E-Portfolios as Assessment Tools

In my opinion, the idea of using an e-portfolio as an assessment cannot simply be deemed a good or bad idea-- there are many elements that would have to factor into that decision. The biggest issue I can foresee with using an e-portfolio for assessment is how seriously it is taken by the students. Often, with assignments being digital they don't seem as "serious" and, as a result, the students don't take them as seriously. For example, of the 14 listed blogs for the Tuesday night class, one had each entry completed, one was unavailable to be viewed, and the other 12 were at least one week behind in their postings. This seems to be a dismal result for teachers; how can we expect our students to take the initiative and complete assignments like creating and maintaining an e-portfolio if we ourselves aren't willing to?

However, I believe that if the legitimacy/seriousness (for lack of a better term) can be conveyed to the students from the beginning and there is a system of perhaps formative assessment along to way to ensure that students are working on their e-portfolio that something like this could certainly be an effective assessment tool in the classroom. Mediums like this allow for a bit more freedom from the students because of what seems to be a presumed anonymity (even though we know whose it is) that comes from not directly writing on a paper that is handed directly to the teacher... maybe this is a good thing, maybe we could get products filled with free-thought and creativity.... that always sounds like a good idea to me.

Differentiated Instruction isn't really so different...

Everyone talks about D.I. like it's something new and something that should be conciously worked into our lesson plans... but really, aren't we already differentiating our instruction? My students are all so vastly different that there's no way that I could teach the same lesson the same way for each of my classes throughout the day-- something always changes; whether it is the delivery, the examples, the jargon, etc., every class is different. Before the concept of D.I. became D.I., I think it was simply "doing what was best for each student." I guess that's why I find it so amusing when others seems to get their hackles up over being instructed to incorporate more D.I. into their lessons because if a teacher is really teaching every student and whose goal is to help each student succeed, they are already using D.I.--they just don't know it yet.

One of my students, Sarah*, is a great kid, but her grades don't always reflect her ability level. She has attendance issues, and as a result, she is always behind. She struggles to make up her work-- especially work that involves reading a text. She recently missed a significant portion of our recent Romeo & Juliet unit.  According to a Learning Styles inventory I conducted earlier in the year, I knew that she is a Visual/Auditory learner with identifies as a creative personality. I knew that asking her to sit with a textbook wouldn't get us anywhere, so instead, I thought of a few apps that would allow her to get the information and process it a way that was managable for her and still was consistent with my class goals.

The first app that I used with Sarah was Shakespeare in Bits. This app divides Shakepearean plays up into managable pieces and then provides an  animated video that is accompanied by the original text, both visually on the screen, but also aloud. Another excellent thing about this app is that it is interactive in that the student can click or tap on words or lines to get clarification or additional information as necessary.

The second app that I used with Sarah was No Fear Shakespeare which could be used to provide modern text 'translations' of the original text to aid Sarah in her understanding of the play. Additionally, No Fear Shakespeare provides summaries, character analysis, as well as information on the author, plot, setting, etc.-- all information that would have been covered in class discussions that Sarah missed.

Weekly post #12

The presentation that I found this week is a MLA Works Cited Prezi created by Katherine Bjerek on completing MLA Works Cited pages. This will be a presentation that I will use with my students in their upcoming Research Unit. This Prezi could be used both as a introductory and support tool for students to refer back to in order ensure their proper completion of their Works Cited pages.

I'll definitely let you know how it goes!

Apps, Rubrics, and Blogging--oh my!

For our end of the semester App-review, I will be reviewing:


This app is Vocabulary HD-- this is an app that will allow students to increase their vocabulary either on their own or in a group setting. The app provides pronunications and definitions for all of the words it uses. The higher-level of words that are included in this program would challenge students and give them exposure to higher-level vocabulary in a non-threatening, user-friendly way.

The second app that I will be reviewing is called My Spelling Test. This app allows for the teacher (or parent) to create digital spelling tests for their students. A modification that could be made would by that it could be tweaked to be used as a vocabulary test. This could be used in the classroom for additional practice or for make-up testing.



Also, below is a link to a google form used to assess an assessment that I use with my students for their Romeo & Juliet unit. The assignment is for students to envision how the use of modern technology could have created an alternate ending for the play. Students are asked to create a mock-up of their technology (a Facebook page, a Twitter feed, a text conversation, a phone call transcript, etc.). Students also must submit an essay explaining their technology, the impact of the technology of the characters, and then how the ending of the play would change as a result of their inclusion of technology.

<iframe src="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/embeddedform?formkey=dHlXbFkyRV9fRjJnRjFLbWM4R19Wd1E6MQ" width="760" height="873" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0">Loading...</iframe>

Web 2.0 Tools

Below is the link to a rubric that I created using Rubistar. I both created my own and used existing modifiers provided by the website. The benefits of a rubric like this are two-fold: (1) I would use this in my class so that the students would be aware of what they need to do in order to achieve a perfect score in class (2) using a rubric like this make grading quite a bit easier/faster-- which is a definite bonus when you have 115 projects to grade.

http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php?screen=ShowRubric&rubric_id=2169250&

Digital Storytelling

This week, I am leaving for a week-long working vacation in Anchorage, Alaska. My hope is to create a digital story that will help my students to learn about what Alaska is really like--especially since someo f the questions that I recieved when I told them I was going included: "Is there internet in Alaska?" "Will you stay in an igloo?" "You mean there are cities in Alaska, Mrs. Atkins? I thought it was just snow!"

I will soon post a link to the video once it is finished.

http://vimeo.com/38439613

Flipped Classroom or fLiPpEd OuT?!

Even after our class discussion last week, I still don't have my thoughts on the flipped classroom concept nailed down. The more I think about it, the more aspects I find appealing, but my enthusiasm quickly is cooled by the experiences I'm having in my own classroom. I think that students could benefit from the more hands-on/real world application practice provided by the flipped classroom, but only if they are willing to work. My biggest fear about a truely flipped classroom is that the students wouldn't do their outside work and that their lack of outside work would like to having a classroom on kids who are each on a different level of readiness with the assignment; thus rendering me unable to provide the best possible instruction to any of them. That being said, I think that a flipped concept is possible, but, in my opinion, it would have to be a shift in the culture of the district/school in order to be successful.


As frustrating as social media can be in the classroom, with drama resulting from its use among students, I do believe that it could be beneficial in the school environment. Allowing students to interact using social media (like Twitter, Facebook, etc.) brings our classrooms into the 21st Century. It isn't practical to expect our students to solely interact via traditional methods anymore. Even the most professional people in our society use social media to communicate, not only with their colleagues, but also to keep their fingers on the pulse of their audience. The key to using social media in the academic realm is teaching our students to be responsible-- not only for the content they put 'out there,' but also for themselves; teaching digital responsibility and citizenship MUST be a part of a teacher's lesson plan if he or she is going to incorporate the use of social media in the classroom.

DOK.... ok! :)

Most of my assessment questions on my last assessment were DOK level one and two, though there were a few level three questions and one level four. While my gut reaction was to chastise myself for having so many low level questions, once I thought about what my goals were for the assessment, I didn't feel quite as bad about it. The last assessment I gave was a reading check quiz for Romeo and Juliet, but I could have certainly included more higher level questions... In terms of 21st century goals, incorporating more higher level questions is important because our students won't be limited to low level questioning in the real world.

Rigor/Relevance--- where we fit?

In my classroom, alot of times, I find that my lessons are situated more in the realm of A, B, and C; I have gotten into a few very cool Quad D lessons during my first year as a teacher, but (unfortunately) those aren't as common as I'd like for them to be. However, I have been consistently working to make more of my lessons Quads B & C-- trying to move away from the simple input-output of Quad A.

In 9th grade English, we are reading Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet. While a certain amount of knowledge and comprehension is required, I have been trying to incorporate more B/C kind of thinking by asking the students analyze the characters' actions, predict what might have been different if the same situation occurred today, and to consider the motivations of the characters we are reading. I would say that in terms of the Rigor/Relevance Framework that my highest level of achievement with this unit has been a C/D combination, but I think that I could still bump it up to a solid D by asking students to consider how the use of modern technology could have impacted the outcome of the play, explain what could have been different, and then create their own alternate ending using modern day technology, setting, characters, etc..

SAMR, Bloom's, and E-121

One tool that my kids have been using lately is the Shakespeare in Bits app for the iPad. It provides brief snippets of the Shakespeare accompanied by cartoonish graphics. I have been using the app as a Substitution/Augmentation on the SAMR chart. As a class, we viewed the first scene of the play using this app to help foster understanding of the action, etc. after reading the play and discussing as a class. For students who are absent (and therefore miss the discussion), viewing the play after reading helps them to grasp what is actually happening in the play... since Shakespeare--even in modern text--isn't the easiest thing to understand. Another app we are utilizing is No Fear Shakespeare which provides a modern translation of the original text-- this has made teaching Shakespeare worlds easier... the students attempt the original text first then read the modern text to supplement their understanding.

In terms of school programs that we use with our students, I would rate WVWrites as an Augmentation/Modification on the SAMR scale. Not only are students given the experience of writing their piece, but they are also provided with editing and revision suggestions/tools. This changes the game when it comes to the writing process. Instead of taking up to a week to have students write, in longhand, an essay, edit it, revise it, and turn in a final product, WVWrites allows for the student to complete these tasks in as little as a period or two.

I'm still thinking through the SAMR chart and how to bump activities in my classroom up a notch, and the word that keeps sticking out for my is Transformation. If we really want to transform the way that our students learn, retain, and demonstrate their understanding of information, then it makes sense that that very transformation has to begin with us...

It's your turn guys....

Today, rather than me lecturing on Shakespeare's background, English theatre in the 1500s, the Globe theatre, and the Bubonic Plague, my students conducted their own research and will be presenting that information to the class tomorrow. In this lesson, the kids had to find and evaluate sources, create a presentation, and deliver that presentation to their peers. I think that I sometimes get caught up in the day to day elements of a traditional classroom and forget to integrate more 21st century elements. It's difficult to think that I am teaching these kids to prepare them for jobs and a society that I can't imagine yet... I think that by focusing more on the ISTE ideas we discussed last week that I can perform better as a teacher and better meet the needs of my students.

Just a moment folks.. There seems to be a problem...

Well, I certainly had a technology hiccup this week. In order to help introduce a new drama unit with my students, I was sharing with them a rap that I had found that covered the elements of fiction: character, setting, and plot. My plan had been to play it on the laptop, which I set up that morning, but when I went to play it there was no sound. I ended up having to disconnect and connect my speakers as well as adjust my volume control in order to play the song. Turns out the audio jack was loose. In terms of hiccups, it really wasn't that serious, but it's never fun to have a classroom of students waiting for you to figure something out so that the class can move on... next time, I will definitely try to play the song before class!

An iPad 2?! For our class?! Really, Mrs. A?!

This week, I received an iPad 2 to use in my 9th grade English/Language Arts class. Having a 1st generation of my own, I was fairly familiar with how to use an iPad, but I was pleased to see the new features that were included in the 2nd generation. My students span the socio-economic spectrum, so I knew that while some of my students had iPads of their own to go along with their $400 headphones and latest smartphones, I had other students who had not had the opportunity to use/play with an iPad. Because of this, I was more than thrilled to have a piece of technology like this to use in my classroom.

After excitedly playing with my 'new toy' for a few days and talking with my equally excited classes, we've thought of a few ways that we will be able to utilize this awesome piece of technology in our classroom. Our list included: using the various vocabulary-building apps for practice after other work is finished, using Facetime to talk to other classes in other schools about assignments and even have discussions, using the connector Josh mentioned to allow the class to work together using the Smartboard, letting students use e(and i)-books to read indpendently after they were finished, using it to quickly research/look up a question during class, or even to use it create projects using iMovie and other creative apps.

Today was the first chance for any of my kids to use Seamus (as we affectionately named it). After completing their assignment, two students were able to use the iPad for vocabulary practice using an app called Bluster. While this app is geared more for mid-elementary grades, the students were able to work on their fluency and response time. Regardless, they enjoyed themselves and were able to use their extra 5 minutes to do something productive instead of pass notes, doodle on their papers, or distract the other students.

I'm excited to pull out my lesson plan book this weekend and come up with ways to integrate our new into my students' daily lessons!