A Publication of the Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning
Fall 2013
VOLUME 34, ISSUE 1
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Measuring Student Learning
Also In this Issue 22i Technology Infrastructure Grant Common Core Assessments: Considering Accessibility Online Assessment Pilot …and MORE!
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MVU ADDRESSES
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SCIENCE • TECHNOLOGY • ENGINEERING • MATHEMATICS
IN THE ONLINE CLASSROOM Visit www.learnport.org
Visit www.mivhs.org
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Math, science and technology courses for middle and high school students
BIOLOGY FOR ALL ONLINE Addresses the challenges of teaching high school biology by integrating researchsupported pedagogy with specific applications to the biology classroom.
30 MATH COURSES Including Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1-2, Calculus, Probability and Statistics, and Trigonometry
CHEMISTRY FOR ALL ONLINE Addresses the challenges of teaching high school chemistry by integrating researchsupported pedagogy with specific applications to the chemistry classroom. ALGEBRA FOR ALL ONLINE Functions-based approach provides a means to reach all students more effectively by emphasizing relationships between variables, real-world applications, multiple representations of concepts, and problem solving.
38 SCIENCE COURSES Including Astronomy, Anatomy and Physiology, Bioethics, Forensic Science, Physics and Chemistry 9 TECHNOLOGY COURSES Including Flash Animation, Java Programming and Visual Basic.Net Programming 16 AP COURSES Including Calculus AB/BC, Environmental Science, Physics B/C, Chemistry and Biology
www.mivu.org MVU , along with the Michigan Mathematics and Science Centers Network, the Michigan Department of Education and many other organizations, supports the Michigan STEM Partnership. Check it out at www.mistempartnership.com. ®
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MACUL
The MACUL Journal is published four times per year (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer) by MACUL, the Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning, Inc. MACUL OFFICE 3410 Belle Chase Way, Suite 100 Lansing, MI 48911
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A publication of the Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning Fall 2013 | Volume 34, Issue 1
Executive Director Ric Wiltse rwiltse@macul.org
CONTENTS
Executive Assistant Ieva Kule ikule@macul.org
Calendar........................................................................................................... 4
Business Manager Barbara Surtman bsurtman@macul.org
MACUL Officers and Board of Directors............................................................ 5
Member Services Associate Krystal Rogers krogers@macul.org
From the President’s Desk................................................................................ 6
Special Interest Group Directors....................................................................... 5
Professional Development Coordinator Sheila Dunham sdunham@macul.org
Another Busy Fall for MACUL............................................................................ 6
MACUL Journal Editor Judy Paxton jpaxton@macul.org
22i: Technology Readiness Infrastructure Grant................................................ 8
MACUL Advocates on Behalf of Educational Technology for our Members!........ 7
Common Core Assessments: Considering Accessibility................................... 10
Webmaster Paul Yelensky pyelensky@mac.com
The Future of Education: Personalized Online Learning and Assessment........ 12 MiGoogle Conference Info............................................................................... 14
Become a MACUL member for free at www.macul.org/ membership, or sign up to become a Friend of MACUL for $20/year and have the MACUL Journal print version mailed to you. The MACUL Journal digital version is available at www.macul.org.
What Did You Learn........................................................................................ 15 Online Assessment Pilot................................................................................. 16
The MACUL Journal welcomes and encourages letters, articles, suggestions, and contributions from readers. Publishing guidelines are posted at: www.macul.org > MACUL Journal.
Online Assessment: From Instant Access to Meaningful Decision Making....... 18 Chromebooks: Is A Chromebook In Your Future?............................................. 21 Show What You Know!.................................................................................... 22
All editorial items and advertising inquiries should be sent to: Judy Paxton, Editor 231.342.4801 E-mail: jpaxton@macul.org
Michigan’s MI Learning on iTunes U............................................................... 24 Infographics as Creative Assessment............................................................. 25
Composition and design by: Jonathan Guinn Rogers Printing, Inc. 3350 Main St. Ravenna, MI 49451 Telephone 800.622.5591
21 Things 4 Students...................................................................................... 29
Information is available upon request.
Getting Started With Digital Badges................................................................ 30
Portions of the MACUL Journal may be reprinted with permission as long as the source is clearly acknowledged.
Reinventing the Library................................................................................... 32
Opinions expressed in the Journal are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent MACUL.
Providing Quality Resources............................................................................ 33
Making Interactive Content for etextbooks, including iBooks, using Adobe Edge Animate............................................................................. 26
Publication of items in the MACUL Journal does not imply endorsement by MACUL. MACUL journal
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2013-2014 August 2013 Best of MACUL, www.macul.org/otherevents/
Igniting Learning Through Meaningful Collaboration And Innovation Founded 1975 An organizational member of The International Society for Technology in Education MACUL is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization that exists to:
p rovide a state association for educators involved with, or seeking knowledge of, computer-related technology in learning ■ provide for the sharing and exchanging of ideas, techniques, materials, and procedures for the use of computerrelated technology through conferences, publications and support services ■ promote and encourage effective, ethical and equitable use of computerrelated technology in learning ■ encourage and support research relating to the use of computer-related technology in learning. ■
Aug. 1
REMC 22 - Eastern UP ISD, Sault St. Marie
Aug. 6
REMC 4 - Muskegon Area ISD, Muskegon
Aug. 8
REMC 7- Ottawa ISD, Holland
Aug. 13
Ed Tech Academy, Zeeland Public Schools
September 2013 Sept. 17
MACUL Board & SIG meeting, Ingham ISD, Mason, MI
October 2013 Oct. 15
MACUL Board & SIG meeting, Ingham ISD
Oct. 23
AT&T/MACUL Student Technology Showcase, Capitol Building, Lansing
November 2013 Nov. 4-5
miGoogle Conference, Brighton High School
Nov. 11
MACUL Journal 2014 Spring issue articles due: Ignite Learning
Nov. 12-13
Michigan Digital Learning Conference, Clinton Twp, Macomb ISD
Nov. 19
MACUL Board meeting, Plante & Moran, Lansing
December 2013 Dec. 17
MACUL Board meeting, Conference Call
January 2014 Jan. 21
MACUL Board meeting, Ingham ISD
February 2014 Feb. 18
MACUL Board & SIG meeting, Ingham ISD
Feb. 5
MACUL Journal 2014 Summer issue articles due: Effective Instruction
March 2014 Mar. 12-14
MACUL Conference, Grand Rapids, MI: Ignite Learning
April 2014 April 15
MACUL Board meeting, Ingham ISD
April 18
Mobile Learning Conference, KRESA, Kalamazoo
May 2014 May 2
Upper Peninsula MACUL Conference, Houghton High School, Houghton
May 18-20
MACUL Leadership Retreat, Prince Center, Grand Rapids
June 2014 Jun. 29 – Jul 2
ISTE 2014 conference, Atlanta, GA
Use the online digital MACUL Journal www.macul.org/maculjournal/
E-mail address:
Download the complete PDF, or, use the online digital journal. These formats give the reader direct access to live resource links in the articles.
macul@macul.org Website:
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Share the MACUL Journal with your colleagues!
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MACUL OFFICERS
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP DIRECTORS
Pam Shoemaker, President Walled Lake Consolidated Schools pamelashoemaker@wlcsd.org
Pete Mantei, Treasurer Sault Ste. Marie Area Schools pmantei@eup.k12.mi.us
Bill Wiersma SIG Liaison MACUL bwiersma@macul.org
Tammy Maginity, President Elect Pennfield Schools maginitt@pennfield.net
Kevin Clark Secretary Berrien RESA kevin.clark@berrienresa.org
Pamela Moore SIG Computer Science (CS) Eastern Michigan University sheltiepam@earthlink.net
MACUL BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Steve Schiller, Past President Muskegon Heights Public Schools steve.schiller@macul.org
Laura Cummings Oakland Schools Laura.Cummings@ oakland.k12.mi.us Tim Davis Charlevoix-Emmet ISD davist@charemisd.org
Todd Neibauer Traverse City Area Public Schools neibauerto@tcaps.net
Terri Gustafson Michigan State University terrigus@msu.edu
Mike Oswalt, Calhoun ISD oswaltm@calhounisd.org
Susan Hardin Macomb ISD shardin@misd.net
David Prindle Byron Center Public Schools david.prindle@macul.org
Patti Harju St. Stephen Catholic School patti.harju@macul.org
Matinga Ragatz Grand Ledge Public Schools matingaragatz@gmail.com
Ron Houtman Kent ISD ronhoutman@kentisd.org
Mary Pinter Fraser Public Schools Mary.saffron@fraser.k12.org
Gina Loveless Calhoun ISD gina.loveless@macul.org
Carrie Wozniak Fraser Public Schools Carrie.Wozniak@fraserk12.org
Ron Madison Flint Community Schools rmadison1@flintschools.org
Barbara Fardell MDE Liaison FardellB@michigan.gov
Julie Myrmel jdmyrmel@me.com
Sue Schwartz REMCAM Liaison sueschwartz@remc.org
John Phillips SIG Elementary Education (EE) Battle Creek Public Schools JPSousa@gmail.com Melinda Waffle SIG Multi-Media (MM) Calhoun ISD waffle@calhounisd.org
Erik Drake
SIG Media Specialists (MS) Ingham ISD edrake@inghamisd.org Carol Isakson SIG Online Learning (OL) Plymouth-Canton Community Schools
carol@isakson.org Jason Kalis SIG Professional Learning (PL) Kent ISD jasonkalis@kentisd.org Rose McKenzie SIG Special Education (SPED) Jackson ISD rose.mckenzie@jcisd.org Jeff Trudell SIG Technology Coordinators (TC) Wyandotte Public Schools jeff.trudell@wy.k12.mi.us Daryl Tilley SIG Technicians (SIGTECH) dtilley@inghamisd.org Ingham ISD Ben Rimes SIG Webmasters (WEB) Mattawan Schools ben@techsavvyed.net Go to www.macul.org > Special Interest Groups for complete listing of SIG Officers and SIG information.
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From the President’s Desk By Pam Shoemaker
A Fresh Start
Executive Director
The start of each school year is always an exciting time. Everyone begins with a fresh slate and opportunities abound. Summertime serves as a time for educators and the learners they serve to reflect, plan, and establish goals for the upcoming school year.
By Ric Wiltse
Another Busy Fall for MACUL
I have a fresh start, too, in my new role of MACUL President. It is such an honor and privilege to serve the 10,000+ MACUL members, an amazing group of individuals who understand the importance of technology used as a foundation to the educational process. I promise to work tirelessly for you to promote the use of educational technology to ignite learning through meaningful collaboration and innovation.
As educators prepare to return to their classrooms and offices, MACUL prepares for another busy fall. • A rise in membership by more than 3000 members. • The launch of a new series of summer workshops, the best of MACUL, held in eight sites across the state. • The support of a new conference app and the initiation of the MACUL Zone in the Exhibit Hall of our biggest event, the annual MACUL Conference.
I am following the footsteps of Steve Schiller, our past president. Thank you, Steve, for your outstanding leadership over the past year. Some of Steve’s key accomplishments include:
• Recognition to TechSmith, a Michigan-based educational software company, with the prestigious MACUL President’s award.
• The continued development of our strategic plan. Steve led the organization through hard work, resulting in much progress in the areas of professional development, collaboration, advocacy, and online learning.
It is my goal to continue to build on the remarkable work that Steve has done. I do not do this alone; I am fortunate to work alongside Ric Wiltse, our Executive Director, an outstanding Board of Directors and SIG (Special Interest Group) Leaders, comprised of talented individuals who volunteer their time and energy to make MACUL a growing, thriving organization.
• The support of several new professional development events to reach out to as many Michigan educators as possible. MACUL hosted its first afterschool conference, the Personalized Learning Conference. Other new conferences held this past year include MiGoogle and the Michigan Digital Learning Conference. A new site and branding for the Upper Peninsula MACUL Conference occurred as well. 6
From the
There are three other people who also merit some well-deserved recognition:
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The AT&T/MACUL Student Technology Showcase will be held on October 23 at the Capitol Building in Lansing. Check www.macul.org for updates. Back by popular demand is the miGoogle conference, this year being held on November 4 th & 5th at Brighton High School. Register on the MACUL website. The conference takes a deep dive into Google Apps for Education and other ways Google can enhance learning. Pre-conference workshops on November 4th are $50 for a half day and $85 for both morning and afternoon workshops. Registration for the conference (November 5th) is $65 and includes lunch. Also back by popular demand is the Michigan Digital Learning Conference, held at Macomb ISD on November 12 & 13. This year’s conference, “Tech Trends in Teaching and Learning” features keynote speaker Andrew Vanden Heuvel, Michigan Online Teacher of the Year and Google Glass Educator. Conference strands include Ed Tech Trends & Tools, Management/Leadership, Technology to Support the Common Core, Mobile Learning, Statewide Projects and Initiatives, Blended Instructional Practice
BUSY FALL continued on page 34 MACUL journal
MACUL Advocates on Behalf of Educational Technology for our Members! By Pam Shoemaker
I had the privilege of attending the 10th Annual Washington Ed Tech Policy Summit on April 10 and 11, 2013. Ric Wiltse, MACUL’s Executive Director, also attended along with 75 other educational technology advocates from across the nation. This event was organized by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), and the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA). The keynote speaker was Michael Yudin, Acting Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education. Yudin provided an overview of federal education policy and its implications for educational technology. Following the keynote address, there were three panel discussions about pressing issues to the educational community: technology readiness for Common Core State Standards and Online Assessments, NCLB waivers, and commentary and predictions on education policy from pundits and reporters. The conversations were rich with diverse perspectives. Several hours were spent learning about current issues: federal appropriations, ESEA, and E-Rate; all difficult topics to deeply understand. We received “advocacy training” to prepare for our congressional visits – how to ask for specifics in a compelling way that includes personal stories.
offices of Senators Levin and Stabenow, and Representatives Amash and Bentevolio. We focused on two main points: 1. There is a need for a dedicated funding source toward educational technology: Hopefully, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) will be up for discussion soon. The current version of ESEA, called the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), is overdue for reauthorization and may be considered by Congress in 2013. When NCLB was enacted in 2001, Congress and the Administration recognized technology’s value to education by establishing a separate, directed funding program focused on improving education through technology: Title IID or the Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program. Congress and President Bush supported EETT because it recognized that technology has an important role to play in achieving key national goals – raising student achievement, ensuring high quality teaching, and increasing parental involvement – among others. Unfortunately, the Obama Administration’s ESEA reauthorization blueprint proposed to consolidate EETT with a number of programs, which has left classroom technology with no direct federal Department of Education funding source. Since FY2011, EETT has received no federal funding and the Administration’s current proposed budget would continue this trend. MACUL members undoubtedly feel the loss of several programs that federal EETT funds provided, including the MACUL-sponsored MI Champions and STEM MI Champions programs, dedicated funding for the MI Learning Channel on iTunes U, and funding to support the student technology showcase at the Michigan Capitol Building.
Long-time education technology champion and Ranking Member of the House Education & the Workforce Committee George Miller (D-CA) addressed the Summit with a passionate argument concerning the need for a federal role in education technology, calling it an issue of civil rights and equity for students across the nation. Representative Miller discussed the comprehensive ed tech legislation he introduced in February— the Transforming Education Through Technology Act (H.R. 521) —and his efforts to gain additional co-sponsors for the bill. Please help Representative Miller by making your voice heard on this critical piece of legislation by going to the Ed Tech Action Network (www.edtechactionnetwork.org) and sending a letter to your Representative urging him or her to support the Transforming Education Through Technology Act (H.R. 521). The highlight of our trip to Washington DC was visiting Capitol Hill to meet with the staff of our Michigan senators and representatives to discuss our talking points and personal stories regarding technology’s value to learning. Ric and I visited the MACUL journal
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Ric and I explained that funding for infrastructure and teacher professional development is crucially needed. We
Pam Shoemaker and Ric Wilse with Arak Kahramanian Legislative Correspondent for Senator Stabenow and Melanie McCormick, Staff Assistant
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22i By Tim Hall
Technology Readiness Infrastructure Grant
Grant Structure Section 22i of the Fiscal Year 2013 State Aid Act provided $50 million dollars for competitive grants for the development or improvement of district technology infrastructure in preparation for the planned implementation of online growth assessments beginning in the 2014-15 school year. The grant has four specific goals: 1. Statewide interconnected network to support reliable unencumbered access to online assessments 2. Establish collective purchasing contracts for learning devices and online content 3. Leverage regional networks to facilitate consolidation and increase the level of network-based services available to all regions 4. Build capacity to assist educators in planning and implementing the best practices and technology required to support the next generation of assessment, teaching, and learning The implementation of this competitive grant process has been occurring over the past nine months. This article will outline the overall structure of the grant and activity work that is being conducted related to the grant. The grant was structured in five categories. Category One was structured to allow for Public School Districts (Also referred to as Local Education Agencies, or LEAs), Intermediate School Districts (ISDs), and Public School Academies (PSAs) to participate in the grant. In this category of the grant, all 56 ISDs, 541 LEAs, and 136 PSAs chose to participate in the grant. These districts represented over 96% of the total student population in the State of Michigan. Category Two was issued to form consortia to carry out the work required by the grant. Once applications were reviewed, five consortia were awarded. Consortia are detailed below:
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Category Three was the application and awarding of the activities related to the grant. In total, there were seven activities that were awarded to various consortium leaders throughout the state. Category Four was designed to allow LEAs, ISDs, and PSAs to confirm their consortium participation. The Category Five application starts the process of connecting ISDs and districts so that a state network can be created. The overall breakdown of funds for the grant can be placed into three general areas: funds to local districts and consortia, funds to activities, and funds for connectivity. In the area of funds to local districts and consortia, $16 million have been awarded. Of this amount, almost $14.7 million went directly to local districts to be spent at their discretion to advance them toward becoming prepared for administering online testing. In the area of activities, $18 million was spent. A total of $16 million is set aside to begin to make the connections necessary for creating a state education network. Activities At the heart of the 22i grant are the many activities that are being undertaken at a statewide level to advance technology and move all districts toward the goal of being prepared to successfully administer online assessments. Here is a brief summary of each of the activities: Activity 1A: E-Rate A disparity exists in the cost of Internet connectivity for Michigan schools. Some regions pay in excess of 30 times what some urban and suburban schools pay for this critical component of high stakes online assessment technology
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readiness. Ensuring that all schools can afford to purchase the needed connectivity is a critical foundation for high-stakes assessments. This statewide project will ensure that every Michigan school receives the most competitive price possible for Internet access and connectivity. As a result schools will be able to acquire the bandwidth needed for online assessments and that will enhance the educational process year round. Activity 1B: State Education Network The 22i grant supports implementation of online testing, which will increase computer traffic to and from each K-12 building in the state. The goal of Activity 1B (establish a Statewide Educational Network, or SEN) is to connect 100% of ISDs, LEAs and PSAs with the networking capacity needed to handle the increased traffic. The SEN will also lay the foundation for greater statewide resource sharing between these entities. The SEN committee will work with ISDs, LEAs and PSAs to determine the best way to leverage existing networks, data centers and grant funds to meet the new networking demands and improve opportunities for collaboration and resource sharing. Activity 2: Michigan Technology Readiness Assessment Tool (MTRAx) Activity 2 seeks to establish a statewide technology readiness planning process through the deployment of the Michigan Technology Readiness Assessment Tool (MTRAx) to all schools (LEAs, PSAs and ISDs) in the state. The MTRAx application will use data gathered on the technology devices and network environment provided by each district to gauge that district’s readiness for online testing at the building, district and ISD level based on predetermined criteria for the requirements for online testing (e.g. number and specification of devices available, network bandwidth and others). The MTRAx application will also be developed to provide on-demand data updates and reporting capabilities, add an instructional component to allow for the development of a Michigan Framework for Effective Use of Technology, and provide functionality for districts to use the application in the development of technology plans. The development and deployment of the various functionalities in MTRAx will occur in phases throughout the 2013-14 school year. Activity 3: Professional Development Pilot Activity 3’s goal is to build the capacity of Michigan educators to effectively plan and implement online assessments and “Any Time, Any Place, Any Way, Any Pace” learning through increasing technology proficiency. Using a train-the-trainer model, this pilot project will provide collaboration opportunities for a statewide professional development network of K-12 educators with a training ground and resource base to improve technology proficiency and local district readiness for online assessments. Instructors throughout Michigan will have access to the training resources regardless if they are a member of the pilot or not.
statewide bids for personal computing devices and desktop computers to support online testing and the “Any Time, Any Place” initiative. The goal is to aggregate the statewide demand for these devices to drive down the purchase price for these products. Projection and purchasing tools have been secured for this purpose. Projections for these devices have been made by school districts from around the state, and these projections have been shared with vendors. Bid responses are back on the personal computing devices and are being evaluated at this time. Activity 5: Education Achievement Authority School Technology Readiness Pilot Because of the complexities involved when school buildings are brought into the Educational Achievement Authority (EAA), Activity 5 was formed to facilitate a process for rapidly developing a plan to address technology readiness. The work in this activity allows the EAA the opportunity to develop a method of fully evaluating the current infrastructure of schools placed into their authority and to plan for a quick implementation for test readiness. Activity 6: Data System Integration Infrastructure Pilot Activity 6 will bring a new level of efficiency to the use of student data in Michigan. Currently, a school’s operation of multiple systems that use the same student data relies on some combination of redundant, home-grown data entry processes to bridge data between applications or the purchase of expensive data bridging systems. Through Activity 6, regional “Data hubs” will be established to handle this need in a centralized system that eliminates redundant data bridges being built in multiple schools throughout the state. The system also will greatly streamline statistical analysis at the state level, and allow huge efficiency gains in complying with state reporting requirements. Activity 7: High Volume/Low Cost Digital Assessment Pilot The purpose of Activity 7 is to provide a large-scale, low-cost “digital” pilot of at least one statewide, high-stakes assessment. During this pilot, we will demonstrate the feasibility of executing low-cost digital assessments at a scale. More information: For those wishing to learn more about the 22i: Technology Readiness Infrastructure Grant and its related activities, additional information can be found at 22itrig.org. Contact information and more details related to the overall grant and each of the individual activities are located at the website. Tim Hall is the Project Director for the 22i Technology Readiness Infrastructure Grant (TRIG). He has 13 years of K-12 classroom teaching experience at both the elementary and middle school levels. In addition, he has served as an Intermediate School District (ISD) and local district Technology Director. He also has experience as an ISD School Data Consultant.
Activity 4: Device Purchasing Pilot Activity 4 is involved in developing, issuing and administering
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Common Core Assessments:
Considering Accessibility By Susan Hardin, SIGSPED
Student assessment is an essential component of free, public education. Assessment data helps teachers plan instruction, choose curricular materials, and measure student progress. In order to be represented in the data collected, all students must be able to accurately perceive, process and respond to the testing material. Currently, assessment tools are designed and implemented without considering the needs of students with disabilities. Informal accommodations must be cobbled together at test time by well-meaning educators. The results can be inelegant at best. Often, they are ineffective, further disadvantaging students with disabilities. It’s time that we collectively explore the best practices for designing quality assessment for all students. The most effective way to ensure high quality accessible assessments is to design a new “smart” assessment that anticipates the needs of all of students. That is the concept behind Access by Design (ABD). ABD assessments begin with the end user in mind and build in an array of testing options to meet the anticipated needs of all test takers. ABD assessments include Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles with “multiple supports for students to access assessment content, multiple ways for students to interact with that content, and multiple ways for students to produce responses”. The new Common Core assessments developed by the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) promise to use the principles of ABD and UDL to remove many of the most common testing barriers. Both consortiums are committed to design assessments that will include embedded supports, such as auditory presentation of text-based content, translated glossaries, and English glossary definitions for context-specific words and phrases. The flexible nature of these digital enhancements could allow for an unprecedented degree of individual customization of test delivery not found in paper-based systems. While both consortiums use UDL as the foundation for building in testing accommodations, their accessibility plans are quite different. It’s important that educators become familiar with the plans and provide timely feedback to the consortium. 10
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Michigan, along with 22 other states, is a member of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. The SBAC groups accommodation options into three distinct tiers. The first tier includes test features that are available to all students anytime during the testing cycle. It includes universally useful tools such as highlighters, note pads and calculators. The second tier of accommodations is available to students only if the supports are identified and activated prior to testing. This tier includes color overlays, magnification and text-to-speech. Although there are no clear criteria regarding who is allowed to use these tools, the requirement to identify and document the accommodations in an Individual Student Assessment Accessibility Profile (ISAAP) prior to the beginning the assessment means that access to these tools will be limited. The final category includes accommodations appropriate for a few students who have particular accessibility needs as indicated on their IEP or 504. Such tools include keyword translation glossaries, auditory calming, audio captioning and administration in American Sign Language (ASL). (See chart for a full list of the SBAC proposed accommodations.) Available to All
Available with ISAAP
Embedded
English Glossaries Highlighter Mark for Review Masking Writing Tools Zoom Expandable Passages Calculator Digital Notepad Tab-enter Navigation Embedded math tools
Color Overlays Color Contrast Guided Line Reader Magnification Reverse Contrast Text-to-speech Turn off any ‘All Access’ tools
Non-Embedded
Breaks Scratch Paper
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Available with Documentation
American Sign Language Audio Captions Braille Translation Option Auditory Calming
Abacus Hand-held Calculator Print on Demand Quiet Environment
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Although the SBAC plans to build in accommodations from the start, there are still some important potential pitfalls of which to be aware. For example, some tools are restricted and can be used only in a portion of the assessment while some accommodations have been left off of the list entirely. In addition, the comparability of using sophisticated accommodations such as image enhancement for the visually impaired or switch access for physically impaired students, in highly controlled, locked SBA testing environments has yet to be addressed. Let’s explore these more closely.
the cognitive demand and potentially interfering with a student’s ability to demonstrate their knowledge.
While the SBAC plan allows text–to-speech to be used for many sections of the exam, it does not allow its use on the reading portion. This partial exclusion creates a significant barrier for students with reading disabilities. The accommodation was not included for fear that text-to-speech violates the construct of the reading exam. However, several new developments have surfaced to support the argument that adding speech support does not fundamentally change the purpose of the reading comprehension assessment.
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Read the SBAC accommodation plan and understand how it will affect your students who learn differently.
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Be sure to explore the sample assessments and decide if you think the user interface is supportive, distracting or disabling.
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Speak up. Ask the SBAC for more details about how your students with more significant needs will be able to access the tightly controlled assessment environment.
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Ask how the technology enhanced items that use animations to present information, require students to manipulate materials on the screen to respond will work for your students with visual impairments or significant physical disabilities?
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If you are concerned about any provision in the plan, or find design issues that you think will undermine accessibility, offer your comments and opinions.
With the advent of the common core standards, we have a very different view of text comprehension. It requires the reader to dig deeper into the text’s meaning and successfully analyze it to determine complex concepts such as, identifying the author’s central idea, comparing and contrasting points of view, and articulating a position on the subject matter. These expectations go way beyond decoding letter combinations. They represent the kind of deep understanding required to be successful in college and beyond. Furthermore, Daniel Wiener and Martha Thurlow, members of the PARCC Accessibility, Accommodations, and Fairness Technical Working Group, highlight recent research that supports the use of text-to-speech in reading assessments. They cite new studies that text-to-speech technology provides no real comprehension boost to skilled readers, but provides obvious benefits to students with reading disabilities. This meets the criterion for an appropriate accommodation: the accommodation directly supports the disability it is intended to address. In fact their whitepaper was so convincing the PARCC adopted the group’s recommendations and included text-to-speech as an acceptable accommodation for the reading comprehension test. Using a similar argument, the draft also includes speech-to-text and word prediction as an acceptable accommodation for the writing assessment. In this author’s opinion, it’s time we allow students with significant reading disabilities access to the tools they need to remove the barriers to decoding. These students must be given the chance to learn and show their competence comprehending and using complex text. Recently, I reviewed the beta version of the Smarter Balanced test with sample questions. While exploring the test, I couldn’t help but wonder whether the testing interface supports or interferes with a student’s response. I am concerned about the navigational and response modes (e.g. drag and drop, fill in the blank, bubble click) inconsistencies. This variability will make it difficult for visually impaired and physically challenged students to navigate the exam and respond accurately. In addition to the interface challenges, I noted that many of the testing items included complex, multi-stepped directions further adding to MACUL journal
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Finally, I am concerned how, in this financially uncertain and volatile political environment, we can be certain that our lawmakers provide the consortium with the financial resources they need to fully implement the accommodations outlined in the accessibility plan draft. As an educational community we need to voice our support for accessible assessment. I urge you to:
Please don’t wait! Learn more and make your voice heard while there is still time to have an impact.
To find out more explore: • DRAFT Accessibility and Accommodations Framework, May 13, 2013 version www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/sa/access.asp • Smarter Balanced Online Practice Tests www.smarterbalanced.org/practice-test/ • PARCC Draft Accommodations Manual http://ca539dfd55636c55e922-fd4c048d1c793 e15a27f954b34a49d25.r49.cf1.rackcdn.com/ PARCCDraftAccommodationsManualforSWDEL.pdf • Creating Accessible PARCC Reading Assessments: Separating the Constructs and Providing Text-to-Speech Accommodations for Students with Disabilities www.parcconline.org/sites/parcc/files/ PARCCAccessibleReadingAssessmentsABSTRACT%20FINAL.pdf Susan Hardin is an Assistive Technology Consultant with Macomb ISD and serves as the 2012-13 SIG Special Education (SIGSPED) Communications Officer. She can be reached at: shardin@misd.net.
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The Future of Education:
Innovative technology can help teachers customize instruction to meet the range of students’ learning preferences, abilities and skills. Adaptive instruction and assessment systems can identify what is known and not known about students and suggest multiple options for assignments and assessments from which instructors may choose. Providing teachers around the state with such a substantial bank of options also requires an infrastructure that makes diagnostics easily accessible to inform teachers’ decisions for each student. Technology is the key to delivering the diversity of instruction, support and assessments required to personalize learning. One of the ways technology can advance personalized learning is by collecting information from assessments and learning management systems and making it available for immediate use. Imagine the variety of data that can be collected the moment an online assignment is completed. Imagine having access to summary statistics on performance that identify how long it took a student to complete an assignment, what parts slowed the student down, and what parts were finished quickly and easily. The future of online and blended learning points in the direction of instant access to digestible data that teachers can use for targeted assessment, recommended resources, and/or focused conversation.
Personalized Online Learning and Assessment By Jamey Fitzpatrick
Governor Rick Snyder’s request of Michigan Virtual University® (MVU®) to examine technology innovation in Michigan schools lead to the creation of a report, Moving Michigan Farther, Faster: Personalized Learning and the Transformation of Learning in Michigan, that looks into both the future of education in Michigan and the role technology could and should play. The report was prepared by Public Sector Consultants Inc. and the Citizens Research Council, and draws from an extensive literature review and interviews with state and national education leaders. Separate sections dedicated to students, teachers, schools, technology, data, and quality and accountability include recommendations and analysis for each element. Collectively, these sections converge on a simple, but powerful message: Personalized learning moves Michigan farther, faster. Moving Michigan Farther, Faster focuses on how students learn best as the key to improving student proficiency. What is ‘best’ will vary from student to student as each has different strengths and weaknesses, interests and difficulties, motivators and distractors. Helping every student learn more efficiently requires a shift to personalized learning and increased access to diagnostic information about how students think and what they know. The efficacy of personalized learning lies in allowing teachers, students and parents to select the methods, strategies and tools that meet individual students where they are and allows them to move at a pace that suits their needs.
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Dashboards provide one means of presenting data collection and data analytics in online environments. Visual representations like tables, gauges and charts readily provide single occurrences of information (for example, the number of points on an assessment) and summaries (for example, the total number of points earned on all assessments to date). Different colors assigned to performance levels give an instant indication of where students’ outputs fall on the scale. Quick and easy access to this kind of information and feedback facilitate a teacher’s ability to personalize instruction. Data analytics available anytime, anywhere will make it possible for teachers to identify areas of strength and address areas where students require more support. Not all forms of online assessment need to be technologically driven. For instance, traditional assessments such as rubrics hold value for personalized instruction and are less about the technology and more about human engagement. An assessment tool very familiar to teachers, rubrics can yield both formative and summative information. Last year, the Michigan Virtual School® (MVS®) English Language Arts (ELA) instructors developed rubrics tightly aligned with Common Core State Standards to assess writing skills. How the instructors use them illustrates the online rubrics’ capacity for performance-based evaluation and customization. In ELA core courses, rubrics are: • Used as a formative assessment and provide the basis for student and teacher to discuss learning challenges, redirect the student to additional activities for more support and prompt the teacher to suggest new or different instructional strategies. •
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Used for a summative assessment to determine mastery. Rubrics provide a mechanism for targeting goals to address gaps in a student’s knowledge or skills. |
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Separated by element, content or skill to facilitate personalized direct instruction once an academic challenge has been assessed.
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Providing more detailed/specific information about the proficiencies students demonstrate and guarantees consistency among instructors.
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Allowing the students to self-assess by identifying the writing task being addressed in an assignment, explaining how they are addressing it and scoring their performance.
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Providing a means of comparing all students within a course, regardless of personalized approach since everyone begins with the same structured expectations.
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Helping define expectations and inform adults – teachers, parents, mentors, aides – about how to support individual students’ learning.
MVS’s online ELA instructors have gathered the first year of data from their rubrics and are looking for trends in their instructional practice and patterns in student output that will inform changes in teaching and assessment. The effort that has gone into aligning the rubrics with Common Core State Standards is great groundwork for constructing additional personalized learning options in ELA courses and others.
Whether the learning is taking place in a traditional classroom, a blended learning environment, or an online course, the interactivity of content, technology, assessment and teacher knowledge is a powerful dynamic. Data gathered and disseminated through new technology tools will make it possible for teachers to make more informed choices for each student according to preference, need, and ability. With appropriate tools and training, teachers can be freed from trying to make one set of plans fit a classroom full of different demands and focus on what will work for each and every student. About MVU MVU® is a private, nonprofit Michigan corporation established in 1998 by the State of Michigan to serves as a champion for online learning. It is the parent organization of the Michigan Virtual School®, Michigan LearnPort®, an online learning portal that provides online professional development solutions to the Michigan education community, and the Michigan Virtual Learning Research Institute™, which focuses on policy, research and innovation in online and blended learning. About the Author Jamey Fitzpatrick, President and CEO of MVU, has served as a catalyst for change and a champion of innovation in public education. Fitzpatrick serves on the Board of Trustees for Olivet College, as well as the Michigan 4-H Foundation.
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2nd Annual Michigan Google Education Summit November 4 9:00 am - 4:00 pm Full and half-day hands-on workshops
November 5 8:30 am - 4:00 pm Keynote and 50+ breakout sessions.
Visit miGoogle on the web to resister and find out more:
www.miedtech.com
Interested in presenting? Lead a 50 min. breakout session and receive free registration! Proposals must be received by Aug. 1, 2013.
November 4-5, 2013 |Brighton High School | 7878 Brighton Road |Brighton, Michigan 2013 MiGoogle MACUL Journal Ad.indd 1
Mark your calendar for November 4-5, 2013 for the second annual Michigan Google Education conference! Last year’s conference sold out with 300 attendees enjoying over 50 sessions on webbased tools for the classroom. This year’s will be held at Brighton High School which has expanded capacity to 600! The 2013 miGoogle conference is also being expanded to two full days to provide an opportunity for additional, in-depth exploration of Google tools for the classroom. The first day of the conference will feature full and half-day handson workshops that will provide an opportunity to go in-depth with several core Google products. A list of topics and presenters can be found at www.miedtech.com Day two will feature a traditional conference format with a keynote speaker and 50+ concurrent breakout sessions on every imaginable topic, from Google forms, sites, calendar, and more. Sessions will be available at a variety of experience levels. Sessions for administrators and IT directors will also be available. The miGoogle conference is co-sponsored by Google, MACUL, and Brighton Area Schools with support from the REMC association of Michigan. Visit www.miedtech.com for conference details and to register. Large groups registration (10 or more) can be accommodated by contacting Ieva Kule at ieva.kule@macul.org
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miGoogle Conference Quick Facts
5/26/13 1:25 PM
What: Michigan Google conference for educators featuring applications, tips, and management strategies for web-based tools created by Google. When: November 4-5, 2013, 8:30a.m. - 4:00pm Where: Brighton High School, 7878 Brighton Road, Brighton, MI 48116. Cost (includes lunch):
● Pre-Conference Workshops (Nov. 4): $50 (half-day sessions), $85 (full-day sessions)
● Conference (Nov. 5): $65/person Register: www.miedtech.com SCECH Credit Available: Yes The 2012 miGoogle conference is collaboratively sponsored by Google, MACUL, and Brighton Area Schools with support from the REMC Association of Michigan.
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What Did You Learn?
By Marilyn Western
Using Technology in the Elementary Classroom Online assessments are on the horizon so best get your students (and you!) prepared. More and more options are appearing. Here are several that I have found work well for me.
Google Forms http://drive.google.com is one of my old standbys. I use my Google account to create a form and leave it open so students do not have to register to use the form. I have created forms for pre and posttests, 3-5 question quizzes, exit tickets, and general feedback on class projects. I can also gather information by making a form for myself to check off observational information e.g. using proper punctuation, or to grade ‘on the fly’ e.g. as a student presents a project. I love that I can use a wide variety of question types and add images, that I can embed the form on a class wiki page, and that the results are all in one place. Great in a lab, where all can access at the same time, or set up as a station in your classroom and have students rotate through. You can also download Flubaroo http://www. flubaroo.com for free to make a quiz selfcorrecting. Socrative http://www.socrative.com is my new go-to free web application as a formative assessment tool. When a teacher registers (free), you receive a room number. Students do not have to register to use. They simply go to the web site, enter your room number, and you’re in business! You can access a previously created quiz with a variety of question types, or simply ask an oral question and have students enter their answer to get a feel for current understanding of the concept. Quizzes can be used in a lab or as a classroom center. Oral questions best used in a 1 to 1 setting. Use the web site or download the free iOS app. Padlet http://padlet.com is another free web site that teachers register for, but students do not need to. Previously called WallWisher, this is a fun way to have students create a KWL chart, or to use as an Exit Ticket. One tip – when the class is finished, return to the wall and change the privacy to Can View instead of Can Write. This will prevent random messages from showing up by kids who enjoy posting! MACUL journal
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Whatever web site or app you choose as an assessment tool, you’ll want to get off on the right foot by introducing the tool to the whole class. I create an intro quiz that contains 1 or 2 samples of the each type of question students may be exposed to down the line – true/false, yes/no, multiple choice, short text answers, and opinion questions (these are never wrong/right – I just want their feedback). To get the kids ‘into’ the quiz, the questions have some pretty silly possible answers – for example, In the lab, we work with: a. hot fudge sundaes, b. kitties, c. computers, d. bikes. Another question: My teacher is a goldfish. True or False. Younger kids are usually rolling on the floor, laughing. When the quiz is finished, I show them the results and we talk about how I’m able to see what each of them has answered – no anonymity here! Later, when I give them a REAL quiz, I make sure they understand that this is a real check to see what they know – and they’re getting a grade for it. I have to admit that I really feel good about using online assessments whenever possible. It’s green, and with a constantly shrinking budget, I don’t have to use a lot of paper to find out what each child is thinking. Students don’t seem to mind a quickie quiz or an exit ticket of 2-3 questions. And because I choose assessment tools that are self-grading and report back to me in spreadsheet form so I can see each student’s responses and their total score, my life is a lot easier because I’m not spending hours checking and scoring multiple classes of assessments. Marilyn Western is the 2008 MACUL Teacher of the Year, a former member of the MACUL Board of Directors, and a retired Mt. Pleasant Public Schools teacher. Outside of the classroom, she has worked as the 1998-99 MDE Technology Using Educator on Loan, a MI Champions course designer and instructor, a technology trainer for Clare Gladwin RESD, Gratiot Isabella RESD and Bay Arenac ISD, and a national presenter for the Bureau of Education & Research. She can be reached via mwestern@edzone.net.
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By Sherry McVay
ONLINE assessment PILOT Many districts have been using technology for some time to assess students. It is clearly a convenient way to gather and analyze data with the intent to improve targeted instruction and therefore learning. With the introduction of the Michigan Any Time, Any Place, Any Way, Any Pace Program and the resulting funding of 22i initiatives to insure “Test Ready” schools, the concept of online testing is becoming a much bigger deal for schools.
Elementary and Secondary grade levels, Interim Assessments which are reading ,writing and math at lower levels and science and social studies at higher levels and the ACT Aspire Equating Study which is grades 3-10 in math, science, English, reading and writing. These pilot tests are designed to help the test designers to insure that the assessment is valid, and for schools they provide the opportunity to get a feel for how the tests might work in a school environment.
What’s the big deal? Statewide testing is a much bigger deal. Statewide test scores are public. Statewide test scores are comparable. Statewide testing is big business. Statewide testing means all the kids, in multiple subjects. Statewide testing means more computing power, more bandwidth and more teacher training. Statewide testing means kids using technology skills in combination with content area learning.
How did the pilots go? The process of implementing these pilot tests was a challenge. Let’s face it, what school district is just sitting around in the spring of the school year with nothing better to do than to run every kid through the computer lab for a test? The districts that worked on this challenge found that it took more coordination than they expected. The technology folks had new software to learn and implement and data to import, the curriculum folks needed to work through the logistics of administering the test, teachers had to assist students with the test environment, and in many school districts these roles blurred a great deal with staffing and time constraints! Districts that commented to me on their process included Bath Community Schools, DeWitt Public Schools (my
To be ready in time for the first “real” statewide online test planned for spring of 2015, an estimated 67,000 students in 700 school districts across the state participated in pilot testing in the spring of 2013. Pilot tests included the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) test, which is math and English language arts across both 16
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home district) Lansing Public Schools, and Fowler Public Schools. All of the schools listed had to be creative to come up with enough computers to complete the testing. In most cases this meant using all available computer labs in the district. Although initially all of the districts were concerned about bandwidth for testing, none of them reported major problems during the pilot. Many opted for traditional wired desktop labs (Mac or PC) for the testing. Bath and DeWitt tried out wireless Chromebooks in addition to their traditional Windows based labs to increase the number seats available for test taking. Chromebooks are becoming a popular alternative for One-toOne implementations due to their full sized screen, traditional style keyboard and integrated management console. On the Chromebooks SBAC pilot participants had to log in to accounts on SBAC’s Google domain to insure that testing could be done securely. This basically meant that students had to log in twice to access the test. Although it was an extra step, the process flowed smoothly in both districts. The BAA (Bureau of Assessment and Accountability) Interim Assessments and the ACT Aspire were not available on mobile devices, however all assessments plan to support mobile devices by the official testing window in the spring of 2015. With the REMC (Regional Educational Media Centers) SPOT (Statewide Purchasing Online Tool) forecasting that the majority of devices to be purchased for testing will be mobile devices, it does seem like additional piloting of testing platforms will be needed to insure that the assessments run smoothly on these devices. Once inside the SBAC test the student experience was very similar whether running on a mobile device or on a traditional browser. All of the tests used a secure browser or a similar test environment to insure that students were not running apps that might interfere with testing. Some of the tests had basic accommodations options built in such as a screen resizer and high contrast options (ACT Aspire), however rightfully concerns have been expressed about how accommodating the tests are for students with specific testing needs. Testing proctors, including principals, teacher, counselors, curriculum and technology people in these four districts had similar comments about the pilot testing. A universal comment was that the test items seemed difficult for the grade level assigned. Another theme in the comments was that student concerns as they took the test were frequently about how to answer the question (e.g. draw a line or drag and drop etc.) and that in some cases it seemed that these technical features did not enhance the content of the question. It also became clear that the testing proctors needed to be prepared not only to answer student content questions, but also needed to be
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ready to troubleshoot problems with the test such as what if the browser doesn’t launch, the plugins don’t load, the students gets bumped out etc. In addition, it is clear that all of the testing options are still in pilot form as there were situations where the documentation didn’t match the actual procedure or the procedure didn’t work for all students. The tests all had workarounds for problems including the ability to re-admit students to the test environment, on the fly saving of work and re-assigning passwords that didn’t work. However someone needs to be prepared to do this work as the students are testing. And in many cases with all of these pilots it was confusing for the proctors to know how to assist the students, even with the elaborate sites setup with FAQ’s and tutorials. SBAC, BAA and ACT could all do better in creating support materials that clarify the process and when the real tests roll around schools will need to provide more time for staff to review these materials. What are the next steps? Now that the pilots are wrapping up, districts have time between now and spring of 2015 to work to become test ready. Schools involved in the ACT Aspire pilot have the opportunity to review student assessment results and to use this data to guide instruction (the other pilots are not sharing results back with districts). The 22i Grant has provided money to districts to begin purchasing the hardware and infrastructure need to support testing. REMC will be supporting volume purchasing to make these hardware purchases as cost efficient as possible. Another portion of the grant will include funding for professional development through the GMEC (Greater Michigan Education Consortium), to help teachers use blended instruction and other online learning methods to prepare for the new assessments. Districts will be able to enter district data into the Michigan Technology Readiness Tool (MTRAx) to help them pinpoint areas they will need to improve to become test ready. As the process and results from the pilots are merged with these and other statewide supports, Michigan educators can prepare for the implementation in their district, as well as begin to tackle the even more difficult task of determining how to best use the test results to improve student learning. Interviewed for this article: Bath Schools: Kassandra Lawhorne, Sheila Crist, Doug Murphy DeWitt Public Schools: David Potter, Jay Miller, Lori Webb Lansing School District: Joan Sawyer Fowler Public Schools: Neil Hufnagel Sherry McVay is Director of Technology for DeWitt Public Schools and has previously served on the MACUL Board.
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Online
Assessment From Instant Access to Meaningful Decision Making
By Mitch Fowler A quick Google search of “online testing” will yield about 527 million results (in .26 seconds I might add). While there is certainly no shortage of tools for online testing, some educators are timid when it comes to having their assessments floating around the Web. Concerns over test security, technology access, and network reliability can be roadblocks when it comes to educators taking the leap into assessment 2.0. However, with a clear purpose and support, many educators can be quick to trade in their shoulder bag filled with tests for web-based, anytime access to student test results. Several ISDs in the state have found their online testing source in DataDirector, a product of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. With 20 school districts in my region of Southwest Michigan utilizing DataDirector as their district data warehouse and online testing source, I sat down with a few who are using the technology to discuss the question “What’s so great about online testing?”
One major tool for online testing throughout many ISDs in the state is DataDirector, a data warehouse and assessment solution from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Instant Results One well-known benefit of online testing is the ability for students to see their results after clicking “submit”. Tammy Maginity, Instructional Technology Coordinator with Pennfield Schools in Battle Creek, Michigan notes, “Students can take the assessments and the data becomes immediately available for teachers to access and analyze. This allows the data to have an impact on planning and instruction for that students learning plan.” In other words, the instant feedback can also impact a teacher’s next steps the next day or before the class leaves for the day. For example, when I taught 5th grade, I would often use a the School Assessment Report (picture below) from DataDirector in order to identify which questions and standards needed further attention the next day. The information gleaned from this report allowed me to group students for remediation or begin the class with a quick activity to reinforce a particular concept. 18
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Enhanced Reporting In addition to instant results, the educators I spoke with pointed to the detailed reports that would otherwise take hours to complete without an online assessment system. Many tools, such as DataDirector, provide educators with immediate access to reports on standards assessed, item-level analysis, and subgroup performance. As Maginity points out, “This data allows them to plan for whole group, small group and individual instruction targeted at the needs of the students.” For these reasons and more educators now have instant access to data related to standards assessed, individual question responses, subgroup data and more.
The School Assessment Report from DataDirector allows teachers to determine which standards were assessed and what deficit areas need more attention. In addition, student growth is easily demonstrated with the organization and color of the report.
Many districts are beginning to weave together their expectations for teacher data usage on unit level online assessments and school improvement plans in order to demonstrate student growth. In other words, teachers are collecting data tied to standards that connect to school improvement goals. This data, over time, can be used to track progress towards reaching a school improvement goal. Clearly educators have more access to data than ever before. Districts such as Pennfield have been diligent when it comes to providing expectations for what teachers can and should do with their data. Connectedness to Colleagues Many online assessment systems are tied to one’s classroom roster. DataDirector, for example, works in conjunction with the school’s
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student information system to keep rosters up to date. This provides a level of access to data that is difficult with traditional paper and pencil assessments. With a system connected to rostering, building administrators, central office personnel, or PLC leaders can access data for groups larger than a single classroom. This access allows educators to have conversations around assessment data quicker than with a paper pencil assessment. Jerry Mueller, Curriculum Director with Pennfield Schools, says this about his district’s use of data via online assessments, “Through our analysis of data and creating an assessment calendar that is directly tied to monthly data conferences between central office and the principals, the district vision is articulated over and over and over. Not only do teachers own this data, building and central office administrators assume responsibility for student achievement.” Mueller goes on to mention how this data impacts professional development opportunities for the building administrators as well. “From this data, professional development opportunities for the building administrators are developed. This professional development has included: Evaluation to determine professional development needs, student achievement data as the guiding light for school improvement initiatives, and administrator competency in developing and interpreting data reports.” Practice, Practice, Practice The upcoming Smarter Balanced Assessment in the Spring of 2015 are built as an online, computer-adaptive assessment. In other words, educators will want their students to have some level of comfort with an assessment being administered via the web. Again, Maginity speaks to the benefit of having a low-stress, nonstandardized system where students can get use to online testing, “Another plus is that our students have the experience of online testing and will have an easier time with the change from MEAP to Smarter Balance testing.” Many vendors such as NWEA’s Measures of Academic Progress, DataDirector, and Moodle Quizzes have the ability to embed media or “technology enhanced items.” These items could be entering text online, dragging and dropping to complete a problem, embedded multi-media, or highlighting. While these may not seem like earth-shattering improvements given the fact that these are all things students already do online, having them in the context of an assessment is a shift and providing students time to adjust to this new environment is key. Roadblocks of Online Testing Recently, Minnesota launched their version of online assessments. Unfortunately on April 16th roughly 5,000 students were unable to access the state’s standardized math assessment or were booted off early. The issue was quickly identified, corrected, and testing resumed. However, this incident brings to light the fact that online testing is not failsafe. This is all the more reason to provide opportunities for students and teachers to practice providing assessments in an online environment.
Cheating One huge area of contention with online assessments is cheating. Granted, students can cheat using a traditional paper and pencil assessment, but this issue can seem to be magnified when students are on a computer. Access to search engines, messaging software, and plain-old “wandering eyes” are a few of the areas where teachers struggle to manage during online assessments. The good news is that many districts have computer lab management software such as Impero, NetSupport, Vision, or LanSchool that can lock down various applications during a specified window. Access to Devices I’ll often hear “Online testing would be nice, but we don’t have access to the computer lab, it’s always signed out!” While access to 1:1 devices may be difficult for many educators, there may be other options. Many educators using DataDirector throughout Michigan have their students take the assessment using the paperpencil method and then login to a data entry station in order to submit their answers electronically. The data entry station is used as a station whereby the students rotate through to enter their data. The teacher saves time by having the kids take the test before they get in front of the computer. Even though there wasn’t a 1:1 environment, by students entering their answers online when finished, the teacher still has the data available by the end of the hour in order to make data informed decisions. Assessments: Key to Using Data for Student Success Finding the right balance between classroom management, test security, and instant access to robust data is key for any educator or administrator. When it comes down to it, as with any initiative, implementation must be considered. Districts that identify and provide support for what assessments should be administered online in order to maximize time and data analysis will see the largest gains. Simply training teachers on how to administer online assessments without noting the inherent benefits of the tool can lead to a lack of understanding as to why the tool is being used in the first place. In other words, if educators do not see the value in accessing robust data quickly in order to discuss their findings with students and colleagues, online assessment is just going to be one big hoop to jump through. However, districts that clearly identify what assessments will be administered online, what teachers, administrators, and students will do with the data, and provide ongoing support, will find that the information gleaned from online assessment can transform teacher practice and school culture. As Tammy Maginity noted during our conversation, “It has taken a long time but I think I can say that using data to drive instruction is an important part of the culture at Pennfield Schools. With curriculum and assessment changing, sometimes drastically, from year to year, it is important that we as educators have a clear target for instruction and ability to see if we have hit that target for each individual student.” Mitch Fowler is a School Data Consultant with the Calhoun Intermediate School District in Marshall, MI. He can be reached at fowlerm@calhounisd.org
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Quick Keys and Tips
By Andy Mann
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Credit to: www.flickr.com/photos/13815526@N02/
C h r o m e b oo k
A Chromebook is a personal computer running Google Chrome OS as its operating system. The devices are designed to be used while connected to the Internet and support applications that reside on the Web, rather than traditional PC applications like Microsoft Office and Photoshop that reside on the machine itself (Wikispaces, http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromebook). In the middle and high school where students are using technology for research and to create artifacts of their learning, the Chromebook is an ideal choice and becoming especially popular for districts implementing 1:1 or BOYD. The Chromebook works best in districts that have a robust wireless network and use Google Apps for Education. Tasks which once required the use of applications installed onto a computer running Microsoft Windows or Apple’s OSX operating system, are now accomplished using applications which are hosted on the Internet. Another benefit of Internet-hosted applications is real-time collaboration.
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district’s Google Apps for Education domain. A Chromebook cannot run software which must be installed such as MS Office or Skype. And a Chromebook does not support Java. Programs such as the PowerTeacher Gradebook for PowerSchool which requires Java, will not operate. Doreen Barnes, the Technology Integration Coordinator at Forest Hills Public Schools, is working with teachers to pilot the use of Samsung Chromebook. She said teachers and students love using their Chromebooks. They like using apps such as WeVideo, Typing Club, and ScootPad. They appreciate that when the screens are open, the Chromebook is ready to use in seconds. For more information on using Chromebooks in schools check out these sites: • Chrome Education site: www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/ education/devices/gettingstarted.html
As of this writing, there are four hardware manufacturers making Chromebooks: Samsung, HP, Lenovo, and Acer. Google also makes an innovative but expensive Chromebook called the Pixel. Chromebooks are inexpensive, $249 for the Samsung Chromebook 303. This model of Chromebook weighs 2.4 lbs. and has a battery rated for 6.5 hours. Open the Chromebook’s lid and it is ready to use in less than 10 seconds. Tech directors like that they have no software to install or hard drive to reimage each summer. And for a one-time $30 management license per-device, Chromebooks can be managed, tracked and configured from a management console. The management console allows apps to be “pushed” to all Chromebooks or even set up a Chromebook so it can only go to one website, such as the Smarter Balance Assessment Consortium online test site.
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Edina Public Schools Chromebook site: http://goo.gl/iZz8l
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JoeWoodOnline: www.joewoodonline.com/can-i-trade-theipads-for-chromebooks/
A Chromebook is ideal for many purposes; however, be prepared for a few compromises. Internet access is required for most applications. A user is dependent on Google Chrome for their browser and operating system. If a website does not operate well using the Chrome browser, there is no option to open it in a different browser. And users should have an account with Google, ideally through their
Andy Mann is the REMC 4 Director and Instructional Technology Consultant for Muskegon Area ISD.
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I recommend you purchase a Chromebook and try it out. You’ll be surprised as how much you like it and love how quickly it’s up and ready to use. If you’re involved with tech support or management, I recommend you also purchase the management license which requires a Google Apps for Education account and can take a few weeks for Google to setup. Vendors selling different Chromebooks models include Precision Data, Sehi, CDW-G, and the New Mind Group. Most vendors can also provide the $30 per device Chromebook management license.
[Access live links for the websites in the digital or PDF versions of this journal issue found at www.macul.org/ maculjournal.]
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Show What You Know! The Time for Digital Portfolios is Now By Brad Wilson
As educators try to sort through new legislation and new standards, it’s important to get to the heart of what matters. That core mission for us all is the students- empowering them to be happy lifelong learners and productive citizens. That’s it. And so on the other side of the DataDriven reforms is the clear understanding that learning cannot always be illustrated with a number. Student learning can be seen in a poem, a conversation, a physical act, a video…. There are thousands of pieces of “data” that can show the unique growth of a student. These events and learning products should be celebrated, reflected upon and given at least as much weight as a test score. Many educators are motivated to do just that, and as access to technology tools has risen sharply, so have the ways that we can collect and showcase student learning. Student Portfolios (even E-Portfolios) are not a new concept. But with the rise of tech-infused Project-Based Learning and the increasing demands on schools to document student growth, the Digital Portfolio is emerging as an effective and holistic approach to online assessment. Start with questions Every district, school and teacher is at their own place on the journey toward digitizing their classrooms, so there is no single solution that will work for everyone. It’s important to start with some guiding questions that can help steer you toward the right fit for a move to Digital Portfolios. •
Why is this the best thing for your students? Defining your purpose will help remove the clutter that can cloud the process as more and more factors are introduced. One teacher told me “I want my students to showcase their work from throughout the year”. His students’ portfolios were used as a summative celebration. MACUL Teacher of the Year Nick Provenzano, on the other hand, says “I want to be able to consistently check students’ work, leave them feedback and have them reflecting so that they can improve their next assignment”. In this case there is a day-to-day, formative purpose driving what later “might become a replacement to their final exam”.
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How will the portfolios be shared and what should their life span be? Many classrooms are using a variety of applications to share and connect with a larger learning community out in the world, but is that where their entire journey should be? It will depend on your purpose, the age of your students, considerations of privacy, the benefits of an audience and your district policies. It’s also important to take a long view for where the portfolios will be down the road. Should this be something that travels with the student between classes and grades? Could they be using it to apply to college or get a job?
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What tools and access do your classrooms and families have? While some schools have invested thousands of dollars on iPads or laptops, others are still trying to get by with a few classroom computers or are perhaps exploring BYOD. The device scenario now (and in the near future) will greatly influence the success of any portfolio tool.
Choosing the right ‘digital container’ In the past few years there has been an explosion of dynamic websites and mobile applications that can act as a home for the learning products your students are generating. Some of these are explicitly designed as portfolio solutions, while others are cloud-based services that might fit nicely with device access and goals. You should look for something that will not only answer your “Why? How? and What?” questions, but also be able to handle any types of media your students will want to throw at it. For example, if students are going to do recordings of an interview for a project, can the program house and play audio clips? 22
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Here are some samples of classrooms from around Michigan who are implementing Digital Portfolios. They represent many different purposes and digital container choices. Can they build it? Yes they can! After deciding to move towards Student-Led Conferences for the Spring, Grass Lake teacher Mike Arbuckle wanted a space for his students to show highlights of their learning from 3rd grade. He had them use the website builder Weebly to construct a site focused on the areas of reading, writing, math, Daily 5, and Project-Based Learning. Using lab and classroom computers, they added videos, links, stories, pictures, and creative elements to their sites. Letting each unique learner be in control led to exciting results, and Mike points out that “out of a class of 25 students, not one website looks like another. This was a tremendous learning experience for my students.” Student Jack Easterday commented, “I loved showing off what I learned to my family… it was a lot of fun.”
Mike Arbuckle’s class works together on adding content to their websites. ‘Driving’ PBL in 4th Grade Myla Lee uses her training in Project-Based Learning to provide a hands-on environment where students use “digital backpacks” to explore meaningful driving questions. At Novi’s Deerfield Elementary, the children take photos, research online and create videos…just to name a few methods. While Edmodo helps power their daily discussions and sharing of links, Google Drive has worked extremely well to create Digital Portfolios. “What’s great about Drive is the accessibility and the ease for students, parents, and the teacher” she said. Her students choose typed writing pieces, videos of their learning reflections, photos of their work, and scanned writing/art pieces to feature in their individual folders. To create a ‘window to world’, they are using another Google product: “From their folders, students add chosen work to their individual Google Sites. There, families can see and comment on the work of their children.” More Google Options Patrick Diemer wanted to go “beyond bubble sheets” for collecting data in his Pennfield Middle School technology class. He has turned to Google’s blogging platform, Blogger, which has worked well for hosting a wide variety of student-created content and subsequent reflections.
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The “essentially unlimited” amount of space was one determining factor, and the ability to tag posts with content standards/project names is a big help for reviewing past work. When completing a video project, students are able to upload to YouTube (also in the Google line-up) and then host on their ‘Blog-folio’.
Other tools being used for Digital Portfolios include KidBlog, LiveBinders, VoiceThread and WikiSpaces.
For schools that are using the Google Apps for Education platform, Drive, Blogger and/or Sites might just be a perfect fit. Individual teachers can also utilize the entire suite for free… just head over to Google.com. ‘Three Ring’ Family Circus Third grade students in Drew Minock and Brad Waid’s classrooms are putting on quite the show of learning for their parents! These Bloomfield Hills teachers at Eastover Elementary are totally pumped about how the iPad app and companion website Three Ring has transformed the way they interact and communicate with the families of students. One parent raved, “I feel like a fly on the wall in my child’s classroom.” Drew also explained that Three Ring “gives parents talking points with their child when they return home from school because the parents are able to see the activities and assignments we do throughout the day”. The privacy of Three Ring has been a big plus for the way these elementary teachers are using the portfolios. “Once the picture, video clip or audio recording is shared with the parents, they may comment or ask questions back and forth with the teacher. The teacher can also make private notes for their own use.” The added benefit of going paperless fits in with a school-wide initiative of Sustainability, and having access to a wide variety of student work during Conferences has proven to be extremely valuable.
More Than Just Notes.. Seeking a digital option for “students to show growth” led middle school teacher Erin Luckhardt of Boyne City to explore Evernote. “Our students can include books they’ve made, writing, videos, recordings
So how will your students show what they know? If you are seeking to provide opportunities for them to practice digital-age communication and creativity skills, simply taking tests online is not going to provide for that. As technology helps to shift classrooms toward more student-centered, customized learning, doesn’t the approach to assessment need to provide a way of including a wide variety of “data”? When implemented purposefully (not just as an add-on), Digital Portfolios can be an essential component of monitoring student growth. Best of all, it puts the focus back on assessment FOR learning and will help your community celebrate what matters… the students. To view sample student portfolios, resources and links, visit tinyurl.com/MACULdp Connect with the teachers featured in this article on Twitter! Nick Provenzano @TheNerdyTeacher Mike Arbuckle @arbuckle_mike Myla Lee @MyTLee3 Patrick Diemer @diemerpatrick Drew Minock @TechMinock Brad Waid @Techbradwaid Erin Luckhardt @LizasMom9 of them singing/playing their band instruments or reading. Work completed using a more traditional medium can even be added by simply taking a picture and posting it to their “notebooks”. These collections can be shared with the teacher, parents and peers. Luckhardt is thrilled with the potential for this system. “To look at writing from the beginning of the year or the previous year is really going to allow students to take more control of their learning and to analyze how they’ve improved. I think students take more responsibility and pride in their work when they know that it is for an audience larger than just their teacher.”
Brad Wilson is a former 4th grade teacher who now has the privilege of supporting educators as an Ed Tech Consultant with the Jackson County Intermediate School District. He tweets at @dreambition and shares resources and thoughts at 21innovate.com
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Digital Container Comparison (note: Information listed here is likely to change as companies make various product decisions)
Cost Platforms Highlights
Current Considerations
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Weebly Free teacher + up to 40 student accounts (with limits)
Google (Drive, Sites or Blogger)
Three Ring
Evernote
Free
Free
Free (with storage limits)
Web, iOS, Android
Web, iOS, Android
Web, iOS, Android
Simple drag and drop editing. Unique themes. Link or embed anything (web or files). Mobile friendly websites.
Integrated with Google accounts. Lots of storage for all types of files. Privacy & sharing options.
Upload from any device or computer. Commenting between teacher/student/ parent.
Need Google Apps for EDU for student accounts under 13. Drive is generally not formatted for an “outside audience”.
No ability to publish to the web. Need to use the web and mobile apps together for teacher management.
Web, iOS, Android Works great on all devices and with many different media types. Offline changes will sync.
Free student accounts only get up to 5 pages. The mobile apps are very limited.
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Need an email to register. Shared folders are “view only” for free accounts.
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Michigan’s MI Learning on iTunes U Support student and staff learning with access to curriculum video Collections and online Courses developed by Michigan educators on Michigan’s MI Learning on iTunes U! iTunes U collections work on any device that has iTunes software and courses work best through the iTunes U app on an iPad or iPhone. Check out the resources for students and staff:
manage your own Collection or Course. The MI Learning manager offers any support that’s needed to post learning resources for your area of study! To create a learning Collection using the iTunes U Public Site Manager:
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Directly link to Michigan’s MI Learning at www.macul.org/milearning.
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Build video or screencast content along with any PDF support materials.
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Or, access iTunes > iTunes U tab > K12 > Michigan’s MI Learning.
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Design a 600 x 600 pixel collection album cover and collection description.
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Upload files.
Send the MI Learning site manager your Apple ID to become a MI Learning Contributor and receive access to
To create a Course using the iTunes U Course Manager: •
Design a 600 x 600 pixel course album cover and course description.
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Create a course outline.
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Create a series of “Posts” that match the outline you created. Each post can include an introduction (recommended) and assignments. An assignment can be any of the following: o Anything from the iTunes store (a podcast, song, movie, etc) o An App from the App store o A weblink o A PDF file o An iBook
If you have several self-created videos to include in your course, it is recommended that you post these in a collection on MI Learning and simply reference the link in your course materials. Apply for a MI Learning MACUL Grant of $500 for creating and posting 10 quality video learning resources in a new curriculum collection or course. Visit www.macul.org/ milearning for more information. Contact Judy Paxton, jpaxton@macul.org to get started!
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research and data, and knowledge. The core of an infographic is composed of three parts: the visual, which provides the color, the graphics and reference icons; the content, which provides the timeframe, statistics and references; and finally, the knowledge, which includes the facts and deductions.
Infographics as Creative
What tools to try? Easel.ly www.easel.ly This infographic tool is free. Easel.ly is quite easy as the name implies. It is a web-based tool with a drag and drop interface with six buttons, vhemes (visual themes, templates), objects, backgrounds, shapes, text, and upload. The buttons offer more options when clicked. One of the best features of this tool is that it provides a number of themes to get students started.
Assessment by Julia VanderMolen, Ph.D
As the old adage goes, a picture is worth thousand words, and information represented in pictures can very powerful. Information graphics or infographics are visual representations of information, data, or knowledge. Infographics ask for an active response from the viewer, raising the questions; “What am I seeing?” and “What does it mean?” Infographics are easy to read and easy to digest, and the technology to create one is relatively easy to learn as well. However, it is important to note that as “inviting as infographics are, the ability to make them does not replace strong reading and writing skills” (Jaeger, 2012). As educators, we can help guide users to great creation tools, provide assistance in selecting sources of information to display, and work to craft the assessment tools that evaluate both design and information sources. Infographics require deep understanding of the subject, the ability to summarize details and synthesize knowledge, and the creative spirit to wrap that knowledge up in an appealing way (Jaeger, 2012).
Infogr.am www.infogr.am Infogr.am is a free tool interactive charts or infographics teachers and students can embed in a blog, wiki, or web site or share by URL. Students can choose from one of the themes and can enter information into the existing words and charts. When finished, publish and send to Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, or use the URL to share or embed on your site. Sign in using Twitter or Facebook ID is required. Piktochart www.piktochart.com Everything works via a drag and drop. In our latest version of the program, teachers can use hex colors to make font color changes changes, opacity controls, rotate, grouping, multi-select, duplicate an entire section, and an overall greater flexibility to modify an infographic. That means you can get an infographic done in an even shorter time span!
Infographics can be used by students to share their findings from a research project, create a thinking map of their learning and collaborate with their peers on an inquiry-based learning initiative.
Why Use Infographics for Assessment? Using infographics with students who approach information very differently can be a challenge. Some “see” the information by drawing mental pictures while others “see” as data, information, or words. Think of your teaching colleagues. Who would draw a map or diagram and who would make a list or spreadsheet? What would you do? Before launching into using infographics, take some time to analyze an approach and to plan. A plan will help students to be more successful in creating an infographic to scaffold understanding while offering a formative assessment “window” into their ongoing grasp of concepts and vocabulary. Whether using infographics as summative projects or formative scaffold, students need the background information or data as well as the online tools to make infographics. As educators, how do we begin? Infographics need five steps: a skeleton and flowchart, a color scheme, graphics,
Dipity www.dipity.com Consider using Dipity as a tool to map out the history of just about anything by creating multimedia timelines. Students can research topics, events or people, create their own timelines, and print them out to hand in as assignments. Dipity is easy to grasp and use, but challenging enough for students. Finally, do not forget to use one’s favorite word cloud tools for infographics creation. Students can use the ABCya Word Cloud
INFOGRAPHICS continued on page 34 MACUL journal
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Making Interactive Content for etextbooks, including iBooks, using Adobe Edge Animate By Kelly Kermode
At the 2013 Adobe Max Creativity Conference, the buzz was all about how the Adobe Creative Suite is moving toward a cloud-based model, and moving away from the suite-in-a-box mode for delivering software to the masses. This, along with the edu buzz around collaboration and connectivity, makes several of Adobe Creative Suite programs ideal for content creation and adding interactivity to classroom resources. Edge Animate is a free application only available through the Creative Cloud, and is fast becoming one of the top animation tools.
Figure 1 Students can create interactive infographics, wherein users can click on parts of the original map to bring up other views with illustrated data.
It seems that many people are getting in on the e-text publication process, from students to teachers, to full collaborative efforts across the globe. With so many different authoring tools available, there is one tool for animation creation that exports for three different output options, including iBook widgets, web content, and OAM packages for use with other authoring apps. Adobe Edge Animate is an application one can download from Adobe Creative Cloud. It does require a user to create a free account, but with that the user receives free online storage and several programs to download for free, including Edge Animate. Edge Animate is an application that one can make as simple or as complicated as needed. If simple animation is all that is needed, great; however, if a project requires substantial interactivity, even javascript coding, Edge Animate can easily handle those project needs as well. Many professional designers and web developers have navigated to Edge Animate due to its ease of use.
Figure 2 Edge Animate comes preloaded with several tutorials to get any user up and running within minutes. The in-app lessons run directly in the program, so there is no toggling between applications.
As teachers are being asked to include more technology in their classrooms – and at times – without proper or adequate training. Edge Animate is a program that comes with great tutorials that the teacher and student alike can appreciate and understand. When a user opens the program, the splash screen includes a library of in-app lessons. Each of these tutorials is meant to take the user to the next level of comfort within the program. The best part of the lessons is how they run directly within Edge Animate. When a user opens a lesson, Edge Animate opens a new project file with the lesson running in a panel on the right side of the screen. One never has to toggle between windows or applications to see the tutorial. If one takes a misstep, he or she simply clicks the back arrow in the tutorial for clarification.
Once a project file is started, a user can see the properties panel on the left side of the application window has many options for customizing content. For instance, if a rectangle is created, one has the option to change the opacity, resize it, move its position, recolor the shape’s fill color and/or stroke color, change the level of transparency, skew or rotate the shape, adjust the corner to be rounded, add shadows, or even apply filters. Once the starting settings of the object are defined, the fun begins with adding animation and/or interactivity. Everywhere one finds the small diamond shape means that particular property can be keyframed and changed during the animation process (see Figure 3). 26
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After the initial object has been created, adding animation or interactivity becomes a matter of knowing the desired outcome. Figure 4 shows the initial rectangle being red on the timeline at time marker 0:00. Then the user pulled the time marker to the 0:01 mark and changed the color of the square. Since the auto-keyframe and auto-tween button are highlighted (see red circle in Figure 4) the animation Figure 4 The top left box shows the starting state of the rectangle. was created without having to tell the The top right box should the end state of the rectangle. Looking at program to create the frames between the timeline, one can see how it is one rectangle that starts as red, the two states. The users, especially and ends as purple. By using the auto-keyframe and auto-tweet teachers and students, come into a (transition) features, the animation is created automatically. project knowing what they want to This can be applied to all properties including, but not limited to, create as starting and ending states and rotation, opacity, color, size, shadows, skewing, movement, and positions, and do not have to worry (or visibility. spend valuable class time) creating all the animations or frames in between Figure 3 The properties panel states. It allows the classroom user to focus on the content, and not get caught up in the technical allows users customize the look details. Producing clickable objects, and other interactivity, is produced in much the same way. By of each object, as well as the clicking on an object and opening the actions window, a user can give trigger commands for when transformation each object goes the object is clicked or experiencing mouse-over or mouse-away. To test the project at any point through in the animation or in a browser, the user simply clicks Command+Enter (Mac) or Control+Enter (Win). The browser interactivity. The small diamond will demonstrate the project as it would function in its published state. shape next to a property means that the property can be keyframed When the project is completed and finally ready for export, the user can find the publish options by as part of the animation or going to File > Publish settings. There are three options for exporting a project. Whichever method interactive transformation. the user chooses a sub-folder will be created in the project directory (or folder) on the computer once the “Publish” button is hit. The subfolder will be labeled with the designated output format (see Figure 5). Edge Animate is a versatile program that allows its user much flexibility within an easy-to-use interface. The in-app lessons allow for self-paced learning. Having multiple publishing options, including publishing widgets for iBooks, is another bonus to having Edge Animate as part of one’s repertoire. Note: At the time of this article was due to the publisher Edge Animate was still a free application through the Creative Cloud. Figure 5 Exporting a project as an iBook widget is easy with the publish options available in Edge Animate.
Figure 6 One can create moving animations with text, layers, and graphics to demonstrate concepts, illustrate a method, or visualize a theory. This animation can be viewed at http://bit.ly/EAsample. MACUL journal
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Additional Resources: https://creative.adobe.com https://html.adobe.com/edge/ http://html.adobe.com/edge/animate/ http://bit.ly/edgelinks Kelly Kermode is the communications officer for MACUL SigWeb and an Adobe K12 Education Leader. She can be found tweeting (@coachk), teaching (Forest Hills PS), and creating (http://kkermode.com). If you are interested in Edge Animate and would like more instruction, classroom resources, or have questions regarding the use of this software in your classroom, please contact Kelly at kkermode@gmail.com.
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Preparing Students for a Global & Digital World
21Things4Students
What People Are Saying About 21Things4Students:
• Virtual Classroom
“21things4students� presents real-world skills that students will be able to take with them to business or IT careers.� - Scott Husken, Teacher, Anchor Bay Middle School South, Grades 6-8
• Free technology activities every middle school and high school teacher can use
• “Just in Time Trainingâ€? preparing students in grades 6-8 for 21st century educational technology skills
• How to Videos • Hands-On Project Based Activities
“21things4students is an engaging, interactive program that makes learning vital technology concepts fun! My students loved it!� - Kathy Campau, Teacher, Richmond Middle School, Grades 5-8 “21things4students is the only open source resource that I have found that provides information, web links, and activities for students and teachers that cover the National and Michigan Technology Standards. Teachers in all subject areas can now be better equipped to integrate the technology standards is powerful, ever- changing, and engaging; I look forward to seeing the transformation in education!� - Renee Jorae, Teacher, St. Johns Middle School, Grades 6-8
2 1 t hi ngs4 students. n e t
• Creation of a Digital Portfolio or Online Presence • Lesson activities for teachers • Aligned with Michigan Technology Standards (MET-S) • Aligned with National Technology Standards for Students (NET-S) • Meets Michigan’s 8th grade technology
For more information contact
21things4students@remc.org
By Sue Schwartz
www.21things4students.net Student and teacher focus groups were held in the Spring of 2103 to provide feedback on the REMC Association’s 21Things4Students project. The following input is being used to ensure that the 21things4students content and resources continue to help students improve their technology proficiency as they prepare for success in the 21st century. “I could not have done this on my own at home” … a comment from a Grand Rapids area middle school student that reflects how the 21 Things 4 Students gives creative opportunities to students, including those who are LESS technology oriented and experienced. Students of all technology skill levels proudly showed their own web pages they created in Weebly. It was obvious how much they like to personalize their own web pages to their own tastes and favorites. Some students who are less familiar with computers appreciate the 21 Things for helping them become more comfortable on a computer. A 6th-grader notes “this is the only class I get on a computer,” while an 8th-grader is glad how the 21 Things “has taught me how to learn online, learning online is so much different than sitting in a classroom, you can work independently.” A series of in-depth interviews with middle schools students and teachers uncovered what they like best about the 21 Things, along with their suggestions for improvement. Favorite 21 Things activities among both students and teachers are valued for their use beyond their computer classes into other classes and at home. A leading example is the Copyright quest in Be Legal & Fair … “we learned you can’t do anything you want with stuff.” The students feel safer after learning how to protect their identity in Cyber Safety, and how “it’s easier now when you’re doing research” after doing Search Strategies. After learning how to shop for a cell phone in Buyer Beware, students remark “it helps you organize what’s the best value.”
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Of course, the teachers appreciate when the 21 Things aligns with Common Core standards … “the more you can do to tie in with Math and English and Common Core, that’s awesome.” Additionally, the interactive learning activities in the 21 Things such as in Cyber Safety prepare the students for Common Core testing. A teacher notes “a lot of those tests will have the same type of interface, this exposure is really good for them as a learning process.” Students suggest adding more screenshots to the text instructions. Not only will this add more visual instruction, it also serves to break up long text blocks of instruction. It was apparent that video and audio instructions are not as practical in large classrooms where there are few headsets readily available. Teachers suggest adding a “Digital Etiquette” set of activities to the 21 Things to “keep students more in touch personally” in an increasingly digitally connected world. This includes activities to remind kids about not talking on their cell phone during dinner, how to write in email, and “when to send and when not to send.” A teacher notes how this is becoming increasingly important as “we’re trying to create a policy in our building because more kids are coming to school with their own devices.” Teachers note each student “shows up with a different set of background knowledge.” Moreover, each student’s readiness varies among the 21 Things as “it’s all different levels, some of it too easy and some of it is too hard.” Consequently, some students and teachers recommend adding perhaps three levels of difficulty comparable to beginning, intermediate and advanced readiness for each activity within the 21 Things, as is common in many educational and video games. This could enable each student in every grade to use the 21 Things at their own personal capacity. A student more familiar with technology feels “a more advanced section in each one would allow you to be more creative.” For more information contact 21things4students@remc.org.
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Many systems issue badges. Gamers recognize them as key components of the video games they play; Edmodo users may recognize that badging module that exists within this classroom management system. What’s really new is the Open Badges Infrastructure (OBI), an open-source framework organized by the Mozilla Foundation (the open-source folks behind projects like Webmaker, the Firefox browser, and the Thunderbird email client). OBI’s purpose is to create badges which transcend any particular game or system. OBI-compliant badges, such as those made at OpenPassport.org, http://Badg.us, ForAllBadges.com, or ClassBadges.com, don’t just have value inside those systems. Earned badges can be pushed or ported into Mozilla’s “digital backpack,” where badges from many OBI-compliant sites can merge into a new kind of digital portfolio.
Getting Started
How do digital badges help my students? Your students’ learning is not limited to school hours. Learning happens everywhere: in traditional spaces like classrooms, in informal spaces like sports arenas, enrichment classes as well as in virtual spaces such as online courses and discussion forums. Not all of this learning is measured or communicated, however, leaving part of the learner’s story untold.
with Digital Badges Kristin Fontichiaro and Angela Elkordy Remember the merit badges that you or your classmates displayed on a sash or vest? Cool icons, but if you weren’t a fellow scout, you might not have known what they stood for. Now imagine those same badges online. Instead of guessing about their meaning, you click on them and, by doing so, can learn who issued the badge, the tasks completed and products created to earn the badge. Maybe you can even click through to find a photo, video, or blog post featuring the badge earner’s work. And unlike cloth badges, which are stitched in place on uniforms, the badges online can be endlessly shuffled, rearranged, hidden, or highlighted according to the anticipated audience. Now compare that badge collection to a report card’s list of letter grades. Which tells you more about a learner and her interests, skills, and accomplishments? If you’re like us, you’ve picked the online version. Welcome to the digital badge movement! From Disney-Pixar to Microsoft, 4-H to NASA, the Smithsonian to Intel, badging is the newest attempt to capture and articulate learning that happens anywhere: in classrooms, online, community center basements, workshops, and libraries. In this article, we’ll examine what you need to know as digital badging goes mainstream. What is a digital badge? A digital badge is a micro-credential that is created, awarded, accepted, and displayed online. More than an image, it has metadata, a collection of information about who issued the challenge, who earned it, and the evidence of learning that was required to earn it. Badges are part of a growing movement to provide more insight into a learner’s accomplishments. An individual or organization creates a challenge -- a task that, upon successful completion, demonstrates a new understanding, skill, or behavior. If a learner can show evidence of completing the challenge, he earns the badge. 30
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Traditional letter grades and standardized test scores tell part of a learner’s story, but their strengths are in summarizing student accomplishment, not expanding it through feedback during the learning process. Digital badges give new insight into your students’ skills and abilities. Because digital badges can transcend the silos separating formal from informal learning, they hold tremendous potential for giving educators, admissions directors, employers, and peers a more holistic understanding of a student and his skills and potential. By porting badges collected at a variety of OBI-compliant sites like those above into a Mozilla backpack, students can sculpt the persona they want to share. They may show one collection of badges -- those featuring academic accomplishments -- to the National Honor Society advisor and another -- those featuring coding skills learned at the local hackerspace -- to their coding friends. Unlike a report card, a Mozilla backpack allows students to control who sees what. Badges, employed with thoughtfulness, can build a more powerful and robust view of students’ personal and professional identities. While digital badging is just now entering mainstream conversation, we anticipate that badging will, like portfolios and resumes, gain credibility as a method for demonstrating skills and competences. Perhaps, in the future, taking a programming course at the local hackerspace, and earning a badge, will exempt a student from an in-school programming course. Perhaps badges will be used alongside grades, essays, and test scores in college admissions or employment. 3. How Do I Make a Digital Badge? You may be wondering how you can make badges, either as a part of your existing class structure or as a way to challenge and motivate students to pursue personal interests.
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After creating an account at one of the sites above, step back and think about what you want your students to know or be able to do. This is your badge’s goal or objective. You’ll want to find a “just-right” spot between too easy (and not worth earning) and too hard (and seemingly impossible). Some badges take weeks or months to earn; other badges can be earned in a single day. Next, just as in Wiggins and McTighe’s (2005) Backward Design movement, move next to how you will know if they have accomplished that goal. What evidence do you need to be certain that they have met this goal? If you want students to understand how access to light affects plant growth (goal/objective), then evidence might be two labeled plants grown from the same type of seed under different circumstances. If you want students to show that they understand the formatting of a five-paragraph essay, then the evidence might be an outline (whereas a completed essay might be evidence of writing style). Sometimes, you can cluster together a series of smaller skill badges that, if all are earned, trigger the awarding of a larger badge (See Figure 1). For example, a math student might receive a badge for demonstrating the area of a triangle, a second for the area of a rectangle, and a third for the area of a circle. Once each is earned, the student might automatically receive a, “Calculation of Area” badge. Alternatively, the goal for a single badge about area might require three pieces of evidence: accurate calculations for a sample rectangle, triangle, or circle.
themselves) or observed by you or another teacher. While it is always useful to have links to evidence, sometimes it is not practical (for example, perhaps you have 40 first graders and don’t have time to upload all of their work, or district policy precludes posting work of students) or possible (in the case of badges awarded for soft skills such as helpfulness, perseverance, or evidence of creativity). Give your badge a name, upload a graphic (make your own or find a Creative Commons-licensed image at TheNounProject. com or Search.CreativeCommons.org, attributing it in the badge description), add descriptive tags, and you’re ready to announce your challenge to the class! When students articulate that they have completed a challenge, check their work against the criteria you set forth in the badge description. As the badge issuer, your credibility is on the line, so if you’re not certain, give informal feedback to the learner and ask that she try again. When you are confident of achievement, ask the student to create an account with the badge platform (remember to check for regulations to see if the platform requires users to be age 13 to make an account) and issue them the badge via a claim code or email, according to the set-up of that platform. Students can then create a separate account at OpenBadges.org (they must be at least 13 years old). From then on, they can use Badg.us’s option to make those badges visible both in Badg.us and in the backpack. Where can I learn more? Because OBI is open-source, meaning that the code is meant to be shared, you’ll find a generous community of individuals willing to help. If you are interested in the nuts and bolts of badging, you might enjoy the online discussion group at https://groups.google. com/forum/#!forum/openbadges. For some additional readings on badges, visit http://bitly.com/bundles/activelearning/1. If you’d like to be part of a research study on digital badging for STEM learning, contact Angela Elkordy at aelkordy@emich.edu. Additional details about the study are available at: www.badgebox.net/digital-badgesin-stem-learning/. Conclusion Are badges a panacea for education? Of course not. But they offer an intriguing new pathway to bridge the gap between formal and informal education, offering us powerful new opportunities to knit together stronger, more multidimensional experiences for kids. References Wiggins, G. T. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding By Design, expanded 2nd edition. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Figure 1: The data hacker badge series, designed by Angela Elkordy for students in grades 8-10, consists of four standardized-aligned levels. Level 1 is awarded for successful completion of tasks which require recognizing and understanding statistical terms and data representations. By level four, badge earners have developed their own data collection method and collected, analyzed and interpreted data regarding an authentic problem in their community.
Kristin Fontichiaro is a clinical assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Information and faculty founder of the Michigan Makers projects on makerspaces and badging. font@umich.edu Angela Elkordy is a doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership, (Instructional Technologies Cognate) at Eastern Michigan University. Her research explores how digital badges may impact informal and formal learning. aelkordy@emich.edu
Next, decide if the evidence will be posted online (and linked to from the badge metadata so that future viewers can view it for MACUL journal
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Reinventing the Library
We are now re-inventing our library to try to become a more digital and virtual resource for our students. We have greatly increased our spending on databases and ebooks and reworked our website in order to try to increase the use of our digital resources by our students. As we try to incorporate more digital resources into our virtual library, there are a couple of issues with which we struggle. The first is that there are a variety of vendors selling databases and ebooks. In order for our patrons, whether students or staff, to search through all our digital resources, they have to go through several searches in different places. To find an appropriate article for a research project, they may need to look through 5 or 6 different vendors search engines. Similarly, to find an ebook requires the user to look through several different sources. We have been making some progress on these issues. A first bit of progress occurred when we realized that Google Scholar settings can now be set to add Library Access links. You can see more information about this capability from the Google Scholar support area here: http://scholar.google.com/intl/en/ scholar/libraries.html. This means that when our students now do a Google Scholar search, in addition to other web-based results, they will also see the results from some of our subscribed periodical indexes, such as the ones from EBSCO and JSTOR.
Achieving Library 2.0
Another step forward occurred with the new capabilities of adding MARC records to our library catalog for ebooks purchased from multiple vendors. By doing so, our students can simply look in our catalog for ebooks and see those from both Follett Shelf and Overdrive. They can then simply click on the link to read the book online or check it out to their ebook reader. If they are using a mobile device with the correct apps loaded, this now means they have anytime, anywhere access to our ebooks.
By Tim Staal
We still have a long way to go in providing access to the digital resources our students need. Another big issue that I’m sure a number of you are aware of is the reluctance of some ebook publishers to make content available to libraries as opposed to individuals. There are currently several different approaches, and resultant pricing schemes, being taken by the publishers regarding libraries. Here in India, the situation is even more complicated, because even some of the ebooks that are available to libraries in the US are not available to us here because of international copyright and marketing differences. Interesting times.
We have a very technology rich environment at the American School of Bombay. All of our students have laptop computers and most of them also have secondary mobile devices that they use at school (iPads, smart phones of many kinds, etc.). We encourage those uses and try to help our students become good digital citizens and fluent information users. 32
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Finally, I wanted to share an info-graphic I recently came across. “Libraries of the Future” that is a visualization adapted from a keynote address at the 2012 State University of New York Librarians Association Annual Conference: http://librarysciencelist.com/libraries-of-the-future-visualization/ Tim Staal is a past-president of MACUL and formerly the Executive Director of MAME. He is currently living in Mumbai, India, where he is serving as Head Librarian at the American School of Bombay: www.asbindia.org. Tim’s Email: tstaal@gmail.com.
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Providing Quality Resources
By Sue Schwartz
As the new school year is about to begin I would like to take this opportunity to remind you of the quality w w w . r e m c . o r g resources the REMC Association provides to Michigan educators. These statewide projects address improved educational opportunities for students, support the needs of member REMCs and have both statewide application and impact.
MI Streamnet - Live and on-demand video resources for educators including Michigan Merit Exam administration, State Board of Education meetings, MACUL conference sessions, the REMC Connected Educator Series plus a wide variety of classroom curriculum material [www.mistreamnet.org].
Blended Learning in the Classroom – A blended learning experience that provides teachers with the professional development and support they need to become successful in their transition to a blended model of teaching [www.remc.org/blendedlearning].
21Things4Students – Virtual/hybrid classroom course for students in grades 6-12 to learn and demonstrate basic technology proficiency [www.21things4students.net].
Connected Educator Series – Brings the ideas and practices of exceptional technology using educators directly to teachers and administrators in an easy to access, easy to use video format. Available at MI Streamnet (www.mistreamnet.org) and MACUL’s MI Learning (www.macul.org/milearning), [www.remc.org/ connectededucator]. Michigan Learns Online – Information and resources about participating in, developing or delivering online learning. Includes a growing repository of lessons, units and courses for use in teaching online [www.milearnsonline.org].
$AVE Bid Project - Volume bid pricing for Computers, Peripherals and Hardware, Network Electronics, Supplies, Software, Equipment and Paper. Michigan schools saved $58,000,000 in 2010 [www. remcbids.org]. Streaming Video Project (RSVP) - Online access to relevant instructional video and the Michigan Comprehensive Health Model video at no cost to schools [www.remc.org/rsvp].
21Things4Teachers – Online training where K-12 educators can develop their own technology skills and discover what students need in order to meet the NETS for Students [www.21things4teachers.net].
If you have any questions about the REMC Association or its Projects, please contact me at sueschwartz@remc.org. Sue Schwartz is the Executive Director for the REMC Association of Michigan.
ADVOCATES continued from page 7 also explained the federal mandate to assess students online by the year 2014, something that very few school districts are equipped to do at this time. 2. It is time to increase the cap for e-Rate: The E-Rate is part of the federal universal service program, a support mechanism that was created in 1934 to ensure that rural consumers had affordable phone service. E-Rate has played a major role in increasing public school classroom internet connections from 14% in 1998 to nearly 100% today. The E-Rate has also helped low-income, minority and rural students gain similar access in their classrooms to their peers around the country. Despite these impressive figures, E-Rate’s mission is incomplete. School bandwidth needs are continuing to skyrocket as educators incorporate cutting-edge digital tools and devices, online content and videos, blended learning models and more into classrooms to further personalize the learning experience. Moreover, schools are moving towards intensive online and adaptive assessments which, while allowing teachers to customize instruction and ensure that all students graduate high school college-and-career ready, are bandwidth intensive. According to Education SuperHighway’s National School Speed Test, only 13% of schools meet the State Educational Technology Directors Association’s recommended standard of 100mbps per 1000 students for digital learning. This data tracks with a 2010 FCC survey in which 80% of E-Rate participants indicated that their broadband connections do not fully meet their needs. MACUL journal
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The E-Rate remains desperately underfunded to meet school broadband needs, with demand outstripping available current funding by a factor of 2 to 1. The E-Rate’s $2.25 billion annual cap, established in 1998 and based on a now outmoded 15 year old cost estimate, has not increased appreciably since that time. An annual cap adjustment, based on inflation, that the Commission approved in 2010 has only added a fraction of the support necessary to meet surging demand. The cap was set 15 years ago before mobile technology was even around. We explained that all schools need the wireless infrastructure to support technology use for learning. The staffs of our senators and representatives were receptive to our ideas. They appreciated our explanations as well as our dedication and service to the Michigan educational community and voiced support for the two points outlined above. MACUL is dedicated to assisting the education community through support, promotion, and leadership in the effective use of educational technology. We advocate for educational technology to support you! Pam Shoemaker, ED.S. is the 2013-14 MACUL President. She serves as the Technology Instructional Coach for the Walled Lake Consolidated School District. Contact her at pam.shoemaker@macul.org. Follow her on Twitter @shoemap
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Fresh start continued from page 6 • Ric Wiltse, MACUL’s Executive Director, recently completed his term on ISTE’s Board of Directors. He served as ISTE’s Treasurer, and we are proud of him for representing MACUL on the national educational technology stage. • Nick Provenzano, teacher at Grosse Pointe South High School, was awarded with MACUL’s 2013 Technology Using Teacher of the Year. He was also awarded in June with ISTE’s 2013 Outstanding Teacher Award at the ISTE Conference in San Antonio, Texas! Nick states, “My classroom has evolved from a lecture style classroom filled with passive note-takers, to a collaborative, project based classroom filled with engaged students. By attending and presenting at conferences, using social media to advocate educational technology, integrating the ISTE-NETS and working with the community, I feel I have created an outstanding learning environment for the students in my classroom and the teachers in my Professional Learning Network.” Congratulations, Nick!
• Gary Abud, a MACUL member and frequent presenter at MACUL events, was named as the 2013-14 Michigan Teacher of the Year by the Michigan Department of Education. Gary carries on the tradition of the Michigan Teacher of the Year being a MACUL member. We are proud! “Measuring Student Learning” is the theme of this edition of the MACUL Journal. There are many outstanding articles that provide unique insights and information as we think about implementing formative and summative assessments in online and blended environments. Enjoy the Fall edition of the MACUL Journal! Pam Shoemaker, ED.S. is the 2013-14 MACUL President. She serves as the Technology Instructional Coach for the Walled Lake Consolidated School District. Contact her at pam.shoemaker@macul.org. Follow her on Twitter @shoemap
INFOGRAPHICS continued from page 25 option housed at www.abcya.com/word_clouds.htm. Remember when using this tool that the size of the word does not relate to the frequency. Then move to the ever popular Wordle, www.wordle.net. Consider having students start with the advanced features as they create infographics. Here the concept of ratios can be used with data. Also introduce learners to Tagxedo, www.tagxedo.com. Here the word clouds can be shaped for engaging text based infographics. Quick lessons using word clouds as infographics are wonderful starting places for any age. These tools work well as learning centers, with projection devices and with mobile devices.
can gain an understanding and make a connection to vocabulary, data and other information.
Infographics provide a unique combination of text and visual design to tell a story. Infographics can be used by students to share their findings from a research project, create a thinking map of their learning and collaborate with their peers on an inquiry-based learning initiative. Through the use of infographics in the classroom students
Dr. Julia VanderMolen is an Assistant Professor and Department Coordinator of Science and Health Online at Davenport University. She is the Communication officer for the MACUL SIG Professional Learning and can be contacted via phone @ 616.233.3400 or by email @ julia.vandermolen@macul.org
References Beth, C. L. (1998). Designing infographics: Theory, creative techniques & practical solutions. Technical Communication, 45(2), 237-240. Byrne, R. (2011). Picture this: Infographics help users gain a handle on complex data. Create your own with these tools. School Library Journal, 57(6). Jaeger, P. (2012). Is a picture worth $2,500? School Library Journal, 58(8), 17. Troutner, J. (2011). Be creative with infographics. Teacher Librarian, 38(3), 48.
BUSY FALL continued from page 6 and Tools, and Data to Inform Instruction. For more information, link to www.macul.org.
and SIG leaders and thank everyone for their service to MACUL.
While you are marking your calendar, make sure that you are planning on attending the 2014 MACUL Conference, held in Grand Rapids on March 12-14. The theme of this year’s conference is Ignite Learning. Register now at www. macul.org and see what’s hot in education technology!
Leaving the Board are Tim Kamps (8 years of service), Sandra Plair (2 years of service), Carolyn McCarthy (8 years of service) and Stacey Schuh (6 months of service). The Board welcomes new members Sue Hardin, Patti Harju, and Gina Loveless.
Changes in MACUL Leadership As a new school year begins, MACUL welcomes new Board members and Special Interest Group leaders for 2013-2014. We also say goodbye to our outgoing Board members
SIG leaders who are leaving their positions are Sue Hardin, Cynthia Kleinheksel, and Gina Loveless and Jane Perzyk who are being replaced by Amy Lambries, Craig McMichael, David Noller, and Gayle Underwood.
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Your advertisement will also appear in the MACUL Journal digital version with worldwide access. Additional information and flash files may be added to the digital advertisement. www.macul.org/maculjournal. Advertising Discounts: For MACUL sponsorship opportunities, call the MACUL office at 517.882.1403. Major sponsors receive 25% advertising discount. General sponsors receive 10% advertising discount.
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The MACUL Journal is sent to every school district in Michigan as well as to educators in nearly 40 states, and Canada. The Journal is an important source of information for teachers and administrators in elementary through college levels. The Journal is published four times a year, with a readership circulation of over 6,000. A digital version is also available online. Need help developing an ad? As a service to our advertisers, ad design and copy alterations are available for a fee. The publisher reserves the right to reject any advertising not in keeping with our standards Cancellations are not accepted after the ad reservation due date.
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