ReFORMat Your Teaching

In two short weeks I am leading a workshop at a Google Summit in Lancaster PA about using Google Forms.  I came up with the title of the workshop, ReFORMat Your Teaching, because I want to encourage educators to think of more creative uses for forms other than assessment purposes.  Forms is a multi-faceted tool that enables teachers to collect information but what about the students?

Last year my students learned how to use forms to support their learning of key concepts.  They used forms to collect information related to online research, collected data for graphing and analysis, and assessing their peers' knowledge of concepts.

During our study of Life Structures (FOSS) I introduced the class to online search tips and tricks. Once students employed the use of these strategies to find appropriate websites concerning crayfish, they copied and pasted the links into a Google Form.  We then looked out the frequency of a particular website URL and had a great list of peer-reviewed sites to make the research process easier.




Here are some of the responses:

My students also surveyed each other by making their own Google Forms and adding options through the multiple choice format. This was a great introduction for how to create a Form on their own.  They then were able to analyze the data.  More information can be found on the class blog.

After reading blog posts from talented educators in my online PLN, I was later inspired about the possibilities of how to use Forms to enhance student learning, rather than just student assessment.  This involved student-created assessments, reading instruction, and writing creativity.

Last year's class created their own geometry test. They created the test items in a Google Doc and then drew visuals for questions using Google Draw.  Some examples of other "tests" they made are available here.

Another great use of Forms is to provided support while students are working more independently with for Reading instruction.  I created this example for a talk I did at Long Island University concerning Interventions for Struggling Readers.  I used branching to provide support for students that selected incorrect answers.  When a student was incorrect, a new page opened with an explanation with the correct answer.





My next goal is to use branching in a creative writing assignment where students do a "Choose Your Own Adventure" e-text.  Kate Petty has a great example on her blog.


Also next on the list is exploring more advanced scripts and add-ons!

Movenote for Fluency Self-Assessment

Reading fluency is critical for reading success and is a component of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).  Students should have many opportunities to hear fluent reading through teacher-led read alouds, as well as, opportunities to practice for the development of greater fluency.  Fortunately resources abound for how to accomplish this task that can be found on the Internet (such as Scholastic.com and ReadingRockets.org).  Repeated readings, partner reading, and Reader's Theater all make their way into my third-grade class at various points in the year.

The third-grade Expeditionary Learning Module 1 Unit 2 focuses on developing fluency using the text Thank You, Mr. Falker as an introduction.  Later, students are also provided texts on their reading levels to practice.  When it came time for this lesson, I wondered how I could make my assessment of their fluency easier and how the students could self-assess their own fluency.

Lately, I have been experimenting with web-based programs and Chrome apps for my students to use for presenting knowledge and creating tutorials. Last year,  I used Movenote with a group of students during a Math lesson.  The students were helping a local yoga instructor with ways she could arrange 24 yoga mats in equal rows in her studio.  One of the project requirements was that they had to find a way to communicate their solution to her.  That presentation can be found here.  Movenote is easy to use and works seamlessly with Google Slides.

Once I decided to use Movenote as a way to record my students' oral fluency, the set up was easy.  I found passages from Readinga-z.com that were on each child's independent reading levels. Then I took screen shots of the texts and put each picture in separate Google Slides files. I shared the file with the specific students for which that text was appropriate (I would love to use Doctopus for this in the future).

First thing in the morning I showed a few students the steps the class would need to follow when we did the EL lesson later. I have learned to capitalize on my students' helpfulness and they provide the much needed assistance because I am the only teacher in the room.  This what they did:

1. Add the fluency Google slide to students' Drive accounts.
2. Download Movenote for Education from the Chrome Store.
3. Agree to give Movenote access to Google accounts.
4. Give permission for Movenote to use the web cam and microphone (make sure to agree to the permission request that pops up at the top by the address bar).
5. Click on the plus sign to choose the Google slide you want to use.  
6. Press record!
7. When you are done click Save and Preview... it is that easy!

My students emailed me the Movenote link and I made a Google Sheet of the links for my class. 

Students later listened to their reading and self-assessed their reading using a fluency rating sheet I got from Scholastic.  After having time to practice over the next two days, students rerecorded themselves. This week we will watch both and make comparisons. After making comparisons, we will set goals and continue reading with partners.