Assessments, Publishing and Screencasting

Online Assessments

In our society of 21st century learners, using online assessment tools can greatly benefit students and help them become more engaged. The i-Ready assessment that our district uses as well as the state PARCC test has integrated games into the content to give kids a brain break during the test and keep the students engaged. I opted to dig in the website Kahoot. This site allows you to make your own assessments or use one of the thousands already created. Here is a video on how it works:

Kahoot

Tool:	1	2	3	4	5	Totals
Simplicity				X
Learning Support					X
Versatility/Adaptability					X
Safety/Security					X
Availability					X	24

The site is simple to use, but teachers must take the time to set up questions and answer choices and some students had trouble logging in the first time and correctly entering the game PIN. It is a great resource for pre and formative assessments for a fun way to check learning. The site also allows the options to create discussions and surveys. It is a very safe and secure site as students don't need to enter any personal information and just need the code to play. It is also free and available for any teacher to create an account. I have seen students participate using both iPads and Chromebooks.

Online Publishing

Creating and publishing writing online is a great way to engage students in the process. Our district has a license for the Book Creator app and I have seen several teachers use it in their classes. This app allows student to write with a stylus, type their stories or even record their voice reading a story. They can also illustrate their own pictures or insert images into their creations. When their projects are complete, they can share them with others, have them printed or even upload them to YouTube.

Book Creator

Tool:	1	2	3	4	5	Totals
Simplicity					X
Learning Support					X
Versatility/Adaptability					X
Safety/Security					X
Availability			X			23

This is a great app for students of all ages. Thanks to the recording feature, I have seen students use it as young as kindergarten. Students can use the app to teach and learn in any subject. Also, teachers can create their own books to share information with students. Since the app is self contained, it is very secure. Due to the cost and the fact that it is only available as an app and not a website, makes it less accessible than some other tools.

Screencasting

Screencasting is a great resource for teachers to create digital material to add to the lessons or to review concepts that have already been taught. Students can also use these tools for their own presentations. I chose to explore the website Prezi. On this site, students and teachers can create engaging presentations with images, videos, voice-overs and valuable information.

Prezi

Tool:	1	2	3	4	5	Totals
Simplicity			X
Learning Support					X
Versatility/Adaptability					X
Safety/Security			X
Availability			X			19

Prezi is a fairly straight forward presentation site, but it does take time to navigate all of the features and is not very "kid friendly". You can find presentations that have already been created on a variety of different subjects or you can create your own. Any presentations that you plan on using should be carefully screened for age appropriateness. Students wishing to use the site must provide their information and create an account. Their is a free option for creating presentations, but you do not have access to all of the features and your files will not be private without a paid version.