Student Post: Marisol Castro

 I think using games for assessment is a great way to see what students are learning while keeping the experience fun and engaging. From my experience working with young children, I have noticed that they are more interested in participating when lessons include movement, hands-on activities, and play. Turning a review into a game can also reduce the stress that comes with traditional tests. I have also seen teachers use Kahoot or Prodigy as an educational resource. It allows students to feel more comfortable sharing their answers, trying their best, and participating without worrying about making mistakes.

I have learned that games allow you to see how students are doing as they learn. For example, during a vocabulary small group activity, you can notice which students understand the material and which ones might need a little more help. Unlike a traditional worksheet, games allow students to show what they know in a more relaxed way. This makes it easier for teachers to recognize where students are struggling and step in to help when needed. I also think games give teachers a chance to see how students work together, communicate, and solve problems. 

Beyond checking for understanding, games naturally build social skills elementary kids need most, like teamwork, communication, and patience. You see students cheering each other on, explaining concepts to their teammates, and figuring out how to solve problems together.

As a future elementary teacher, I want to make games a regular part of my classroom routine. Not every kid is great at sitting still and filling in bubbles, so giving them active, playful ways to show what they know feels much fairer.

Student post: Madison Inman

 When I was in 6th grade, one of our big projects was to make a Rube Goldberg machine that spanned an entire classroom. It was a ton of fun as we experimented, tested, and finally watched the entire machine happen - one kid even had his portion of the machine go outside and then back into a window. It was a graded project worth a significant portion of our grade, but we weren't worried about that; we were fascinated by creating this Rube Goldberg machine. In middle school, my teacher had us play the Oregon Trail role-play game. In high school, my civics teacher had us play the Path to the Presidency game on iCivics.com, which had us role-play as a presidential candidate. 

Overall, I've had a lot of experience with teachers using gameplay as a means of assessment. From a student perspective, it's a ton of fun to play games. Even though I knew they were educational games and I was being graded, I still had a ton of fun playing these games with my friends. I also learned more and formed a personal connection to the material we were learning. I think gameplay as assessment is a great tool for teachers. I'm personally a huge fan. It puts less pressure on kids to perform, helps establish a personal connection/motivation, and is overall just fun. And when kids have fun, they get engaged in learning. 

Games for Assessment: Sierra Rafail

 As someone with test anxiety, I chose to use games for assessment. Using games for assessment is a good way to see what students know without always having to give them a test. Students can have fun while playing, but the teacher can still see how they are thinking and what they understand. I like the idea of paying attention to the choices students make during a game because it can show what they are struggling with or what they already know. I could see myself using games in my future classroom to review material, check for understanding, and easily gather class data on what students still need help with. While students are playing, I could walk around and ask them questions about why they made certain choices. I could also have them explain their strategy or keep track of their moves. After the game, students could even make their own game or explain the rules and strategies to someone else. This would help them learn the material without even realizing that they are. Students (especially in elementary grades) love games, competition, and anything that will make learning more interesting. Using games as an assessment is a fun way to evaluate students because it feels less stressful than a normal test, while still giving the teacher a good idea of what students know and what they need more clarification on.

Student Post: Games as Assessment Tools by Marissa Sandefur

 I think using games as an assessment tool is a great way to make learning more fun and engaging for students. When I think back to elementary school, I remember using Starfall in my first-grade classroom. My teacher would put Starfall up on the ELMO, and we would complete activities together as a class. I enjoyed it because it was different from our usual worksheets and lessons. At the time, I didn't even realize we were practicing important skills while having fun.

Another experience I remember is taking typing tests in computer class. We would practice typing and then complete tests to see how fast we could type and how many mistakes we made. I always wanted to beat my previous score and loved seeing myself improve. Looking back, I realize these tests allowed our teacher to assess our progress while keeping us motivated.

As a future teacher, I would love to incorporate games into my classroom, especially because younger students learn so much through play. I could use interactive games to review letters, numbers, shapes, or vocabulary words. While students participate, I could observe their responses to see who understands the material and who might need extra support.

However, I would want to make sure all students feel comfortable participating and don't feel pressured to answer quickly or correctly every time. I also wouldn't rely entirely on games because it can be difficult to assess individual understanding during group activities.

Overall, my experiences with Starfall and typing tests helped me realize how games can make assessments enjoyable. I hope to create similar experiences for my future students while using games alongside observations and other assessments.

MACUL 2019 Conference is fast approaching!

The MACUL 2019 Conference is at the Detroit COBO Conference Center on March 20-22, 2019. On Thursday, Mar 20 at 10a, Dr. Jones and Dr. Copeland along with one or two of their undergraduate students will be presenting their 360 Degree Video projects. If you are at the Conference, please stop in their session and say Hello even if you can't stay for the session.

Just so you know, it is not too late to register for the conference. For more details, go to https://maculconference.org/.

Technology helps fund projects

Teachers around the country are using technology to find additional funds for their classrooms. Some of those avenues to funding, such as Donors Choose, have been around for a couple of decades.

Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to meet Oliver Hurst-Hiller and Kirk Smiley of Donors Choose (https://www.donorschoose.org/). Their organization supports teachers by inviting them to make modest proposals for such items such as specialized technology, books, alternative seating, and more. Using an interactive web site, potential donors review these proposals and select the ones they wish to fund in whole or in part. For the past 20 years, over 54 thousand of these projects have been fully funded.

Recently I was surprised with a gift of a card I could use to make a $100 donation through the Donors Choose page. By simply typing in Saline’s zip code, I found a number of proposals by teachers within fifty miles. One proposal, the only one for Saline, had been made by a teacher at Saline’s Alternative High School. After reading her proposal, it was a thrill to help one of Saline’s newest special education teachers, Ms. Courtney Brothers.

Her proposal, Flexible Learning for All!, had the goal of helping her young adult students by creating a classroom they felt comfortable in. Not only was her instruction differentiated, but she believed the classroom needed to be as well. Some of her students required physical assistance and a variety of sensory inputs so her plan was to add specialized furnishings to their classroom.

Within hours of donating the $100 to her project, I was delighted to see that others from around town were also donating various sums of money. Within three days, her project was fully funded, months ahead of schedule.

During my days as a teacher, there were several mini-grants I had applied for. Some I received and some I did not, but I think I certainly would have tried Donors Choose.

Courtney Brothers and her student, Dani.

Teacher Education Network Newsletter

ISTE Teacher Education Network (TEN) publishes a monthly newsletter. I have been impressed by the scope of these newsletters for a couple of years now.

This month's newsletter covers the new alphabet of technology in teaching: AI, VR, AR, for example. If you don't know about those acronyms or are not sure, check out their January 2019 newsletter.

Image source: public domain and modifiable