A little while ago, I started using Google Drawing and then Presentation for digital worksheets with students. When doing so, I often put the things I wanted the students to manipulate on the grey area beside the drawing/slide. That gave me an idea - that I could use that space to provide feedback or instructions to students. Being a fan of Poirot, I liked the idea of using the little "grey cells" aka grey matter (which processes information in the brain).
Enhancing An Old Project
One of my first Presentation projects I did with students was having them create a cultural presentation on the Inuit. I continue to do this project for social studies. This year I decided to try providing visual feedback to students before their work was marked. The main reason for this is that I have some students not reading at grade level, so the comment function in Google Apps is not always effective for those students as they still require me to read it to them. I want to build as much independence, and with that responsibility, as possible.
Visual And Written Feedback
I reduced the criteria we had set as a class into point form.
4 correct ideas and 2+ images
3 correct ideas and 2+ images
2 correct ideas and 1+ images
minimal work is correct/complete.
In front of each phrase I drew a circle.
Then I added this mini-rubric to each slide on my template prior to sharing it with students to work on.
When students were mostly done the project, I went through each Presentation and filled in the circle that I felt was representative of the work done on each slide. Then students were given one last time to work on their project. I used green to fill in the top three circles as all of those were considered a pass. The bottom one I filled in with yellow to bring attention to that fact that that slide needed work before it was marked. If no work was done at all, no circles were filled in.
Prior to letting them start, I went over what the each line said and we discussed that the top circle represented a "wow" great work and the bottom one represented a reminder to correct or complete work done on that slide.
While my students who struggle with reading might not have been able to read all the phrases, they were able to easily see and understand which slides needed to be "moved up" as one student put it. As a result they were able to start working on those slides that needed attention immediately.
Added Bonus
What is nice bonus is that when students present their work using the present button, the feedback will not show.
Rinse and Repeat
Like all things, the more we use something, the more effective we become at it. So I used it for the next Presentation students completed as well. This time students were doing a final project for math (3D objects).
Again, I reduced the marking rubric to point form and drew circles in front of each statement. Students were again reminded that the top circle represented a "wow" and the bottom represented not ready to hand in.
correct, in-depth, precise, purposeful
correct, complete, relevant , thoughtful
mostly correct, generally complete, acceptable
minimal work is correct and/or complete.
Below is an example of the work that was first submitted. Then I provided some feedback. The second below is my feedback and the work that resulted from it.
BEFORE
AFTER
Reflections
In general, I was really please with how well it worked. Students were able to quickly focus on the slides that needed the most attention with more independence; it freed me up to work with students with the highest need of support .. It was also useful for me when working with students as I could do a quick scroll review/see what slides needed the most attention when helping students with their work. I will definitely continue to use this strategy.
What's Next? Self Assessment
Rita Sarrate had a good suggestion: You could also use it as self-assessment, by letting them underline the sentence that applies to how they think their work is, before you assess. I think once students have this system as a part of their work routine, it would interesting to see how it could be used for self assessment with younger students.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Unleash Your Students' Knowledge With ScreenChomp!
Recently, I attended a professional learning opportunity on assessment which was led by Myron Dueck. Myron is the author of "Grading Smarter, Not Harder: Assessment Strategies That Motivate Kids and Help Them Learn", and a leading authority and speaker on effective assessment in the classroom. In one of his sessions, Myron shared with us the use of using whiteboards for assessing children in the classroom. Essentially the student shows their learning of a particular concept using a small whiteboard and marker while explaining their understanding. The teacher or another student can record the "whiteboarding" session with a camera or tablet. The teacher can then assess the student's learning and also show the child's learning during parent/teacher meetings or student led conferences.
The day after the professional learning opportunity, I ordered thirty whiteboards from Scholastic using my Bonus Bank. When the whiteboards arrived, I was eager to get started. I gave pairs of students a whiteboard and an iPad and asked them to show six ways to represent numbers which was a concept we covered previously in math. One student would show their knowledge on a whiteboard while the other student would record the "whiteboarding" session over the shoulder of the presenter. This was a fantastic way to gain insight into a child's thinking and it also provided a powerful sample of work I could use for assessment and/or evaluation.
One other reason I wanted the students to record their thinking was to share their "whiteboarding" videos on our YouTube channel so that other children who may be struggling with a specific concept could watch our student videos and hopefully learn from children their own age. This is essentially the same strategy to learning that Khan Academy has been so successful with. The issues I have found with the above "whiteboarding" strategy has been camera shake, lots of noise from the camera, and often a limited view of the student's work. Enter the ScreenChomp app.
ScreenChomp is an amazing iPad app produced by Techsmith, the same company who brings us fantastic software such as Camtasia, Snagit and Jing to name a few. The app is completely free to download and use and the simplicity of the program is pretty amazing for division one students. My students were able to essentially pick up the iPad and create some pretty awesome videos after playing with the app for only a few minutes.
There are many ways that students and teachers can use ScreenChomp in the classroom. Some examples are:
Students demonstrating their knowledge on specific concepts (e.g., rock/water cycle, math concepts, verbs/nouns).
Teaching a concept for a student who was absent or for a flipped classroom.
Students creating videos for other students to learn.
Teacher lessons and extension activities
Students creating videos about their families
Demonstrating traditional and cursive handwriting
The possibilities are endless
Examples of Student Created ScreenChomp Videos
Here are some ScreenChomp videos that students from my grade three classroom created. This is a YouTube Playlist so you can skip between videos. Also, text was added to the video using Movie Maker.
ScreenChomp is extremely easy to use and I encourage you to play with it and let your students create videos on a topic of their choice. Below is an extensive tutorial on how to use ScreenChomp.
ScreenChomp Tutorial
Main Screen on ScreenChomp- Refer to image below
Your ScreenChomp Videos - this is where your videos save to. You can see in the image below that I have 3 created videos there.
Adding Backgrounds - here you can add a background image as you will see later.
Complete Erase - if you hold this picture down, it will erase the entire whiteboard except backgrounds.
Multiple Pens - you can set the pen colors/thickness ahead of time or on the fly as you will see below.
Eraser - this allows you to erase like a normal eraser.
Record Button - press this button to begin recording your whiteboarding session.
Main Screen on ScreenChomp
Creating Videos Using ScreenChomp
Hannah creating a ScreenChomp video
Adding a Background Image
When you start creating a video on ScreenChomp, you may want to add a background image. In this example, I am adding an image of the water cycle for a student to explain. First you need to click on the "Background Image" tab as seen below and choose where you would like to upload the image from. You can choose an image:
on your camera roll by selecting, "Choose From Library",
from your Dropbox account.
by taking a photo using your iPad.
Background Choices
After you choose your image, you can move it, resize it, or rotate it.
Move, Zoom, or Resize the Background
Below is the image of the water cycle inserted and ready to go for my "whiteboarding" session.
Water Cycle Background Added
Setting the Pens
You can always change the pen colors and thickness while you create your video but I like to have three pen colors chosen before I record my video. To do this, just choose one of the pens and a color/thickness screen will popup. See the image below. Choose a pen color and thickness for each pen.
You Can Change the Pen Color and Thickness
Recording Your "Whiteboarding" Session
You are now ready to record your video. To record, just hit the "record" button. Once you press the record button, you will be given a countdown screen like the one below.
Countdown to "Whiteboarding" Session
Your ScreenChomp session will begin when the countdown session is over and you will know it is recording because you will have a microphone and timer in the upper right hand corner (see above image). During the recording, you can do several things like pause the recording, change pens and colors, erase small sections or completely erase the entire screen except the background. You can also scroll to a new white space.
Full Erase and Spot Erase
To erase everything except the background, you can hold down the "Complete Erase" image for three seconds. A cloth will appear and will erase the screen. The cloth does not show up in your video. To erase only small sections of the pen drawings, you can choose the eraser and erase on the screen.
Two Eraser Options - Complete or Spot Erase
Scrolling
While recording, you can scroll up or down. This will give you white space where you can continue your "whiteboarding" session. To scroll, put two fingers on the screen and scroll up or down. See the image below.
Scroll Up or Down While Creating Video
When you are done creating your video, press the "stop" button and your video will be saved.
Saving Videos Created Using ScreenChomp
Hannah enjoying ScreenChomp
Viewing your video
You are done recording your video and are ready to preview it. Once you press the stop button, the screen below appears. From here you can:
1. Playback the video
2. Delete your video and try again
3. Give you video a title
4. Share your video
Options For When Your Video is Created
Saving Your Video
In order to save your video, you need to choose the "Share" image above. This will save your video back on the main ScreenChomp screen. You can see in the image below that I have three saved videos and one that is currently saving. Videos are saved on the ScreenChomp server but I like to download them in MP4 format. This will be covered below.
Where Your Videos Are Saved
Accessing Your Saved Video
You have now saved you video and you want to access the link or download it. To do this, choose the video you wish to access from the files of saved videos.
Accessing Your Saved Videos
Once you choose the video you would like to access, the screen below will open. From there, you can:
1. Play the video - also in full screen
Share It
2. Copy the link
3. Email the Link
4. Tweet the video
5. Open the video in Safari
Sharing Your ScreenChomp Videos
Downloading Your ScreenChomp Creation
Downloading on your iPad
1. From the screen above, click "Open in Safari"
2. Safari will launch with your video. Scroll down below your video and click on the "download"
link.
Downloading ScreenChomp Videos
Downloading on your computer
1. Choose "Email Link" (see two images above).
2. Email the link to yourself so you can open the url on your computer.
3. When you click on the link, you will be taken to your video like the above image.
4. Scroll down until you get to the option to "Download".
5. Click on "Download" and save it to your preferred location.
If you have any comments or questions, please post them below. I will update this post if questions arise.
David's recent post on Plickers reminded me of another classroom response system I recently heard about. Unlike Plickers students will need access to technology to participate. At the last three professional development events I've gone to this year someone (usually a K-3 teacher) has enthusiastically asked "have you heard of Kahoot." As well, this question has been asked on a few of the Google+ communities I follow. So... have YOU heard of Kahoot? If not, read on. If so, share your best Kahoot in the comments!
What Is Kahoot?
Kahoot is a classroom response system set up in a game-based style where the teacher creates quizzes, surveys or discussions. It is free to sign up and very simple to use for both the creator and the participants.
Why Do Teachers Like It?
User Friendly
Kahoot is simple to use for everyone. The set up side for teachers is user friendly. The interface for students is division one friendly.
Pictures and Videos
It is a way to give a quiz with pictures and videos! I like that you can have a video playing while students enter their information. That way there is something for students to attend to if they are finished early.
Engaging
It is gamification of quizzes/worksheets. So students are more engaged. There can be a competition/points element. After I gave my first Kahoot I had students regularly ask me if we could do Kahoot today.
Immediate Feedback
Students get immediate feedback if their answer is correct or not.
Collaboration/Sharing
You can make your Kahoots public. Therefore you can access and modify pre-made Kahoots. You can easily share Kahoots with your grade level partners.
Colette's Tips
Have A Few Kahoots Ready
Depending on your technology situation, you may not want to fire up your laptops for just a 10 question Kahoot. I suggest having a few Kahoots on file for upcoming topics so that when you have your laptops/chromebooks out you can do a Kahoot.
Nicknames
Have students get into the habit of using their own first names. That way the data you gather (even if it just formative) is easy for you to use.
Points
In younger grades, consider not always using points.
Preview
In younger grades, consider not always using points. I suggest trying the preview option if you have never used Kahoot before. It allows you to see the teacher side and the student side together.
First Kahoot
Keep your first Kahoot short and simple with younger students.
How Does It Work?
Teacher Side
I'm going to make a new Kahoot quiz about insulation, as that is our current focus in science, as I write this post. 1. Log-in/Create an account. 2. Select the Create a new K button. 3. You'll be asked which type of Kahoot you want. 4. You'll be prompted to give your quiz a name. 5. Next you will create your questions. You have a limit of 95 characters for each question. You can upload images or videos (this is currently "experimental"). You can assign each question to have points or no points. You can also decide how long each question should take to answer (5 seconds to 120 seconds). Then you provide two to four answers for students to select and you identify which answer is correct.
6. It took me some time to figure out how to add a new question when making my first Kahoot. To add another question, look at the bottom and you will have four choices. Continue to add questions until you are done your quiz.
7. Once you press save and continue, you'll be given the chance to reorder any of your questions. Then you will have the opportunity to set your Kahoot as private or public, add a description, set the audience, set the difficulty level and add tags.
8. Finally you can give your quiz a cover image.* You can also use their experimental feature embedding "a YouTube video to be displayed in the background of the lobby screen as players join the game!" *I used my own images or images that had permission for reuse. I haven't found a good way to give attribution however. I tried the description box but there is a limited number of characters.
9. Your Kahoot is ready to play! Press the Play Now button to get a pin to give to your students. 10. After the activity is over, you will have an option to download the results. You will get a spreadsheet with each "nickname" and their answers. I suggest trying the preview option if you have never used Kahoot before. It allows you to see the teacher side and the student side together.
How Does It Work - Student Side?
The teacher logs in to Kahoot using one url https://create.kahoot.it/#login. 1. The users/students log in using a different url: Kahoot.it. There they enter a game "pin" number provided to them by their teacher.
2. Then they are prompted to enter a "nickname". Once all students are in the activity can start.
3. The Smartboard* will show a question and possible answers. On the students' devices will be four colours. The students select the colour/shape that matches the correct answer.
4. Students are then told on their devices if they got it correct or not. The Smartbord will show the correct answer and a graph of how many got the answer correct.
5. Then the teacher can select "next" to go onto the next question. A scoreboard will show the top scores if you chose to have points.
6. The students can rate the activity after the quiz is over.
*There needs to be some way for the teacher to share the questions. I have used the Smartboard but you could use a TV, projector, etc.
Are you tired of having to change the batteries in your clickers or having to fork out thousands of dollars for interactive response systems? Are you getting frustrated with hooking up cords to your computer or waiting for students to logon to a personal device for assessment? Well, let Plickers help make your formative assessment in your classroom a breeze with absolutely no cost to you.
I have been using Plickers in my classroom for about a month now and the students get very excited about bringing out their Plicker cards and "showing what they know". It is a fantastic way of gathering formative assessment to guide your teaching and student learning. I encourage you to give Plickers a try. You and your students will be glad you did!
What are Plickers?
Plickers is an app that can be downloaded onto an Android or iOS device. With only one device and some printed cards, teachers can quickly assess or poll their students by asking multiple choice or true/false questions. The students hold up their cards a certain way (see below) to submit their answers while the teachers stands at the front and scans the class therefore receiving their responses.
Why use Plickers?
easy to use and setup
completely free (except for printing the cards)
excellent formative assessment tool or for polling students
students love it! (speaking from experience)
inclusive for all - no personal or electronic devices needed for students (only one teacher device)
no batteries to replace or expensive equipment to purchase
What do I need for Plickers?
1 Electronic Wifi device with the Plickers app installed (Android or iOS)
1 Plicker card for each student in your class (Plicker Cards)
1 projecting device for questions (although you could have questions printed or written on the board)
Create a class on your Plickers account (each student you add gets a Plicker card assigned to them).
Create questions from the "Library" tab on your account and assign these questions to your class plan. You can have multiple classes and the questions can be assigned to each class.
Print out student Plicker cards, cut them out, and hand to the assigned student. Each card has a number which corresponds to the student that you added when creating a class.
Log into your computer and your device from the Plickers.com website. Click on "Live Class" from your computer and choose the question you would like to ask from your device.
The question will be displayed from the projector and the students hold up their card a specific way to show their answer (more on that in the "How do students answer?" section)
The teacher then clicks on the "camera" image on their mobile device and then scans the classroom. As the teacher scans the classroom, the camera recognizes the student's answers and records them. The students will also see on the screen that their card has been scanned by having a check mark beside their name.
The teacher can then share the results on the screen with the students in the form of a bar graph.
The following quick video shows how the teacher collects responses.
How do students use the paper clickers?
The Plicker cards are really simple and easy to use. You can download the Plicker cards here. Take a look at the Plicker card below.
Tips for Plicker cards
Plicker cards can be used for multiple classes.
Print the clicker cards on card stock or glue them onto heavy cardboard.
If you laminate the cards, use a matte film as it could be difficult for the mobile device to scan the card due to glare.
Train your students to hold the cards straight up and down and not diagonal. They should also be taught not to bend the cards or have their fingers in front of the image as the mobile device will not be able to read it.
Paste the card on both sides so the student does not have to look at the front of the card.
I put Velcro on the Plicker cards so the students can attach them to the front of their desk and easily find them when needed.
Teach your students to ensure that nobody is blocking their card.
Here is what my classroom Plicker cards look like.
Printed on very heavy card stock
Attached with Velcro on front of desk
How do I create classes and add students?
Please watch the very short video tutorial I created showing how you can easily create classes and add students.
How do I add questions?
Below is a quick tutorial showing how to create questions and then assign them to a class or classes.
Give Plickers a try in your classroom and let us know how it went in the comment section below.
Have students use a variety of resources (books, textbooks, websites and videos) to research why people might want to visit Meteghan and what they could do there as a visitor. For some website ideas seeSocial Studies Grade Two, Nova Scotia and Acadian Culture.
Provide students with a place to record their research, such as the brochure planning sheet. Students should write in proper sentences at the bottom. However, in the place where the image will go, they should record keywords that they can use to help them search for images that will relate to the sentence.
Have students hand in their planning sheets so that you can edit them and check they are on topic.
How you do step 4 will depending on your students' skill with Google presentation. I recommend creating a template that you can share with your students, such as a brochure template. Have your students make a copy and rename.
Demonstrate on a Smartboard how to select the text "type here" on the template and to delete it before starting to type their own sentences (using their planning sheet).
Demonstrate on a Smartboard how to use the research tool in Google presentation. Model using keywords to search for images. Go over your expectations for what types of images are acceptable. (Will you accept cartoon images if they are on topic?)
You may want to discuss what happens when your keywords do not result in any appropriate images. For example, as Meteghan is such a small village, searching "Meteghan whale watching" may not be a good combination of search terms. "Nova Scotia whale watching" might work better.
Allow students time to work independently. This will likely take 1-2 lessons or days.
Have students share their presentation with you. You can print them out. Select print using system dialog. Then select "Use "2 sided, flip on short edge". Here is an example of a student's brochure.
A little while ago, I started using Google Drawing and then Presentation for digital worksheets with students. When doing so, I often put the things I wanted the students to manipulate on the grey area beside the drawing/slide. That gave me an idea - that I could use that space to provide feedback or instructions to students. 
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