Thing 18: Student Assessment and Feedback Tools

I am interested in assessment and how 1 to 1 roll-outs make it possible for instant, direct feedback for students.It feels like a game changer. I like that teachers can adjust their lessons and differentiate for students in the moment. As a classroom teacher I experienced a lot of inner struggle when it came to assessment because I had some tried and true methods of assessing students for learning, but I always felt like there wasn't enough time for me to really give each student everything they needed. In this exploration I was intentionally looking for tools that could assist teachers with assessment for learning (formative assessment) and also increase students' independence in the assessment process. I wondered if there were tools to make assessment more collaborative between students as well as ways for students to get feedback that didn't come directly from the teacher. I was also looking for tools that would encourage student collaboration.

As I read through the suggested blogs I noticed that many of the tools are quiz-like, and teacher-centered/fact based. For these apps, the teacher customizes the tool- makes a quiz on Kahoot, creates a Quizizz, etc. These tools are useful for group learning -whole or small, but what if the teacher is facilitating learning, rather than giving information?

As I looked, I was happy to find a qualitative type app that allows students to give each other feedback: Flipgrid. I like it because it can be used for so many things. I love that students put their ideas on a video. Their thoughts are verbal, so the facial expressions and tone are still present (unlike written comments). This app maintains some personalization. So often feedback is only words on the screen, without the person who wrote them. Students can give each other feedback on their response and the teacher can speak right to the student in a video. I am thinking there are so many uses for Flipgrid - foreign language quick checks where students do an oral demonstration of their language skills, music class - students can play a passage they have learned on their instrument, math - they can explain how they solved a problem.

I am going to meet with teachers to get them started using flipgrid with their students next week. I am thinking a math exit ticket would be a great starting point, but I like to see what the teachers are working on with their students and then seeing how the tool will fit in with the lesson, so this will be continued. I explored two more apps - Edpuzzle and Peergrade. Edpuzzle seems great for people who are flipping their lessons or if you have a video you would like students to watch. Unless the videos were made by students, it feels very teacher centered to me, which is fine, but I am looking for a more student-centered app. Lastly, I tried Peergrade. That one is going to take a lot more experimenting before I can say for sure what I think. At first glance it feels a little complex. I plan to play around with it. I am way over my time for this "Thing" at the moment! If you have any opinions about Peergrade, I would be interested to hear them!