Know Students Better: A Visual Guide to Formative Assessment Tools
When teachers know their students well, they can build strong connections that lead to better learning. Knowing students’ interests, strengths, and weaknesses help teachers tailor learning experiences for their students. Formative assessment involves the teacher collecting information about what students know, don’t know, and want to learn. This information takes many forms, including observations, exit tickets, discussions, games, and quizzes. These kinds of informal assessments can also help teachers get to know their students as learners and as people.
There is a very wide variety of digital formative assessment tools that can be used for free (often charging for extra features). Most of these tools work with any web browser, so they are great for laptops, computer labs, iPads, Chromebooks, tablets, and smartphones. One of the biggest advantages to using these kinds of tools is that they give every student in a class a voice. Students are spared the embarrassment of having to volunteer or be called on to answer a question out loud because everyone answers. While most of the tools require students to have some sort of device that can connect to the internet, there are a few that work when students have no technology at all. Others can be set up at a center or station for students to rotate through.
Many of the tools are designed to share the results on a big screen, which can spark a class discussion and help the class get to know each other. Most have the option to keep responses between each student and the teacher only. Some provide students instant feedback while others are designed for open-ended responses. Most keep track of the data for review as the assessment is happening (real-time monitoring) and most store data for review and analysis after the assessment is completed.
Some of the websites and apps below are games. Some use multimedia. Others are mostly text. Some are simple, and some are packed with features. I made a graphic for each tool that gives a very short overview about what it can do for teachers.
There is a very wide variety of digital formative assessment tools that can be used for free (often charging for extra features). Most of these tools work with any web browser, so they are great for laptops, computer labs, iPads, Chromebooks, tablets, and smartphones. One of the biggest advantages to using these kinds of tools is that they give every student in a class a voice. Students are spared the embarrassment of having to volunteer or be called on to answer a question out loud because everyone answers. While most of the tools require students to have some sort of device that can connect to the internet, there are a few that work when students have no technology at all. Others can be set up at a center or station for students to rotate through.
Many of the tools are designed to share the results on a big screen, which can spark a class discussion and help the class get to know each other. Most have the option to keep responses between each student and the teacher only. Some provide students instant feedback while others are designed for open-ended responses. Most keep track of the data for review as the assessment is happening (real-time monitoring) and most store data for review and analysis after the assessment is completed.
Some of the websites and apps below are games. Some use multimedia. Others are mostly text. Some are simple, and some are packed with features. I made a graphic for each tool that gives a very short overview about what it can do for teachers.
Flipgrid.com and the Flipgrid iOS and Android apps facilitate the collection and sharing of video responses. Flipgrid enables teachers to set up multiple Grids with an unlimited number of Topics. You can also have an unlimited number of student responses. Here’s how it works: The teacher (a.k.a. administrator) adds a new Topic within a Grid. The Topic includes a title, description/question, and an optional stimulus video. Students access the Topic through the Topic’s web link or through its unique Response Code. Students can record video within Flipgrid or upload an existing video. Students also get to take a photo that will be used as their video’s thumbnail. After a student adds a response, the teacher can approve it before it is publicly visible. With Notify Me turned on in the Grid’s settings, an email will be sent to the administrator each time a new video is added. With it’s ease of use, Flipgrid is being used in education to collect and share things like reflections, reading responses, advice, exit tickets, and reports.
Kahoot is a popular (and free) class quiz game–kids and teachers love it! The teacher starts a quiz with multiple choice or sequencing questions. Students join the game using a game code. The teacher’s computer connects to a projector so it can display each question. Students respond using the buttons that are on their devices’ screens. The faster they answer, the more points they get. Teachers can sign up and find or create quizzes at getkahoot.com.
ClassFlow is free from the Promethean company and works on any device with a web browser. When the teacher starts a lesson in ClassFlow, a class code is displayed, Students enter that class code at classflow.com/student. While you can use ClassFlow without first inputting classes and students names, you’ll probably want to take the time to do this so that students’ responses are recorded in ClassFlow’s reports. Additionally, ClassFlow has the option to award students badges for accomplishments.
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Padlet is a free website for collecting and sharing text, images, videos, and files. The teacher signs into Padlet.com to create online bulletin boards (each one is called a padlet). By default, each padlet is set so that students do not have to log in to view and post. You can create as many padlets as you like, and each one has its own web address. I highly recommend enabling moderation so that you have control over what appears publicly on a padlet. Do this by clicking Share and scrolling down to Moderation. With moderation turned on, each post must be approved before it is published
Seesaw is a very easy way for students to add their work to an online learning journal. First, the teacher creates a class list inside of Seesaw. Seesaw provides a code that students can use to access the class list. A student adds work simply by selecting his or her name and uploading. He or she can also add a caption, labels, or audio narration. The teacher can provide feedback, and she is in control of what is published to the class feed.
Nearpod works in the web browser of any device. The teacher creates or uploads a slideshow and then adds questions, which can be used to collect multiple, short answers, drawings, and more. When the slideshow begins, the teacher provides a code for students to join. There’s the option for teacher-paced where the whole class follows along (and the teacher monitors in real-time), or the option for student-paced slideshows where students advance their own slides
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Create a form at forms.google.com. The form has a variety of question types and can contain hyperlinks, images, and videos. The form can be a survey or a graded quiz. Preview the form and copy the link. Get the link to students through a QR code, a shortened URL, or a website posting.
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