UNIVERSITYOFWISCONSINSTOUT

EDUC
762
MIDTERM
Preparedby:
RobHenseler,LauraKhoury,JeanLaPaze,VickiThornley
Submittedto:Dr.DattaKaurKhalsa
AssessmentinELearningSummer2013
JIGSAWASSESSMENTTOOLBOX
INTRODUCTION:THEJIGSAWMETHOD
Jigsaw was originally developed by Elliot Aronson et.al. in their book Jigsaw Classroom (1978) as a cooperative learning
design lesson where each student has a piece of information he/she is responsible for and when the pieces are put together, the
whole picture or Jigsaw appears.The main goal of this midterm is to experience cooperative assessment so each of us chose an
assessment tool and became an expert in it. We chose Edmodo for Web 2:0 assessment tool, Groove (renamed Microsoft
Sharepoint Workspace) as a peertopeer/instructortostudent collaboration tool, Zoomerang/Survey Monkey from the quiz/test
builder category and Excel spreadsheet as a course tracking tool. We added to our toolbox Audacity which is an audio/visual
assessment tool which, we believe, will add rigor to our midterm. We then synthesized our materials and collectively worked on the
introductionandtheconclusion.
We learned early on this semester that alternative assessment is the exception not the rule (Buhagiar 2007). In this essay we
will demonstrate how each of these tools will be used to emphasize the underlying philosophy of alternative assessment or
assessment as learning not assessment for learning. Each of our online class plans below exhibits this notion. In Edmodo the
students will assess and learn from reflecting on the badges they received from the teacher and classmates. In Zoomerang / Survey
Monkey, we will use the tool to help encourage critical thinking in students. In Groove students will collaborate to compare findings
as they locate reliable digital resources. In Excel Spread Sheet students will use a gradebook template to keep track of their own
grades and practice accountability, and in Audacity students will produce an audio podcast to share their understanding of how a
significantcourseconceptwasshaped.
WorksCited:
Aronson,E.,Blaney,N.,Stephin,C.,Sikes,J.&Snapp,M.(1978).Thejigsawclassroom.BeverlyHills,CA:SagePublishing
Company.
MichaelA.Buhagiar.2007.Classroomassessmentwithinthealternativeassessmentparadigm:revisitingtheterritory.The
CurriculumJournal.Vol18(1):3956.
MIDTERMTOOLBOXUNIVERSITYOFWISCONSINSTOUTASSESSMENTFORELEARNINGJulyof2013 1
ZOOMERANG:byJeanLaPaze
INTRODUCTION
MyoriginaltaskwastoprovideinformationonZoomerang,asoftwarepackagetocreate
onlinequizzesandsurveys.AsInavigatedtotheZoomerangsitetocreatemyaccount,Iwas
greetedanotification.thatZoomeranghasnowbecomeSurveyMonkey.Somynewtaskisto
provideinformationonSurveyMonkey!LikeZoomerang,SurveyMonkeyisalsoasoftware
packagetocreate,distributeandanalyzeonlinesurveysandquizzes.Creatingtheaccount
wasveryeasyandyoucanoptfortheBasicpackage(whichisfree)totryitout.
THETOOLANDITSBENEFIT
SurveyMonkeyprovidesanintroductoryvideothatallowstheusertobecomefamiliarwiththesiteandhowtocreateasurveyor
quiz.TherearethreemainfunctionalitiesprovidedbySurveyMonkey:
Designingyoursurveyorquiz
Distributingyourproducttotheappropriateaudience
Analyzingtheresults
Theusesofthistoolinaclassroomsettingareimpressive.Theinstructorcancreateasurveyorquizupto10questionswith
alimitof100responsespersurvey(ifyouareusingtheBasicversionofSurveyMonkey)additionalplansofferhigherlimitsfor
questionsandresponse.Youcanalsocreatethequizorsurveyinmultiplelanguages!Usingthissurveytocreateaclassroom
quiz,forexample,theinstructorcandothefollowing:
Createthequizspecifyingoneof15differenttypesofquestions.TheonesIfoundthatmightbethemostusefulina
classroomsettingare:
Multiplechoice,onecorrectanswer
Multiplechoice,multiplecorrectanswersand
Shortansweressay(theinstructorcandefinethelengthoftheresponse).
Specifythetimeframefortheonlinequizcompletion
Distributethequizusingavarietyofmethods:
Posttoaclasswebsite
Useanemaildistributionlist
UseFacebook
Analyzetheresultsbyusingthereportsavailable.
WEAKNESSESANDCHALLENGESOFTHEASSESSMENTTOOL
ThemajorweaknessorchallengesIidentifiedinmyreflectiononhowthistoolwouldbeusedintheclassroomare:
Studentswhodonothaveaccesstoacomputertotakeanonlinequizwouldbeatadisadvantage.\.
EventhoughSurveyMonkeydoesprovideforpasswordprotectionforaccesstothetest,studentscanstillhavesomeone
MIDTERMTOOLBOXUNIVERSITYOFWISCONSINSTOUTASSESSMENTFORELEARNINGJulyof2013 2
elsetakethequizforthemiftheyprovidetheirIDandpassword.
Giventhestressassociatedwithtesting,IthinkitwouldbebestonlytouseSurveyMonkeyasameanstoassess
knowledgewithverylittle,ifany,gradingimpact.(Thiswouldalsoreducethevalueofcheatingforthestudent.)
Insummary,IbelievethatSurveyMonkeyisaveryrobusttoolevenattheBasic,free,levelandcouldbeusedtomakelearning
materialinterestingandfunforbothstudentsandteachers!
APPLICATIONOFZOOMERANG/SURVEYMONKEYINTHECLASSROOMANDASSOCIATEDBENEFITS
UsingalearningobjectivethatIdevelopedformyConceptMap,Iwilldemonstratehowstudentassessmentcanbeusedwith
SurveyMonkey.
LEARNINGOBJECTIVE
Thestudentshouldbeabletoidentifyfivemajorways
thatCharlemagnesreignbeganatransitionfromthe
formerRomanEmpiretomodernEurope.
The instructor can utilize many types of ways to
first review the material: lecture, class discussion,
Jigsaw exercises, etc. The culmination of which would
be taking a quiz to test comprehension. For my
example, I would be more inclined to use the short
essay question format and limit the amount of space for
answering to perhaps 5080 characters. This will
ensure the student will need to provide a concise
answertothequestionposed.
In terms of the questions posed, I would develop a short essay question that prompts the student in several ways to assess
what material was learned and what was not. For example, the questions may be as follows (while I said five major ways, I will only
includeexamplesofthreequestionsintheinterestofspace):
HowdidCharlemagneusetheroleoftheCatholicChurchingovernance?
WhatwereimportantfactorsinCharlemagneintegratinghisruleoververydifferentpopulations?
WhatwasCharlemagnescontributiontothedevelopmentofajudicialsystem?
This format would allow the students the students to test their knowledge of the material in a manner that is private and
nonthreatening. Depending upon the distribution method, the instructor allows the student, after his/her reading of the materials
and the subsequent classroom discussion has taken place, to reflect and develop their own response to the questions. An
important skill in developing critical thinking is the ability to prioritize factors and concisely explain the factor(s) to others. Another
benefit is the student must be able to effectively communicate their points in writingif the instructor grades these quizzes,
additionalpointsforspelling,compositionandsentenceconstructionarepossible.
MIDTERMTOOLBOXUNIVERSITYOFWISCONSINSTOUTASSESSMENTFORELEARNINGJulyof2013 3
Edmodo:byLauraKhoury
INTRODUCTION
Edmodowasfirstcreatedin2008byNicBorgandJeffOHarainordertoconnect
studentstotheworldoutsideofschoolandbringthesameenvironmentintotheschool.
EdmodowasrecognizedbytheAmericanAssociationofSchoolLibrariansin2011asoneof
thetop25websitesthatfosterqualitiesofinnovation,creativity,activeparticipation,and
collaborationinthecategoryentitledSocialNetworkingandCommunication(AASL2011).
EdmudoisaWeb2.0assessmenttoolandcanbefoundhere:http://www.edmodo.com/.In
general,Web2.0providesstudentstheopportunitytomovefrompassiveconsumers,toactive,criticalconsumersofinformation
(Klammaetal.,2007).ThisiswhatIwouldliketostressinmypresentationhere:providetheonlineconditionsforstudentsto
becomecriticalconsumersofinformation.iwillshowhowIwilluseitforthatspecificpurposebelow.Studentsshouldgo
underneaththesurfacetounderstandanysocialphenomenon.
EdmodoUses&Benefits
It is a secure social networking for teachers and students includes blogging and microblogging tool, grading tool, and shared
resources, especially shared calendar. Within Edmodo, teachers can conduct online polls, make a post for students to comment as
a threaded discussion, and give badges to students that perform well on a specific assignment/s. Several applications can be
added onto Edmodo, including a photo editor and SchoolTube (see Evans & Kilinc 2013). Evidently Edmodo improves student
engagement in the classroom as postulated by Holland, C. & Muilenburg, L. (2011). Students in this study participated in literature
discussions using the asynchronous discussion platform found on Edmodo.com. Reciprocal teaching strategies were used and
student initiatives were encouraged, supporting the role of the teacher as a mediator or moderator, rather than the purveyor of
knowledge. As a result there has been an increase in students participation, student engagement, with higher complexity of
discussionandeffectivenesswhenstudentsusedEdmododiscussionboardsasatool.
In another study, Kongshan (2012) revealed that Edmodo is perceived to be a wonderful and userfriendly social
learning network that enables even a nondigitalnative teacher to take charge of her own exploring and making use of the
site to set up and run her online classes, including a workshop on Edmodo for other teachers. In this study, Kongshan
(2012) found that students also strongly agreed that they liked and enjoyed working in an online class via Edmodo. It was
noted that the teacherresearcher could utilize the program successfully without any need for help or support from a
computer technician. One additional benefit is the visuals that appear whether the calendar due dates markers, grades
and graphs of grades and markers in colors that identify that an assignment is needed to be completed. I liked the fact
that it is not widely used (compared to other tools) and that there is no limit to message length. This, to me, is a luxury by
allmeans.
EdmodoWeaknessesandChallenges
No tool is without challenges especially that new tools constantly compete as they make their way into the market. Edmodo is
mobile friendly so users can connect continuously via messages too, but the problem is that mobile companies are highly
competitive and texting is still not free to all. Many students may not own a tablet or other. While using Edmodo, teachers and
students can easily share assignments, ideas, diaries in real time but student engagements is a factor that is beyond the instructor
here. Wankel (2011:26) compared Edmodo to Twitter and identified issues with connectivity, slowing down, posts take several
minutestoappear,itstillhasbugs,andthatstudentsgetlimitedaccesstotheoutsideworld.
MIDTERMTOOLBOXUNIVERSITYOFWISCONSINSTOUTASSESSMENTFORELEARNINGJulyof2013 4
ExampleofapplicationofEdmodoinmyonlineclassroom
Because elearning technology is not pedagogically neutral it is therefore necessary to focus on the design of technology that
explicitly supports a certain pedagogical approach. Some argue that design should direct its focus away from organization of content
and towards design of activities: technology should be designed explicitly to support activities in a learning environment, in contrast
to a focus strictly on organisation of content (Dlasgaard 2005). My goal in all my courses is to produce critical consumers of
information. One characteristic in Edmodo as a pedagogical tool is that it allows for developing relationships between students by
assigning badges for each other instead of teacher commenting all the time. I propose that while students are involved in the
threaded discussions and microblogging throughout the four units in one semester. Students, will be using the six badges that
DeBono constructed (see image) to identify the modes of thinking of the others. Edmodo as an educational platform for students
allowsstudentstocreatetheirownbadge(eventhoughEdmodohasbadges).
The De Bono 6 thinking hats allows students to identify what their own thinking mode is too. Normally, students end up
finding out that they use a specific color hat or have a certain mode of thinking whether it is positive, negative, organizer, objective,
creative, or emotional. (For example the use of emotions in discussions when students write I feel that). A student also needs to
wear a black hat to be a critical consumer of information as the last stage of analytical thinking. The
students will be giving badges to each other but also get badges too which helps them start assessing
themselves. By the end of the first project (out of 4 larger projects/units) students have to report how many
hats they received and reflect on why did they get a higher number of certain hat color. While discussions
and semiblogs are ongoing, they would need to keep reflecting but the second unit they should attempt to
use the white hat in which facts with direct quotes are used in their discussions. This helps sociology
students understand systematic scientific research. For the third unit they should attempt to receive blue
hats. where they observe the process of their selves thinking logically (if.. so causal relationship). This is
another hat that students are encouraged to use as they find support for their original argument when they were using the white hat.
The fourth unit requires critical thinking (black hat). This way students learn to go under the surface and be critical consumers of
information.
LearningObjective
StudentswilldisplaytheirabilitytodeterminetheirthinkingmodebyusingEdmodoBadgeswithatleast80%accuracytothe
rubricprovided(thecolorofhatassignedfortheunit).
WorksCited
AmericanLibraryAssociation(2011),BestWebsitesforTeachingandLearning.Retrievedon6/29/2013from
http://www.ala.org/aasl/standardsguidelines/bestwebsites/2011
DalsgaardC(2005).Pedagogicalqualityinelearning.eleed,Vol.1.
Evans,R.&Kilinc,E.(2013).Creating21stCenturyLearners:EdmodointheSocialStudiesClassroom.InR.McBride&M.
Searson(Eds.),ProceedingsofSocietyforInformationTechnology&TeacherEducationInternationalConference2013(pp.
49654970).Chesapeake,VA:AACE.
Holland,C.&Muilenburg,L.(2011).SupportingStudentCollaboration:EdmodointheClassroom.InM.Koehler&P.Mishra
(Eds.),ProceedingsofSocietyforInformationTechnology&TeacherEducationInternationalConference2011(pp.32323236).
Chesapeake,VA:AACE.Retrievedon6/28/2013fromhttp://www.editlib.org/p/36816.\
Klamma,R.Cao,Y.Spaniol,M.:Watchingtheblogosphere:KnowledgesharinginWeb2.0.PaperpresentedattheInternational
ConferenceonWeblogsandSocialMedia,Boulder,CO,2007,March2628.
Kongchan,Chada."HowaNonDigitalNativeTeacherMakesUseofEdmodo."Retrievedon6/28/2013from
http://conference.pixelonline.net/ICT4LL2012/common/download/Paper_pdf/90IBT18FPKongchanICT2012.pdf
Wankel,Charles.2011.EducatingEducatorswithSocialMedia.UK:EmeraldGroupPublishingLimited.
MIDTERMTOOLBOXUNIVERSITYOFWISCONSINSTOUTASSESSMENTFORELEARNINGJulyof2013 5
GROOVE:byVickiThornley
Introduction
Social collaboration in business and education has been increasingly implemented to
improve both internal and external processes. With improvements in Internet access,
bandwidth issues, hardware and software applications and mobile computing devices,
social collaboration in the form of shared workspaces is gaining popularity as an
educational tool both for learning and assessment. Within a shared workspace,
peertopeer collaboration allows groups to securely work on projects in real time.
Composing and editing can be done by any member with access to the group, depending on permissions granted by the group
owner.
Groove was originally developed by Ray Ozzie, creator of Lotus Notes. The application was developed as a collaboration
space for groups with common goals and but different technical and security interfaces. Groups could sign in to a common area to
exchange ideas or collaborate on projects in a secure online environment. As with all good applications, Microsoft purchased
Groove Networks in 2005 and integrated the application into their Office product. With the release of Office 2010, the name changed
toSharepointWorkspace2010andwiththereleaseofOffice2013theapplicationnameisSharepoint2013.
Sharepoint is a webbased platform designed for easy online collaboration. It interfaces with Microsoft Office products such
as Word and Excel to allow for realtime document creation and editing. Additionally multiple applications are available to use in the
Sharepoint environment. To quote the Microsoft product website: Organizations use SharePoint to create websites. You can use it
as a secure place to store, organize, share, and access information from almost any device. All you need is a web browser, such as
InternetExplorer,Chrome,orFirefox.
Review of the literature notes multiple benefits of social collaboration in general. These include the ease of exchanging of
information, bonding among group members located at distant sites, secure communication, assurance that all parties who need
informationand/oraccesshaveboth,andimprovingoutcomesofprojects.Sharepointinparticularoffersthefollowingbenefits.
SharepointUsesandBenefits
Webbasedaccessallowsforuseacrossmobiledevices
UserfriendlydoesnotrequireITsupportifusingsimplecollaborationsetuplikeSharepointOnline
Multipleapplicationaddonsavailabletoenhancegroupinteraction
New,expandedcollaborationtoolYammerbringstogethermultipleaspectsofonlinecollaboration
Securityenhancedwithuseofinvitationonlyorpasswordprotection
Realtimecollaboration
SharepointWeaknessesandChallenges
Feeforservicerangesfrom$3.00permonthforlimitedaccesstolicensingoptionsforeducationalinstitutionswhichprovidesa
single,integratedplatformforbothinternalandexternalnetworking.
Whenusedasaplatforminaneducationalinstitution,decisionsaboutproductchoiceandimplementationmaybemadebyIT
MIDTERMTOOLBOXUNIVERSITYOFWISCONSINSTOUTASSESSMENTFORELEARNINGJulyof2013 6
departmentswithoutinputfromendusers.
FreeapplicationssuchasGoogledocsmayprovideanadequateplatformandsecurityfortheneedsofmosteducational
pursuits.
DataanalysisfeaturesarelimitedandmayrequireITinterventiontoprocess.
ApplicationofClassroomUse
The use of a social collaboration tool such as Sharepoint would allow the educator to develop a formative assessment
structured as an analytic memo detailed in the course reading: Classroom Assessment Techniques. The instructor would choose
patient care issues that students will encounter during their prelicensure education. The students would be grouped and assigned
one of the care issues. As a group they would identify reliable digital resources to develop a care plan for that specific patient care
issue.Throughgroupcollaboration,thestudentswouldcreateanappropriatenursingcareplantoimplementcareforthepatient.
LearningObjective
Studentswillprovideevidencebasedcarebylocatingpertinentevidencebasedonlineresourcestocreateapatientcare
plan.
WorksCited
http://arstechnica.com/business/2009/05/grooverenamedtosharepointworkspaceinoffice2010/
ClassroomAssessmentTechniques:compiledbyDanielleMihram,UniversityofSouthernCaliforniaCenterforExcellence
Training.
http://www.infoworld.com/d/windows/sharepointworkspacerenamedgroovehasgottengroovier728
http://blogs.technet.com/b/yungchou/archive/2010/04/01/sharepointworkspacespw2010explainedpart2of2.aspx
AUDACITY:byRobHenseler
MicroblogginginEducation:Audio/VisualAssessmentTools
Introduction
Audioblogsandpodcastsofferanumberofopportunitiesforsharingideasand
informationinonlineeducation,notonlyfromtheinstructortothestudentsbutperhapsmore
importantlyfromthestudentstotheinstructor.
OneWeb2.0toolforcreatingaudioblogsandpodcastsisAudacity,anopensource
softwarethatallowsliverecordingandaudioediting.Audacityallowsuserstorecordseveral
tracks,layerthemuponeachother,fadetheminorout,andmanipulatetheirspeed,alltocreate
aprofessionalsoundingaudiopublication.Beginyourpodcastwithamusicalintroduction,fade
thatoutasanarratorbeginsspeaking,addbackgroundsoundsappropriateforyoursetting,transitiontoaprerecordedinterview
withanothercharacter,gobacktothenarratorforcommentary,fadeinwiththeconcludingmusicasthenarratorfinisheshis
thoughts,andstoppreciselyattheendofyourclosingtune.Audacitycanhelpyoudothatandmore.
MIDTERMTOOLBOXUNIVERSITYOFWISCONSINSTOUTASSESSMENTFORELEARNINGJulyof2013 7
UsesandBenefits
Audacityisfree.
Itallowsbeginnersormorebasicuserstoemployjustvoiceforasimpleaudioblogorpodcast.
Itoffersenoughpowerfultoolsthatverycreativeuserswillnotfindthemselvesstifledorlimitedtosimplisticvocalonlypodcasts.
Basiccontrolsarelabeledwithfamiliaraudio/videoiconsforintuitiveuse.
Dropdownmenusmakeotherfunctionsfairlyeasytofind.
Recordingscanbeexportedtootherformats,includingMP3,WAV,andmanyothers.
Theinternethasnumeroususercreatedvideosandtutorialstoassistnewusers.
Teacherscanprovidelectures,notes,andcommentaryviatheinternetatanytimeandplace.
Studentscanrespondtoapromptortopicwithoutalwayshavingtowriteatraditionalpaper.
EngagementinprojectsemployingAudacityseemshigh.
Learnersmakemeaningduringthecreationphaseofanaudacityproject.
Learnersaremotivatedtoimprovethequalityoftheirpodcastsduringthepublicationphase,whentheyknowtheproductwillbe
uploadedtotheinternet.
WeaknessesandChallenges
SinceAudacityisfree,opensourcesoftware,limitedtechnicalsupportisofferedbythecreatorsoftheprogram.
Audacitymaybeoverlycomplicatedanddifficulttouseforsomestudents.
SomeofmystudentshavehadunexplaineddifficultiesemailingAudacityfilesfromschooltohomeandbackagain.
Audacityprojectsareseparatedandsavedintotwoseparatefiles,bothofwhichneedtobetransferredfromonecomputertothe
nextinorderfortheAudacityprojecttoplayproperly.
LearningObjective
CreateanaudiopodcastexplaininghowyoudefinetheAmericanDreamanddetailingthenarrativesorstoriesofpeoplewho
havehelpedtoshapeyourpersonalAmericanDream.
WorksCited:
AboutAudacity.http://audacity.sourceforge.net/about/.
Audacity.EmorysCenterforInteractiveTeaching:OfficeofInteractiveTechnology.EmoryUniversity.
http://ecit.emory.edu/teaching_tools/audacity.html
Huan,TanYuh,andThong,MongKok(2006)AudiobloggingandPodcastinginEducation.ITLiteratureReview.
edulab.moe.edu.sg.http://edulab.moe.edu.sg/edulab/slot/fm3_posts/ah01/ea70ddaf8_u5392.pdf.
COURSETRACKINGwithEXCEL:byRobHenseler
MicrosoftExcelisthespreadsheetapplicationincludedintheMicrosoftOfficeSuiteoftools.Excel,likeotherspreadsheets,
appearsasagridofnumberedrowsandletteredcolumns,andallowsuserstostore,analyze,manipulate,andreportdata.
UsesandBenefits
Because Microsoft Office Excel allows users to keep track of student data, it allows
instructors decisions to be more datadriven. Considerations about how to improve student
learningandperformancecanbesupportedbyanalysisofindividualandclassresults.
Ingeneral,Excelcanbegoodforgradebooksandcoursetrackingbecause:
Excelisfamiliarubiquitouseven.
ItisloadedontoPCsalmostautomatically.
MIDTERMTOOLBOXUNIVERSITYOFWISCONSINSTOUTASSESSMENTFORELEARNINGJulyof2013 8
Excelisoftensuppliedbytheinstructorsemployerorinstitution,soitisfreetotheuser.
Itisflexible.
Excelcanintegratebars,graphs,andchartstovisuallyillustratestatisticalanalysis.
Thereareseveralfreegradebooktemplatesavailable,soinstructorsdonthavetocreatetheirown.
GoodgradebookscreatedinExcelcanallowscoringbytotalpoints,lettergrades,weightedscoresandcategories,and
termsorgradingperiods.TheycanintegrateattendancerecordsandmergewithmailingfeaturesthatarealsostoredinExcel.
WeaknessesandChallenges
WhileusingExcelmaybefairlyintuitiveforalotofpeople,creatingagradebookinExcelisdefinitelynot.Eventhoughthere
arenumeroustutorialsontheinternetdemonstratinghowtocreateagradebookinExcel,thesimpleonesonlyprovideverybasic
andrigidoptions.Themoresophisticatedgradebooktutorialsarealsoverycomplicated.(Heresanexampleofaformulausedto
calculategradesbasedononlythreeweightedcategories:=B5*$B$4+C5*$C$4+D5*$D$4.)Whetherbasicorsimple,creatingan
Excelgradebookistimeconsuming.
Perhapsmostnoteworthy,thetimeinvestedincreatingorevenusingaMicrosoftExcelgradebookmakesitapoorchoicefor
manyeducatorsbecauseofthefollowing:inpublicK12schools,andmanyotherinstitutions,usingExcelwouldbearedundant
effortbecauseoftheuseofschoolpurchasedstudentinformationsystems.Instructorswilloftenalreadybeentering,analyzing,and
reportingonstudentperformanceusingapplicationstheschoolhasalreadypurchased.TodosoagaininExcelwouldsquander
timethatbusyteachersdonthave.
Otherweaknessesandchallenges
SupportfromMicrosoftwillnotbetailoredtoeducationapplications.
Excelisnotdesignedforuserswhoarenotnumberpeople.
WhileExcelisgenerallycompatiblewithMacs,notallthegradebooktemplatesare.
OvercomingtheWeaknessesandChallenges
IfyouhavetouseExcelforcoursetrackingbutdonthavethetimeorexpertisetocreateyourownspreadsheet,thereare
severalExceltemplatesaimedateducation.OneoptionisGradebookforExcelfromVertex42.ItreceivedanOutstandingrating
fromCNET.com.AccordingtoCNETseditors,It'saimedatcollegeandhighschooleducators,butit'ssuitableforanyteacher.It
includestemplatesforgradingbasedonpercentages,points,andgradepointaverages(GPAs)orlettergrades.Reviewersliked
itseaseofuseandwereimpressedwiththeproviderstechnicalsupport.ReadmoreofCNETsreviewhere.
LearningObjective
StudentswilluseagivenExcelgradebooktemplatetokeeptrackoftheirowngradesandpracticeindividualaccountability.
WorksCited
FreeGradebookTemplate.Vertex42.http://www.vertex42.com/ExcelTemplates/gradebook.html.
GradebookforExcel.CNETReviews,17January201
http://download.cnet.com/GradebookforExcel/30002051_475327036.html.
UsingExcelforaGradebook:AdvancedGradebookFormulas.GeorgiaPerimeteCollege.9May2008.
http://depts.gpc.edu/~gpcits/training/handouts/excelpdf/Intermediate_Gradebook_2007.pdf
MIDTERMTOOLBOXUNIVERSITYOFWISCONSINSTOUTASSESSMENTFORELEARNINGJulyof2013 9
CONCLUSION
This image speaks for our journey during the midterm. We felt like we were
avoiding the traditional ways of assessment underneath us. We were looking
at the remains of the old ways of learning and we were in awe at the same
time. This midterm was indeed a way to reflect on all that we were
indoctrinated with since our birth. We were, as if walking on eggshells,
avoiding a fall in the trap of the old ways of thinking, Alternative assessment is
thedifficultpath,butweallagreedthatitistherightcrookedpath.
Wefoundthismidtermagoodreflectionofthebestpracticesthatwewillneedinouronlinecoursesinthefollowingareas:
Zoomerang:Surveyandquizbuilders,asusedinourprecoursesurvey.
Edmodo:Reflectiontools,suchasblogsandeportfolios.
Groove:Peertopeercollaborationtoolssuchasdiscussionsandwikis.
Audacity:Audio/Visualassessmenttoolandmicrobloggingtool.
Excelgradesheet:Courseplanningandtrackingtools.
This experience of creating a toolbox and practice of Jigsaw is itself a best practice for cooperative learning. As we worked
through this midterm exercise, it became apparent that we needed to develop a quick and effective means to communicateor
students can get left behind very quickly. We suggest that perhaps when introducing the concept to our online classrooms, we as
instructors should demonstrate how to use the tools chosen. Tipsheets on how to sign up for an account, navigational visuals to aid
the student in getting to the tool, and how to use it once he/she is there would also be helpful. A little preparation work ahead of time
will ensure the tools chosen will have the desired impact on the students learning and will greatly enhance the instructors ability to
assessthestudentsprogressbothfromacurriculumperspectiveaswellasatechnologyperspective.
Technology is advancing at a rapid pace and as more tools become available, educators must continue to pursue expertise
not only in their chosen fields, but also in the delivery of effective education. Effective education for our classrooms:EDUC 762
Assessment in ELearning reminds us that this must be the key idea in designing our assessments and selecting the tools to use.
What will be best for our students? How can we engage and educate them best? This toolbox is not just for ourselves as teachers,
butshouldalsobeforourstudents.Theydeservenotonlyourmostcurrenteducationalefforts,butourbesteducationalefforts.
MIDTERMTOOLBOXUNIVERSITYOFWISCONSINSTOUTASSESSMENTFORELEARNINGJulyof2013 10