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rubrics

12 Key Criteria to Consider When Deciding on a New Learning Management System

by Guest Blogger October 8, 2017

written by Guest Blogger

Engaging K-12 students while ensuring that lessons properly align with state standards can be a monumental undertaking in today’s classroom. Over the last few years, using a learning management system (LMS) to document, track, report, and deliver curriculum is one thing that is making that easier. At the same time, they’re also giving pupils voice and choice, enabling personalization, and encouraging collaboration.

The question is, though, how does a district go about conducting an effective learning management system analysis to find a platform that meets (and exceeds) the individual needs and expectations?

Finding the Right Rubric

The first step is to consider adopting a rubric. After evaluating several sources for rubrics, we decided to use Criteria for the Evaluation of Learning Management Systems to review the numerous solutions we looked at. These included, but were not limited to, comprehensive solutions like itslearning as well as free versions like Canvas, Edmodo, and Piazza. We adapted the rubric accordingly and picked numerous platforms to review based on our familiarity with them and the variety of paid and free options offered by each.

Beyond the rubric, talk to schools and districts currently using the LMS solutions under consideration and gather informed feedback on how each platform performs. Finally, don’t forget to request demo accounts so that stakeholders can “try before they buy.” And while the basics obviously include seeing what products are out there, reviewing what each product will do, and then choosing the best product for your environment, there are actually several additional steps that every district should take before making a final selection. I’ve outlined my 12 key points to consider when selecting an LMS below.

1. Pedagogical Design

Knowing that the LMS’s main charge would be providing content and tools for engaging students and conducting interactive learning, we sought out a platform that integrates well with interactive tools and that allows us to routinely add new pedagogical tools to the system.

2. Design and Layout

We knew that a functional interface with a decent layout would do an “okay” job, but one that allowed for easy navigation with minimal training would be even better. During our research, we set our sights on finding an LMS that had a simple, intuitive interface with minimal clicks to access materials, with little or no training needed to get started.

3. Course Export

Does the LMS allow users to export course structure and content, as well as selected sub-elements of a course, using an industry-standard such as IMS Content Packaging? This important question was on our minds as we reviewed our LMS options, knowing that the solution would be most effective when serving as a fully-integrated solution for our district.

4. Archives

A good LMS has strong archival tools that support backup of completed courses with student submissions and discussions intact. An excellent match includes archive tools that support automatic backup of completed courses with student submissions and discussions intact. With the latter, instructors have full access and control of completed courses.

5. Communication

We wanted a platform that included both asynchronous (email) and synchronous communication tools and that provides a high level of flexibility for the use of email (asynchronous by roster, individual, or group) as well as instant messaging, chat, and threaded discussions.

6. File Exchange

In today’s collaborative educational environment, simple file exchange is a must-have. We sought out an LMS that provides secure drop-boxes and shared folders for file exchange among students as well as instructors—and that also allows for bulk downloads of attached files.

7. Sections and Groups

The platform had to allow instructors to define sub-groups of students within the class roster for purposes of communication and collaborative work, but we also needed a hierarchy of support sections within a single course (i.e., so that course content could be shared among sections).

8. E-portfolios

We wanted a platform that included an integrated, full-featured e-portfolio tool that would make it possible to gather, review, and present work products to support any portfolio strategy (e.g., résumé, learning, tenure, etc).

9. Discussion Tools

To streamline communications, our LMS needed to include extremely fast and highly-functional discussion tools complete with featured user profiles or pictures, file attachments, and HTML interface.

10. Testing and Assessment Tools

Our new LMS had to go beyond just simple test generation and provide user-friendly tools for creating assessments with multimedia, learning games, and other interactive tools (such as polls). Going a step further, the new platform would be able to provide immediate feedback with tips for remediation.

11. Grade Book and Student Tracking

The platform had to include a highly-functional grade book that was easy to use and that allowed grades to be exported to a spreadsheet or student information system (SIS). Through the platform, teachers could access student tracking tools to learn, for example, which pages the student has viewed and what tasks have been completed. From there, the student receives an email when his or her participation is substandard.

12. Learning Analytics

In today’s analytics-centric learning environment, we wanted an LMS that could provide in-depth data gathering and reporting on learning outcomes based on configurable rubrics, and that would also allow for longitudinal analysis of cohorts as well as individuals (including e-portfolios).

Find the LMS That’s Right for You

The other key points that we factored in while reviewing our options included calendar and selective release (i.e., a collaborative calendar with pop-up announcements); integration with library resources (to allow faculty to find and reference both public and licensed library materials, including full texts); the use of open standards; and the availability and delivery of training materials and technical support.

When exploring your own options, be sure to incorporate the key points from this rubric—and your district’s individual wants and needs—into your final decision. There are hundreds of LMS options out there on the market today, so it pays to take the time and do your own research to find the right one.

This is a guest blog by Michael Cummings, who is the Technology Learning Coach in the Division of Technology at the Fort Worth Independent School District.

October 8, 2017 0 comment

Engaging Learners with Microsoft Forms

by Miguel Guhlin February 6, 2017

written by Miguel Guhlin

Dump those old paper rubrics and flip the learning! Empower yourself and your students to use Microsoft Forms for the quick evaluation of academic work. This makes grading easy and simplifies the process for students. In fact, it can create a culture of collaboration and self-assessment. Let’s explore some ideas for using Microsoft Forms, as well as review Forms features, in the classroom and/or for professional learning.

#1 – Flip Learning

Flipped learning videos enable students to seize anytime, anywhere learning opportunities. However, a challenge for teachers and students involves deepening engagement with the video content. While tools like EdPuzzle and Flipgrid offer built-in assessments and video responses, respectively, they are also more involved than simply filling out a form.

#2 – Check for Understanding

With Microsoft Forms, you are able to gain insight into students’ engagement with a video or online activity, including flipped learning videos. Here’s the process you can follow:

Create a Microsoft Form.
Embed a YouTube video, image (such as a Powerpoint slide with information or diagram), or Office Mix.
Pose questions that check for understanding about the video.
Students complete the questions as they watch the video.

You can review student submissions, as can students, depending on the goal of the check for understanding. Some also rely on Microsoft Forms to create exit tickets. “Exit tickets can be a great way to set up the next day’s learning,” says Diana Benner (@diben). “Before students leave class, they can be asked for an ‘exit ticket’ that provides insight into what they learned from the day’s activities.”

#3 – Empower Students to Create Rubrics

Make it possible for students to collaborate and create their own rubrics for class projects. Not only do you create a culture of teaming, but students will experience a model, purpose-driven learning.

#4 – Remember Awesome Failures

Tracking success can energize learning, while tracking failures can kickstart new directions and possibilities. Use Microsoft Forms to create a digital
space where students and teacher(s) share what did not work and why. When learning new ideas and implementing projects, sharing how you have failed can be an effective motivator.

Having these awesome failures relevant to projects over time can help map out roadblocks and detours that students can take. Create a virtual failure space with Microsoft Forms to capture incomplete implementations or partial success. Model the use of this with your students.

#5 – List Learning Take-Aways

“What are the most important takeaways from today’s lesson or reading?” Microsoft Forms can facilitate the list that results from this kind of prompt. Combine this approach with soliciting feedback from the community. As students work on a project, post their works in progress (video or photo) and then invite community members you trust to share their suggestions.

Getting Started with MS Forms

To get started with MS Forms, all you need is an Office 365 account, which is available through your school district or free. Let’s walk through the steps:

Get an Office 365 account for free.
Add a new form.
Select the type of questions. You have several choices such as Multiple Choice, Quiz, Text, Rating, Date.
Type your question or add media (e.g. YouTube video, image).
Publish the form to others in your organization or anyone with the link.

To better understand the possibilities, here is a list of MS Form features.

Creating a Survey

Requires an Office 365 account (free)
Multiple question types, including Choice, Quiz, Text, Rating, and Date
Easily embed YouTube video or images in the question text
Add subtitles (in case you want more instructions; media adding isn’t available for subtitles)
Option to shuffle responses
Add question to Quiz computation
Add “Other” to available responses

Organizing Questions

Adjust theme to reflect color of choice or available background image
Preview form using built-in desktop or mobile view
Re-order questions using up/down arrows
Copy/duplicate question
Delete or “trash” question
Branching dependent upon response chosen to a particular question

Sharing Form and Viewing Results

Share form online via copy link, email, QR code download, or web page embedding
Copy link to MS Form and then paste it into OneNote 2016 to embed form for student use
Make it easy to track those who complete the form in your organization or make it available sans tracking for anyone with the link.
Save results as an Excel spreadsheet. After all the responses have been gathered, use Excel to add formulas and sort the data in order to analyze it.

Opening/Closing Form for Completion

Set start/end dates at specific times for when the MS Form is opened or closed for completion.
When form is NOT accepting responses, create a custom message as to why.
View/delete/print individual responses or summary responses in aggregate form with graphs.
See what the average completion time is for the Form.

Also, each question has individual options that you can take advantage of. For example, the Rating question type includes the ability to assign labels. With the Rating question type, you can switch between stars (e.g. 5 stars for great!) or numbers (e.g. 1-5, with 5 being the best).

Conclusion

As you can see, MS Form boasts an extensive list of easy-to-use features. Combine it with one of the five approaches mentioned above to engage learners in your Office 365 classroom. If you are already creating rubrics, exit tickets, or awesome failure walls in Microsoft Forms, I’d love to hear from you! Share your examples with me at @mguhlin on Twitter or mguhlin@tcea.org via email.

February 6, 2017 0 comment

Google Tips and Tricks

Take Advantage of the Power of Google Forms for Perfect Rubrics

by Diana Benner January 17, 2016

written by Diana Benner

During a recent Google Educator Level I training, a participant asked, “Have you ever used a Google Form to create a rubric?” No one in the training, including myself, had ever used Google Forms this way.

We all agreed that rubrics are great for students. Rubrics clearly communicate what is expected and give students the opportunity to do a self-assessment to reflect on their learning process. In the past, I’ve had students evaluate their own and their peers’ performance using rubrics. What I particularly like about using rubrics is that they can be customized to suit any classroom activity. Had I created my rubrics in Google Forms, my life would have been so much easier.

Below are a few ways to create rubrics in Google Forms.

Use Grid-Type Questions

Using grids is typically how most rubrics are set up. When the user completes this type of rubric, he will be presented with a grid of rows and columns and will need to click a single cell to place his response for each row.

To create a grid-type rubric:

Create a Google Form and enter a title.
Type in your overall question, directions, or topic that will apply to each question in the grid (for example, Presentation Rubric).
Select the grid-type question.
For the columns, enter your rubric scale. For example, 4 = Excellent.
For the rows, enter your rubric criteria. For example, Student presents information in logical sequence.
Click Done and preview your form.

Click here to see my rubric using a grid-type question.

Use Scale-Type Questions in Rubrics

Using scales is another way to set up your rubric. When the user completes this type of rubric, he will be presented with a scale of values on which to place his response.

To create a scale-type rubric:

Create a Google Form and enter a title.
Type in your overall question, criteria, or topic that will apply to the scale (for example, Organization).
Enter help text, if needed, to help identify point values of the scale.
Select the scale-type question.
Add your scale by entering a starting point (0 or 1) and an ending point (up to 10) for your scale.
Next, add values for the starting point, such as Disorganized and add values for the ending point, such as Very Organized.
Click Done and preview your form.

Click here to see my rubric using scale-type questions.

Other Items to Add to Your Form

Some other helpful items to add to your form at the beginning include:

The name of the evaluator
The class period
A unique identifier (a code or number assigned to the student who is being evaluated)

Make these required questions by checking the box at the bottom of the question. That way, these questions won’t accidently be skipped.

Collecting Responses

As you most likely know, one of the beautiful features of Google Forms is that it automatically collects responses in a Google Sheet. Once all responses have been collected, you can then add formulas and sort the data in order to analyze it.

Now’s the time to stop using paper rubrics, like I once did. Try re-creating them in Google Forms. If you are already creating rubrics in Google Forms, I’d love to hear from you. Share your examples with me at dbenner@tcea.org.

January 17, 2016 1 comment