Week Five Personal Post
Over the long weekend, my students were prepping for their written-response tests over our current reading - A Raisin in the Sun and Lord of the Flies.
To guide their preparation, we grouped up today and I asked them to discuss 2-3 major themes they've decided to track as the book progressed. As they finish reading this weekend, I've asked them to identify character and plot elements that support or confound the theme significance they identified today.
Because of these two separate tasks, I'll be receiving 80 emails for this task. The benefit is the speed with which I can provide feedback. Rather than waiting to collect what they've written on Tuesday, I can reply to early submissions and finish feedback during my off periods, so they can adjust their preparation work three nights before the test.
The time it takes to review these is worth it, as my students know I'm seeing all their work and responding to it, and as they can choose to respond and grow with some immediacy on every such assignment.
The problem is record keeping. In a typical week, I will have 2-3 such assignments. That makes for hundreds of emails for credit. And I'm a terrible record keeper, so, especially early in the year, I am likely to read and respond to a student's work, but not mark his grades in the grade book. Additionally, I have to make a record elsewhere if I want to do more than grade the submissions - tracking goals or tracing commonalities of errors would be a nightmare with this system.
I'm hoping to hear from some savvy follower - does Google Classroom, Showbie, Schoology, or some such program allow me to keep what I like about this mechanism, but help me with it as well?
If you have some advice for me, I will be indebted.
I hope you have a great week!
To guide their preparation, we grouped up today and I asked them to discuss 2-3 major themes they've decided to track as the book progressed. As they finish reading this weekend, I've asked them to identify character and plot elements that support or confound the theme significance they identified today.
Because of these two separate tasks, I'll be receiving 80 emails for this task. The benefit is the speed with which I can provide feedback. Rather than waiting to collect what they've written on Tuesday, I can reply to early submissions and finish feedback during my off periods, so they can adjust their preparation work three nights before the test.
The time it takes to review these is worth it, as my students know I'm seeing all their work and responding to it, and as they can choose to respond and grow with some immediacy on every such assignment.
The problem is record keeping. In a typical week, I will have 2-3 such assignments. That makes for hundreds of emails for credit. And I'm a terrible record keeper, so, especially early in the year, I am likely to read and respond to a student's work, but not mark his grades in the grade book. Additionally, I have to make a record elsewhere if I want to do more than grade the submissions - tracking goals or tracing commonalities of errors would be a nightmare with this system.
I'm hoping to hear from some savvy follower - does Google Classroom, Showbie, Schoology, or some such program allow me to keep what I like about this mechanism, but help me with it as well?
If you have some advice for me, I will be indebted.
I hope you have a great week!
I recently shared Eric Curts’ blog about the writing process and tech tools that can help. Part of his advice included assessing. You create a rubric and send it out to the class in google classroom. I’m not a google classroom user, so I’m not sure how easy or difficult this would be. However, you might find it helpful!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.controlaltachieve.com/2018/02/write-right.html?m=1
Canvas (there is a free version) allows you to sort entries in discussion forums by student. So does Moodle. If I wanted to see what you commented on last week on the video assignments, all I had to do was go to the assignment and click a link with your name on it. All your comments were sorted out of the pack. Canvas is similar.
ReplyDeleteThank you, professor - I will look into the Canvas option!
DeleteI use Google Docs. Students just share the document with you. It helps me stay much more organized. Students also have the choice to send an email notification or not. My blog this week discussed an add-on for Google Docs that has a rubric that you can send back to the students for quick feedback as well. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the feedback - I'm looking to get Google certified, but I will go check our your blog, too.
DeleteHave a great week!
Kyle, when you get Google Certified let me know. We have a special page for the Google Certified teachers, both Level 1 and Level 2. You can view it by following this URL (http://tiny.cc/STCresources) and clicking on the link on the left for the Google Certified teachers page. Surprisingly there are very few that have come forward this school year.
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