The Purple Parade

Formative assessments do not have to be just paper/pencil tests. Technology is a great way to quickly assess your students to see where their level of proficiency is on the various subject standards. Have you tried any of the following technology tools to help you in your formative assessments? Mentimeter - quick exit ticket assessments Kahoot - game based quizzes that allow you to download the results Quizziz - review and practice content in a game-like format Quizalize - students complete assessment questions at their own pace GoSoapBox - features include Classroom Q&A and a "Confusion Barometer" Zaption & EdPuzzle - create assessment questions built right into your video instruction lessons Google Forms - amazing add-ons allow for differentiation and data collection Go Formative - use standards-aligned questions for a quick and easy snapshot of learning Don't let Formative Assessments drag you down!  Try using some of the technology re

The 4C's include:  Collaboration, Creativity, Communication, and Critical Thinking.  The 4 C's came about by a joint venture of the National Education Association and the Partnership for 21st Century Skills.  For more information on this, please view the following document: http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/A-Guide-to-Four-Cs.pdf Recently, I have looked for good resources online regarding the 4C's and technology, but haven't been able to find one that is current and applicable to today's classroom.  So today, I have decided to write my own blog post that demonstrates how to combine the 4C's with technology integration in the classroom. Many of the tools listed below can be used in conjunction with each other and overlap the 4C's to really increase the rigor and skill set. However, you must keep in mind that it is isn't just the technology, it is how the technology is used that's important.  Hopefully the following information will help you as you

Collaboration is the key to clear communication and cooperative learning.  Educators not only need to encourage collaboration in their students, but it is so great to learn from others through building professional learning networks and collaborating outside the classroom/school walls.  So, I'm sharing my favorite resources to encourage collaboration and communication. If you have a favorite, please feel free to share yours in the comments! Google Drive /Apps for EDU (obviously) - With all the products in Google Drive and the Apps for EDU suite (Docs, Slides, Forms, Sheets, Drawings, Sites, etc.) there is no reason not to collaborate on a daily basis. The easy to use Share button is the key to collaboration and communication! Smore - An easy to use newsletter/flyer creator. However, it isn't your usual newsletter, it's all virtual.  You don't print a Smore, you send it out via email.  You can embed links, images, and videos into your Smore. I love this site!!

I've been really investigating the SAMR model lately.  If you aren't familiar with the SAMR for integrating technology into the classroom, that's ok.  I first learned about it last year at a conference.  I went to a breakout session and came out more confused than when I went in.  So, I took it upon myself to learn about it through researching it online. The SAMR model is this:  Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition The more I investigated, the more I realized that our district needs to really look at where we are on this model.  Yes, we are a Google for Education district!  Yes, all students and teachers have access to Google Drive!  But, NO, we are not redefining education with technology. One day I was inspired by a fellow Google for Education trainer to really look at how we can use Google Drive to redefine our lessons.  So, I created the graphic below with ideas on how to use Google Drive and other Google products through the SAMR model.  

In our district we use Standards-Based Grading in all grade levels K-12.  Our teachers have truly embraced Google Classroom as a way to assess students on the course standards.  All students are graded on a 4 point scale using Dr. Robert Marzano 's proficiency scales template.  To see our district's SBG proficiency scales, click here . In order to make Google Classroom work best, many teachers make the assignments "worth" 40 points.  Since Google Classroom is yet to give the option for 1/2 point grading, the 40 points gives the following grading options: 40 = 4 35 = 3.5 30 = 3 25 = 2.5 20 = 2 15 = 1.5 10 = 1 0 = Level not determined (there is not 0 or .5 on our proficiency scales) The great thing about Google Classroom is that you can download all your assignments into a spreadsheet file so you can track all your standards. Add some conditional formatting to your spreadsheet to color code your "green", "yellow", and "red&quo

Did you notice that the Google Forms icon is now PURPLE ????  In your Google Drive, Google Forms and Google Sheets have both been Green , but now you can easily easily distinguish between the two types of files.  This makes this organizational maniac very excited!!  And, my favorite color is PURPLE , so it makes me even more happy!  So, if you want to find a form to edit, just look for the PURPLE .  If you want to view the responses of a form or look at a different spreadsheet, just look for the GREEN .  Hope that helps you in organizing and finding files in your Google Drive! Forms Sheets     

I had the pleasure of sitting in on a training in our district today by two of my colleagues (Amy and Heather).  I love watching them speak about their experiences with flipping the classroom.  They are so passionate about making their lessons available for students 24/7 and holding students accountable for their learning.  However, only 10% of the flipping process means that you should be assigning the videos for homework.  During their workshop, they showed a video by Lodge McCammon that describes the "pitch" for videotaping your lessons for homework is just 10% of the reason of why you should do it.  View the video below to hear Lodge describe it himself. Flipping the classroom can be such a powerful tool in the classroom.  Think about reteaching...  Think about instruction for students who are absent...  Think about having yourself in the classroom as your own co-teacher!  These are the reasons that you should be flipping your lessons!  Think about it and then do i

With the inspiration of Google expert David Wees, I used his Choose Your Own Adventure idea with Google Forms for a Google training I am facilitating. Using his Choose Your Own Adventure story and adding some more details and pages, I created my own story based on his original.  It is called "The Lily Pad".   https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1DX3uhiwGehYYk3ya_ww7cxriAlnY85P2jEtzUEAUL6A/viewform Using the "Go To Page Based on Answer" option in Google Forms, you can guide your viewers to different pages based on the answer they choose.  Think of the movie BIG with Tom Hanks.  At the end of the movie, he and his "girlfriend" pitch the idea of a choose your own adventure comic book with different cartridges with multiple choices to guide the reader which ever way they choose.  They can read the story over and over again with different choices.  Not only would this be an engaging reading activity for students, they could actually work on their writing skills b

A Teacher's Best Friend!?! I know that this post may be a little touchy for some, but I think it does need to be said.  As I, and other educators, begin to build their professional learning networks on social media, many educators are turning to Pinterest for their teaching ideas.  I, too, use Pinterest for ideas.  I have boards on all types of educational topics.  I also have lifestyle boards with recipes, ideas for the house, my hopes and dreams, and more.  Pinterest can really be a time sucker if you let it. But, it can also be an educator's best friend.  There are so many great educational "pinners". However, Pinterest can also be a detriment to education if teachers use many of the ideas that are posted.  I love the ideas for classroom organization, experiments, instructional technology, and student collaboration.  However, I am seeing too many pins that are worksheets and things that say they are "Common Core Aligned".  I am really weary about th

As a "newbie" to the ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) conference, I didn't quite know what to expect.  I've been to conferences before, but this was a conference on steroids.  There were so many workshops to choose from. So many different types of workshops, connecting opportunities, demonstrations, etc. were available that I wasn't quite sure what to do. I think I must've looked like a little lost puppy in a huge, unknown world.  The first day I was there, I walked into this huge convention center to ISTE Central and was overwhelmed.  It looked like ground control for NASA or something.  I signed into a computer where immediately my nametag was printed for me, and I was handed all the materials I needed to get started on my journey.  "WOW" was all I could think of.  "This is going to be great"! From my hotel room, which overlooked the loading dock of the convention center, I could see all of the crates with va