Automating Assessments with GoogleDocs Forms

Did you know it's possible to use GoogleApps for Education Forms to conduct walkthroughs and observations? While the District currently uses Eduphoria PDAS product for appraisals, have you thought about using GoogleDocs Forms for other things?

Not sure how to make your own form? Check out this tutorial!

If you combine the idea of self-grading GoogleForms, you get an entirely different possibility. Check out this tutorial and video (thanks @dmantz7) on how to turn your GoogleForm into an automated assessment/observation/walkthrough/quiz tool!!

Here are some template examples via TICAL and other sources:

Google Form Template: Classroom Walkthrough and Observation Form
Courtesy of Kern Kelly and Fred Johnston,use this form from any computer or PDA with Internet connectivity to evaluate teachers' lessons, pedagogy, and classroom climate. Feel free to modify to fit your district's standards. All data will be recorded in a Google Spreadsheet and a second sheet has been created to quickly printout the results for the teachers and your records. Simply use the "hide column(s)" function in Excel to only show the specific teacher you want a printout for.

Google Form Template: Teacher self-assessment on the National Education Technology Standards (NETS·T)
Survey your teachers to determine how well they perceive their use of technology in the design and implementation of their lessons.

Organize and Chart Student Scores
An Excel template that can be used to enter and analyze student assessment data. For more information on how this template was first developed and used, see Using Technology to Make Sense of Data by Dan Ryder, here on the Portical web site.

Survey Templates Ready to Administer Using Google Forms
These Microsoft Excel files were created to provide you quick access to surveys you can administer in your school or district using Google Forms (a subset of Google Docs). You can either obtain a direct copy of the survey to send to your participants immediately OR you can load the original spreadsheet into Google Docs and create the survey from the spreadsheet.

 And there are more GoogleTemplates online:

1. Building Level Walkthrough
2. Classroom-based Assessment for Special Education
3. Classroom Walkthrough/Observation Tool
4. ITeachAZ Clinical Snapshot
5. Observation Checklist Template
6. Observation Template
7. Teacher 4 Success Observation Template
8. Teacher Pre-Observation Survey
9. Teacher Observation - 5 minute daily walkthrough
10. Teacher Observation Form
11.  Walkthrough Observations

Have you shared YOUR observation/walkthrough form yet?

Epsilen Project Share Accounts Created!

http://projectsharetexas.org

Earlier today, some ECISD instructional staff may have received an email to the one quoted below welcoming them to the Texas Education Agency's (TEA) Project Share. In case you're not familiar with Project Share, here's a brief overview (or watch this video on YouTube):

Project Share is the portal through which teachers and students can communicate, collaborate, and access 21st century digital content. Project Share leverages several technology platforms to provide multiple levels of access and flexibility for educators and students across the state. Project Share is  a partnership between the Texas Education Agency (TEA), Epsilen, The New York Times Knowledge Network, PBS, and Apple Computer.  TEA is working with the 20  Regional Education Service Centers (ESCs) to implement Project Share.

In case you would like more information about Project Share, you can find it online at the ECISD Project Share Support Area online at  http://goo.gl/DekOr

Some Guides/Tutorials available for your use--and we hope to add videos soon--are shown below:

1.  Getting Started

2.  Frequently Asked Questions

3.  Passwords - Retrieve it or Change it

4.  My Portal Guide

5.  Course Guide for Faculty

HOW IS THE ECISD GOING TO USE PROJECT SHARE?
The current plan is to create accounts for all district staff, as well as students in grades 6-12. The District hopes to take advantage of OnTrack and Technology Applications:TEKS courses available for use with students. More will be shared about this later.

WELCOME EMAIL
If you did not already enjoy a Project Share account, an account may have been recently created for you, resulting in an email similar to the one below:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Welcome to Epsilen <mail@epsilen.net>
Date: Thu, Sep 20, 2012 at 11:43 PM
Subject: Welcome to Project Share

Dear Jill, Your Epsilen account has been registered and activated. To Log in you will need your Username (username) and Password (password). Your new Epsilen Account information: Username: [your username] Login Password: [Your Project Share Password] ePortfolio Web Address: http://www.epsilen.com/username Registration Email Address: your.email@ecisd.net Welcome to Project Share! To get started, you will need to log in to the Epsilen platform using the username and default password provided. PLEASE PRINT THIS PAGE. You will need the information above to log in to Epsilen and to change your password. You may change your password at any time you are logged in to your Epsilen account. PLEASE NOTE: You will need the default password (above) to log in until you change your password. When you return to Epsilen, you can log in to your Epsilen account fromwww.epsilen.com or from www.projectsharetexas.org. Welcome to Project Share, powered by . Click here to log in.

Copyright © 2007 - 2011, Epsilen LLC.

Should you have any questions, please don't hesitate to make contact.

Flipping the Meeting

Source: http://bit.ly/RmHkmH

The flipped classroom approach has taken some by surprise, although educators have been "flipping" their classrooms for quite some time. Here is how some have described it:

EdLab's Misconceptions about the Flipped Classroom Model:The Flipped Classroom model is the shifting of the classroom paradigm, so that lectures can be seen at home, while homework activities are done in class. This is to allow more time for applying the knowledge and receiving more personal help from the educator.

As exciting as flipping the classroom is for some, why not think about "flipping the meeting?" Yes, those meetings we have with adult learners. Some experts provide some insights into exactly how to go about flipping our meetings (and classrooms).

Dr. Mazur's work certainly is worth watching, as well as November Learning's discussion a companion work on the subject...Consider Dr. Eric Mazur on the Flipped Classroom and what it is:

Dr. Mazur has a video describing his integrated Flipped Learning and Peer Instruction methods, but the major points are:

1. Students prepare for class by watching video, listening to podcasts, reading articles, or contemplating questions that access their prior knowledge.
2. After accessing this content, students are asked to reflect upon what they have learned and organize questions and areas of confusion.
3. Students then log in to a Facebook-like social tool [such as Edmodo], where they post their questions.
4. The instructor sorts through these questions prior to class, organizes them, and develops class material and scenarios that address the various areas of confusion. The instructor does not prepare to teach material that the class already understands.
5. In class, the instructor uses a Socratic method of teaching, where questions and problems are posed and students work together to answer the questions or solve the problems. The role of the instructor is to listen to conversations and engage with individuals and groups as needed.

There are lots of possibilities. . . are you ready to try this?

 Here's what the steps might look like for flipping your next team meeting:

1. Prepare content in video form and make it available online as a link from GoogleSites page or your SchoolFusion web site.
2. Invite staff to review content in advance of the meeting (make sure you allow for time to review).
3. After reflecting on the content, team members share any questions they have in the Edmodo Group the organizer has created for this purpose. These questions team members ask focus on what was confusing or items that they would like more information about. 
4. The meeting organizer will sort through the items and questions, then develop the Meeting agenda, scenarios, content to address those questions.
5. During the meeting, the organizer uses a Socratic method, where questions and problems are posed and staff collaborate to answer questions and/or solve problems. The role of the meeting organizer is to listen to conversations and engage as needed.

Miguel G, period 3 haiku

Miguel Guhlin
Period 3

Hornets are abuzz
Sweet honey, learning beckons
Fly together, friends!