How are you using technology?

Kayla Henery

Papillion LaVista Middle School

 Best practices suggest that educators keep track of each of their students’ understanding of content, individual strengths and weaknesses, study habits, and overall abilities in their classroom. While this practice sounds incredible on paper it is a feat that is not only challenging but another thing to put on our long “to do” list… Until now…. Many schools are now 1:1 which offers students and teachers the ability to access endless apps, websites, and programs that can assist with these best practice measures. With the assistance of my tech team, I am putting my students’ declaration of their own understanding of the homework, content, and labs into their own hands. At the end of the period, each student will fill out a Google form (It takes less than 30 seconds). This Google form will have 1 simple question:

1. Rate your understanding of today’s lesson from 1-4

(1: I don’t understand today’s content yet. 2: With assistance, I understand today’s content. 3: I understand today’s content. 4: I understand today’s content so well that I can teach it to others.)

It’s that simple- Every day the students simply “submit it and forget it.”

Here is where the magic happens for the teacher!

Let’s say that the unit is two weeks long. For two weeks these students have been rating their understanding of the content on their end. I, as the educator, have set up the backside of this system to take the students’ ratings and put them in graph form. I can choose to see this data in an individual, class, or grade setting which will allow me to assess how well the content was truly understood. I can also see which students are struggling as well as which are excelling on a day-to-day basis. From here I can set up partnerships, groups, and activities based on the students’ level of understanding. I can also change my direction of lessons based on this information on an individual, class, or grade basis!

Here is where the magic happens for the students (and parents)!

Before they take their test, the students will be able to access the backside of their individual ratings over the course of this unit. As part of their study guide, students will copy their online chart onto their study guide and answer pre-test questions that will require them to analyze their unit chart. The students will be prompted to examine which content they truly understand as well as what parts of the content they will need to study before the assessment. These questions will not only force the students to look back at their chart, but it will allow them to take all the information that they have been compiling and use it to create good study habits. I also feel that this would be a good keepsake for parent-teacher conferences as well. 

Share with us on social media how you are using technology in the classroom using the hashtag #yourNETA.