Tech Fueled Formative Assessments That Transformed My Classroom
Formative assessment. We all know the term. We hear this phrase in every workshop, professional development day and data meeting we attend. As teachers, we value the importance of formative assessment in our teaching practices. We know that we must continually assess our students to gauge learning, growth & progress. There is just one teeny tiny obstacle.
1. Kahoot!
Let's start with one of my absolute favorites, Kahoot! If you haven't tried Kahoot! yet, you need to get on it...liiiike yesterday. If you're thinking to yourself, what is this Kahoot! business she's talking about then click HERE to see my Kahoot! blog post from October for more details. If you want a safe place to start your journey of tech fueled formative assessment, Kahoot! is the place to start. It's free, easy to use & contains thousands of pre-made & easily editable games. Kahoot! does require each child to use a device; however, I often group my students (as we are not 1:1) which works great as well! When you need data, Kahoot! is perfect. At the end of each game the teacher receives a spreadsheet in Google Drive with all of the student data. 1 click and you have data. The best part, students don't even realize they are being assessed. They are simply trying to do their best to win the game!
Another free tech based assessment tool that I utilize weekly is called Quizlet. Quizlet is awesome for teaching vocabulary. At the same time, it engages students through competitive game-based learning. To make Quizlet even better, there is a test feature! Students can test their knowledge on the vocabulary they are learning. The tests are differentiated as students can choose what types of questions appear on the tests: open response, multiple choice, true/false or matching. At the end of each week I can see how much time each child has spent learning the vocabulary & I can also see how well they did on the assessment piece. Quizlet can be assigned using Google Classroom which makes it even easier to begin implementing!
There you have it; 4 FREE tech fueled formative assessment tools! You can use these resources as frequently or infrequently as you like. The power is in your hands. If you're like me and prefer to spend your after school hours relaxing while watching HGTV, then these technology assessment tools may be right up your alley! If you L O V E to give your students immediate feedback then these 4 life-changing resources are probably calling your name. [FINALLY] if you value the P O W E R of formative assessment, then head on over to Kahoot!, Quizizz, Plickers or Quizlet and transform the way formative assessment impacts your teaching!
Leave C O M M E N T S, questions, or tips below!
TIME
Yep, time. The arch nemesis of all educators. There's never enough of the stuff. Even if there were 37.5 hours in each and every day I still think teachers would struggle with this dreaded enemy.
The 1 thing that I can always trust to help me feel like I at least stand a fighting chance with time is, you guessed it, Technology! Many educators are scared of the word Technology as much as they are afraid of not having enough time. BUT, when we begin to embrace the FREE technology resources out there we not only gain more time, we also gain more insight into our students and into our teaching.
This Tech Tip Tuesday, I will briefly spotlight 4 Tech Fueled Formative Assessment platforms that have transformed my classroom.
2. Quizizz
3. Plickers
4. Quizlet
These 4 little gems have many commonalities between them. They are technology based, easy to use, FREE, engaging, fun, & competitive. (Did I mention FREE?!)
Let's start with one of my absolute favorites, Kahoot! If you haven't tried Kahoot! yet, you need to get on it...liiiike yesterday. If you're thinking to yourself, what is this Kahoot! business she's talking about then click HERE to see my Kahoot! blog post from October for more details. If you want a safe place to start your journey of tech fueled formative assessment, Kahoot! is the place to start. It's free, easy to use & contains thousands of pre-made & easily editable games. Kahoot! does require each child to use a device; however, I often group my students (as we are not 1:1) which works great as well! When you need data, Kahoot! is perfect. At the end of each game the teacher receives a spreadsheet in Google Drive with all of the student data. 1 click and you have data. The best part, students don't even realize they are being assessed. They are simply trying to do their best to win the game!
Now, this next tool is a new obsession of mine: Quizizz. I've only been using Quizizz for about 2 months and each time I log in it gets even more amazing! This game-based tool is very much like Kahoot! BUT 1 new feature sets it apart from the crowd. The "Use Quizizz for Homework" feature lets teachers 'assign' a game for students to play either at home or in the classroom as a station or center. This means, if you don't have 1:1 devices in your room it is OKAY! Students can play a game over a set period of time, while still competing against one another and providing you, the teacher, with formative assessment data. If it all sounds too good to be true, it isn't. I promise. Student engagement, formative assessment data, no paperwork & fun can all be used in the same sentence when it comes to these 4 tech-based tools!
Next, I want to talk about Plickers. To be honest, I tried Plickers, used it a couple of times & moved on. I didn't like it because I could only get data for 1 question at a time. BUT like all good technology, Plickers made some upgrades! You can now use the "Scoresheet" feature to gain access to data on an entire question set. If you haven't used Plickers before, the best reason to begin is that the only person in the room who needs access to tech in order for Plickers to work is YOU, the teacher! For a quick Plickers demonstration view the Tech in 2 tutorial below :)
Another free tech based assessment tool that I utilize weekly is called Quizlet. Quizlet is awesome for teaching vocabulary. At the same time, it engages students through competitive game-based learning. To make Quizlet even better, there is a test feature! Students can test their knowledge on the vocabulary they are learning. The tests are differentiated as students can choose what types of questions appear on the tests: open response, multiple choice, true/false or matching. At the end of each week I can see how much time each child has spent learning the vocabulary & I can also see how well they did on the assessment piece. Quizlet can be assigned using Google Classroom which makes it even easier to begin implementing!
There you have it; 4 FREE tech fueled formative assessment tools! You can use these resources as frequently or infrequently as you like. The power is in your hands. If you're like me and prefer to spend your after school hours relaxing while watching HGTV, then these technology assessment tools may be right up your alley! If you L O V E to give your students immediate feedback then these 4 life-changing resources are probably calling your name. [FINALLY] if you value the P O W E R of formative assessment, then head on over to Kahoot!, Quizizz, Plickers or Quizlet and transform the way formative assessment impacts your teaching!
Leave C O M M E N T S, questions, or tips below!
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