Digitizing Exams

At the high school level, helping students prepare for exams is an important college and career readiness task. At AHS, the implementation of 1:1 iPads allowed teachers to support students in this process in new ways. As with all good  strategies, the potential for how the strategies could be used in other ways became an interesting discussion. Look for changes in credit recovery and blended or online learning opportunities as teachers create transformative learning opportunities with the technology we are given. Many of the examples come from Ms. Burns digital Algebra II exam review, which includes the use of the Explain Everything app, shared Google drive class folders and YouTube.

Featured iPad Apps

Explain Everything, an app developed in partnership by MorrisCooke and The Constructionist Toolkit, was created "to help connect visual and functional designs to both current and educational research and the practical realities of school settings". The app functions as a design tool, allowing users to annotate, animate and narrate explanations and presentations to create lessons activities, assessments and tutorials. The app is reasonably priced at $2.99, with discounts available for Apple Education Volume Purchase. The app easily uploads videos to YouTube, allowing closed-captioning to be added.

One of the unique features of Explain Everything is that the app is supported with a free iTune book manual, which is updated as new features are rolled out with updates. 

Maximizing Google

Instead of focusing on a particular aspect of Google, or a specific app, the power of the tool is often how the possibilities come together. This is evident looking at Ms. Burn's Alg II exam Review. 

• The process begins by establishing a shared folder between teacher and classroom. This allows communication of assignments, support documents and resources that are digitally accessed. When Ms. Burn's creates the review, it is simply added to the shared class folder. Students now have anytime, anywhere access. 
• Ms. Burn's then used the Explain Everything app reviewed above to create tutorials of example math problems.
• The app allows easy upload to Youtube. The YouTube video is then linked to the exam review

Students now have access to not only an outline of content covered on the exam, but teacher examples of problem solving as well as practice assignments for exam preparation. I love it when good tools come together!

Getting the Most Out of Your Learning Platform

Learning platforms provide several options for exams and exam reviews. Edmodo and Moodle both have 

quiz features. Students that are familiar with using the platforms should have no problem taking their exams electronically. Additionally, if classes are developed with assignments, lessons and resources posted in one location, review of material can be systematic and does not depend upon the student's ability to keep track of paper assignments, a real struggle for many. 

Creating a Quiz in Moodle:

1. Create a "Quiz" Assignment.

2. Add questions to your quiz.

Creating a Quiz in Edmodo:

Twitter Friday Follow  

My Twitter Friday Follow recommendations for this week are AHS Government/Economics teachers Mr. Mike Cesaro (@MichaelCesaro)  and Mrs. Kathy Barraco (@kathybarraco). These teachers are excellent examples of teaming and collaboration to enhance curriculum and classrooms. One strategy that they used over the last year is to conduct extra-credit Twitter exam reviews. The teacher Tweets out an exam review question, and the first student to respond gets extra credit. This works well as a review, as there is incentive for students to participate and Mrs. Barraco and Mr. Cesaro provide feedback to all students who participate. 

Library News

At the high school, semester exams are a signal that ACT testing time is just around the corner. The library offers both print and digital resources for ACT and SAT preparation. Most resources are more than practice tests. Included are an overview of the tests, thinking being assess and strategies for individual components as well as timed test taking in general.

                     

Michigan residents can also access test preparation resources through the Michigan eLibrary. Through grants, the state has purchased access to The Learning Express Library. Simply create an account and begin your ACT practice. In addition to ACT practice, there are courses in reading, writing and math for students K-12. Any students or teachers interested in creating accounts can schedule time with Mrs. Wynkoop for assistance.