Google Drive

This week I had the opportunity to explore even more features Google Drive has to offer.  The main focus was on Google Forms, which I have previously used.  Even though I have used Google Forms in the past to survey students, I have never used it as a means to assess students.  Then I discovered a couple things that have me eager to try Google Forms as an assessment tool in the future!

The first thing I discovered is that you can add videos directly into a Google Form!  There are often times when I want students to analyze and respond to real-world examples, but pictures don't quite cut it.  For example, we're currently studying volcanoes and I want my students to know and understand the difference between quiet and explosive eruptions.  It's hard for students to deduce whether an eruption is quiet or explosive based solely on a picture, and sometimes it's difficult to get the description just right without giving away the answer.  With Google Forms, I can insert a video for my students to watch and answer questions over.  Click here to see a quiz I made on Google Forms that incorporates a video into the assessment.  Feel free to actually take the quiz!

I have heard from other teachers that Google Forms was a great, paper-free way to assess student learning; however, I did not see how using Google Forms would be any less time consuming than grading by hand.  Then I was introduced to Flubaroo and it's a real game-changer!  Read below for more information on Flubaroo.  Flubaroo is available as an add-on in Google Forms and makes grading super quick and easy!  Flubaroo is great for grading true/false and multiple choice questions.  It even allows you to grade certain questions by hand so teachers can still include essay/short answer questions to their quizzes.  Not only does Flubaroo show individual scores, but it allows me to see how students are performing concept by concept.  It even highlights questions that a majority of students are answering incorrectly.  This can help me reflect on whether or not the question is poorly worded, or if I failed to adequately teach the concept to my students.  Here is a screen shot of the scores from my assessment posted above so you can see some of the features.

I took my quiz a couple times, providing some wrong answers, just to see how Flubaroo worked.  I have to say, I'm quite happy!!

I highly recommend using Google Forms and Flubaroo for your next assessment.  Check out the video below for step-by-step instructions!

Learning Management Systems

This week I had the chance to compare two learning management systems: Edmodo and Schoology.  Both have great features that can help organize grades, lesson plans and assignments all in one convenient location.  Through my exploration, I found both sites very user friendly; however, I do feel that Edmodo stands out as being a better fit for me.

While Edmodo and Schoology both have many great and easy to use features, these are the two that sold me on Edmodo.

• Look/Feel of Facebook-  While I didn't notice this, a classmate pointed out that Edmodo has a very similar layout to the ever popular Facebook.  I'd be shocked if one of my students had never seen or been on Facebook, either on their own account or on a friends.  For this reason, I feel Edmodo may be an easier site for my students to use.  
• Snapshot- Even though I teach Science, I am still responsible for helping my students master Common Core Standards, or, as they're called in Kansas, the Kansas College and Career Ready Standards.  Snapshot on Edmodo allows me to assess my effectiveness quickly and easily!  Snapshot has ready made questions pertaining to specific standards in ELA and Math that are ready to use and assign to students.  Check out the video below for more information.

Personal Learning Networks

This week I had a chance to explore various Personal Learning Networks.  I found some really great resources, and also realized not everything technology related is for me!  Through my investigations this week, I was introduced to an AMAZING resource that can be used for more than just a personal learning network: Diigo.

A Diigo account is completely free, although you are able to upgrade to a premium account if you choose.  I'm a fairly frugal girl, so I chose not to explore anything related to a premium account and stuck with the free one.  My exploration of this site couldn't have come at a more fitting time in my life!  I was not able to bring my work computer home this weekend, so I did not have access to my wonderfully organized list of favorites and bookmarks located on my computer.  Lesson planning felt like I was reinventing the wheel!  If only I had known about Diigo sooner, I could have avoid one serious headache.

Diigo is a site that allows you to keep all your favorites from the world wide web in one simple to access location.  Gone are the days of being able to access your favorites only from a single computer!  Beyond proving you a place to organize your favorite sites, Diigo also allows you to search for what others are using.  The world around us is changing so much that it can be difficult to keep up-to-date with the best that education has to offer.  Through Diigo, I was able to search for my specific teaching wants and needs.  I was provided a list of sites to explore, the majority of which I had never even heard of!

For more information about Diigo, check out the video below!