Activities with Assessment Qualities

BackChannel Chat-

This app allows students and teachers to have a digital conversation while multi-tasking in a live in-class discussion. When the teacher closes the discussion, there is even an option to print out the dialogue. This is a quick and easy way to use a CFU while students are working on their discussions or projects. Many of my fellow teachers have used this during socratic seminars with an "inside-outside" circle. The inside circle provides the face to face discussion while the outside circle responds and comments in the BackChannel Chat. The teacher will then bring up points made in the BCC to help generate a new topic for the inside circle. You can also rotate students fluently in and out of the live/digital chats. The print option is used for absent students, struggling students, or students with special needs/circumstances. They can use it to help generate thoughts, ideas, and evidence when writing responses for assessments.

As a teacher, it is important to keep an eye on the digital conversation because it can turn south fast! Be sure to review the expectations for the lesson prior to participating in the BackChannel Chat. When used correctly, students develop a sense of comfort and deeper understanding of the topic. Students can quickly search items to aide in the discussion, however, be sure that your students have the capability to do more than 1 thing as a time.



Wordle-

This website allows you to generate word clouds based on a given text. The more often the word appears, the larger it grows in the display. You can use Wordle for a variety of activities; getting to know your students, finding the main theme of a text, generating key ideas, and main points of conversations. I have created a lesson regarding censorship in America and around the world, I would like to use Wordle in conjunction with our main texts that we read, plus the information gathered by students. I would be able to create a whole-class diagram that will be different for each section, depending on their specific research. Students are sometimes amazed at the words that are enlarged. It also helps generate discussion on the topic.



Orange Slice-

This is a google add-on that I use while grading my students papers via the google classroom and google docs. (Say that 10 times fast). Anyway, this add-on allows you to upload your own rubric by pasting it into the document. Once you open the student's paper, click add-on, orange slice, and begin grading. Rubric settings can be holistic or analysis, with percentage, points, weighted, or pass/fail. When you click the corresponding grade, there is option for feed back in which you can type directly to the students. Once the page has been graded, it highlights the exact boxes on the rubric. This allows students to see what they earned and WHY. Eliminating the "why did I get this grade?" Also, it cuts back on the time it takes to grade papers.

Parents and students love it because there is no question since the rubric is posted directly on the document they are submitting their papers on. It also provides special features such as extra credit and late penalties. I use it for ALL final writing assessments.


Coogle-

A place to create digital mindmaps for the entire class, small groups, or individuals. Coogle allows students to work in real time for optimal collaboration on an array of assignments. I enjoy this idea because it can be used throughout your unit to see the thought process of your students. It can also help them organize evidence and rationales for upcoming essays. I would pair students up and have them jigsaw information from a variety of sources and continue to add to each. Students that are more prone to visual learning will find the different colors, ability to add images, and floating text, appealing and simulating.