Originally posted by brian ham on October 13, 2019
For my A1 project, I decided to do an analysis of Digital Formative Assessment Tools. I focused specifically on tools that can be used in the K-12 classroom and are mobile-friendly. This project was create using Adobe Spark, and can be accessed here.
(The included reviews below were given to the original post by Brian. They are attached as an image here, so feel free to click on the reviews to view them in their original form which is more mobile-friendly) – James
I’ll admit that my foggy mind ignored the “formative” aspect of the title when I first saw this post, and was way too excited to see what recommendations there were for authentic SUMMATIVE assessment, as that has been one of the biggest challenges in this period of remote teaching. I’m glad that I tricked myself into viewing this post though, as Brian’s A1 assignment highlighted some interesting tools for gaining student input and assessing understanding. Though most of my interactions with these types of assessment tools have revolved around in-class participation with mobile devices – rather than seeing students using these technologies in an “on-the-go” manner – most of these educational technologies do in fact have the ability to connect teachers and students outside the traditional classroom. They allow for a collaborative approach to lesson planning, as teachers can both gain a better sense of student understanding and better identify and address issues. Though they don’t necessarily promote direct student collaboration, it still gives students a greater say (consciously or otherwise) as to the path of learning for the class. Though some teachers will likely use these technologies more as a novelty, those that use them earnestly to guide their instruction will no doubt improve their ability to cater to student needs.