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Technical Quality: Valid, reliable, fair, and comprehensive
F. Serves multiple purposes: informative, diagnostic, summative
Student Learning Targets:
Students Will:
- Research an important Environmental Issue in 2015 that they choose, including causes, solutions, and action items.
- Create a presentation about their topics.
- Write a reflection on their blogs about the process and product and include supporting materials.
Connected Standards:
CCSS:ELA-Writing:W.6.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to the task, purpose, and audience.
CCSS:ELA-Writing:W.6.6: Use technology, including the internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others.
ISTE:1: Creativity & Innovation: Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge and develop innovative products and processes using technology.
ISTE:2: Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making: Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.
CT Computer Technology Competency Standards for Students:3: Technology Productivity Tools
CT Computer Technology Competency Standards for Students:4: Technology Communications Tools
Mozilla Web Literacy Standards: Building: Composing for the Web: Creating and curating content for the web
Technology Use to Assess Learning Outcomes
Context: The following activities will take place over several weeks as students work to research and create. Independently, students will first visit some predetermined websites about Environmental Awareness and issues. They will then create a Google Doc, brainstorm a list of what they believe the most pressing Environmental issues are of 2015, and share this with their teacher. Students will meet in small groups and discuss the issues they brainstormed. After some additional website exploration, each student will choose the topic that he/she feels is the most important environmental issue of 2015; it will need to be something that he/she is either interested in, passionate about or would like to learn more about.
Students will generate a list of questions they have about their topic, and will type these up using Coggle, a diagramming/webbing/graphic organizer that is an open source, online tool. Mini-lessons on finding information online and sifting through a large number of search returns will take place as whole-group instruction. Once research is completed, students will be allowed to choose and use a presentation tool that they have not used before. A complete list of options can be found here; among choices are Powtoon, Prezi, iMovie, Google Maps, Pixton, and more. Presentations will be self-assessed and teacher-graded using a rubric.
While the rubric for the presentation is part of the assessment for this large unit project, students will use a free online site like Blogger or Google Sites to maintain an eportfolio of their work, documenting their progress and writing reflections. The portfolio will include artifacts that students gather along the way, such as their brainstorming lists, graphic organizers, and published presentations. Synthesizing their thought process during these tasks will be written reflections that will be guided by teacher-posed questions.
Technology Aligns with Best Practice: ePortfolios serve multiple purposes as assessment tools - informative, diagnostic, summative
The use of ePortfolios/written reflections as authentic assessment is backed by solid research and evidence of validity and value. They also serve multiple purposes with regard to assessment. ePortfolios allow students to reflect on their own personalized learning at their own pace, as well as to share content online and receive feedback from a wide range of peers. This feedback can be informative and effective for learning, both for the teacher as well as the student. Successes as well as gaps become evident; in exploring these gaps, teachers can improve their practice in order to reach each student.
Diagnostic assessments are used to identify the current knowledge and skill level of students so that learning activities can be designed to match student requirements. place. They “are particularly well suited to online formats, as the validity and reliability of the assessment responses are related to their ability to lead to improvements in learning, rather than determining grades and progression parameters,” (Crisp, 2009). Written reflections in ePortfolios align with this component of the Best Practice. ePortfolios and reflective learning support deeper student engagement and self-awareness; this provides teacher and student with a better picture of what students know and are able to do, as well as provide information for ongoing student development.
Summative assessment responses are designed to grade and judge a student’s level of understanding and skill development. The work is commented on, measured, and evaluated. In the case of the written reflection in the ePortfolio, a rubric can be used to do all of this. This ePortfolio rubric was designed to inform the process for the student as well as to assess the student’s understanding and skill post-activity.
Resources:
Chen, H., Ittelson, J., & Penny Light, T. (2014). Documenting and Assessing Learning with ePortfolios. Wiley Learning Institute.
Crisp, G. (2009). Interactive e-Assessment: moving beyond multiple-choice questions. Centre for Learning and Professional Development. Adelaide: University of Adelaide, 3, 12-31.
Lorenzo, G., & Ittelson, J. (2005). An overview of e-portfolios. Educause learning initiative, 1, 1-27.