Google Apps, display goformative.com/#signup for the students. Have them select to sign up with Google and then enter the class code to join. 2) Clever: You will need to ask your admin for the school portal link and access to Formative. Students will log in via Clever and enter the class code. 3) Use a supplied spreadsheet and email it to Formative along with the class code. Allow 24 hours for the import to take place. 4) Display your class code and have students navigate to goformative.com/#signup They can sign up and enter your class code. 5) Mass Enroll: To enroll multiple students into multiple teacher classes, you can email Formative or call a number provided. Building Assignments
One of the nice feature of Formative is the ability to create folders. When creating your assignments, you can choose which folder you wish to store your assignment. This is great when trying to organize all your assignments.
Add Questions When adding questions you have the option to add multiple choice, show your work, short answer and true/false.
One option that is really cool is the "show your work" option. By selecting this option, students will be given a blank canvas to draw their work. In addition, you can provide them with a background image to show your work over the top of with the "show your work" question.
Adding Content
When adding content, you can see you have four different options. You can add an image or YouTube video. If you choose to add a text block, you are given the option of create a simple sentence or a complex paragraph. The View-Only Canvas gives you the same ability as a student on the "show your work" question. You can have a blank canvas or add an image as the background. You can then draw on your canvas. In the end your final work is submitted for students to see, but not edit.
Upload and Transform
One really cool feature that I haven't found on other assessment tools is the ability to upload a file and transform it to add interactive elements. I have found PDFs to work the best. However, they do support .doc and .docx format. Once your file is uploaded and transformed, you can add questions on top of your uploaded file. Now your file can gather feedback from students with the interactive components.
Assigning
When you are ready to assign your assignment, you can quickly turn on the assignment for your chosen classes. Toggling on the assignment will change the red dot to a green dot. In addition, once the assignment is turned on for your selected classes, you can use a quick code for students, get a link to email to them, automatically assign in Google Classroom or get some embed code for your website/blog.
You even have the option to enable the assignment for everyone. This does allow others to access this assignment without having to login. However, they are still prompted to enter their first and last name.
Live Results
One of my favorite parts of this tool is the ability to gather live results. While students work through the assignment, I am able to see their progress in real time. In addition, I can provide immediate feedback to their answers.
Exporting Results
If I prefer to keep results in a different format other than the Formative website, I have the ability to export the results. These results are exported into an Excel file that will allow you to filter and manipulate the data.
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**If you are unfamiliar with this project, check out my first post introducing my pilot project with LearnPads and comparing them to iPads. Assessing: 3 optionsI think it is a safe bet to say that all teachers use assessment tools to gather data and inform instructional decisions. Whether it is formal, digital or just observations, assessing student understanding is weaved into a teacher's pedagogy. With time being a critical asset to all teachers, having some digital options for collecting data can be a huge time saver. As I have implemented both the LearnPad and iPad, I have tried a variety of digital tools that can assist in gathering that valuable information to guide instructional decisions. However, the biggest game changer to date has been having a connected device in the hands of all my students. Regardless of the LearnPad or iPad, the digital tools I explain below are one piece of the puzzle to promote 1:1 learning environments. Option 1: SocrativeWhether Socrative for IOS or for Android, this tool allows you to create a digital classroom to collect feedback from students. Students do not have to register. They simply type in the virtual room number of their teacher's classroom. You can create multiple choice, true/false or even short answer assessments. One nice feature is the ability in add pictures to your questions. You can give quizzes in self or teacher paced modes. It is a very simple and intuitive user interface for creating and administering assessments. You can even share your created assessments. A popular feature is running assessments in "Space Race" mode which creates a little competition. When assessments are completed, you can choose to email the report or even save it as an Excel file. Socrative works on almost any connected device. Option 2: Exit TicketExit Ticket is a new tool that I have only recently started using. There is an IOS as well as Android version of the app. The more I use this tool the more I love it. It's user interface for the teacher is a little more complex than Socrative. However, it is very feature rich and customizable based on your needs. Below is a screenshot of a completed assessment. One amazing option of Exit Ticket is the ability to view the same information below in real time as the assessment is being administered. Much like Socrative, you can set up multiple choice, true/false and free response. Socrative allowed you to insert images with your questions. However, Exit Ticket not only lets you insert images with your questions but also with your answers as well. Option 3: Google forms + FLubarooFlubaroo is a script that auto checks submitted Google Forms. This is definitely a prime example of working smarter and not harder. Google Forms allows you many options for creating assessments. You can add videos, images, multiple choice, short answer and more for your questions. You can even have multiple pages and create actions based on how a student answers a question. So if a student answered one question incorrect, you could have it take them to a second page with some similar questions to provide some alternative options to demonstrate their understanding. We have used this combination for the entire school year. Students watch the daily math lesson and then take a quiz via Google Forms. I run the Flubaroo script which auto grades the quiz. From this information, I am able to group students in math based on their needs according to the Google Form assessment. IN CLOSING These three options are great digital assessment tools to add to any teacher's toolbox. Just like any piece of tech, there is no Swiss Army knife application that does it all. I use a combination of Google Forms/Flubaroo and Exit Ticket based on the skills and curricular areas I want to assess. As I mentioned earlier, I think these three tools help reinforce the benefits of student learning and teacher pedagogy in a 1:1 environment. Not that this couldn't be done in environments that are not 1:1, but the ability to gather real time data puts those classrooms at an advantage when implemented with integrity. |
Andrew FenstermakerInstructional Technology Coordinator | Innovation Coach | Google Certified Innovator | Presenter | Blogger | Adjunct @UiowaEducation | Owner @kids_f_i_r_s_t |