The Captive Curator
River View Technology Newsletter, December 2015
"The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry"
Have you ever heard this saying before?
This is how I feel when it comes to my plans for this monthly newsletter! The saying dates back to 1786, when an author by the name of Robert Burns wrote a poem To a Mouse telling how he, while plowing a field, upturned a mouse's nest. The resulting poem is an apology to the mouse:
...
But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane [you aren't alone]
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft a-gley, [often go awry]
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promised joy.
No matter how carefully a project is planned, something may still go wrong with it! I am going to start this project again with full intention of sending out a newsletter once a month~wish me luck!
Assessments... How to make them more "Next Gen" friendly for our students.
Below are what I consider to be the top three online assessment creators and are worth looking into.
Edcite
Click here for a promo video for Edcite.
Edulastic
Edulastic is very similar to Edcite in that it allows teachers to create next generation testing questions that mimic what our students will see on state tests in April/May.
According to some sources, Edulastic offers better data analytic tools than some of the other online assessment builders.
What I have fallen for is that this seems to be the only assessment creator of the three I have played with that links directly to Google Classroom. So if you are a user of the Classroom, this would be a wonderful fit with the one-button approach to assigning students assessments.
Check out the informational video here.
I would encourage you to try the tech-enhanced assignment on their front page. This will give you an idea of what this site has to offer.
Kahoot!
I would encourage you to try this out with your students if you haven't yet! And if you have, consider playing off of The Primary Girl's idea of creating your own Kahoot game. Her Blog is found here, but her idea in PDF form is here. I realize this is a 2nd-grade example, but you creative geniuses can make this fit your classroom needs, I am sure of it!
The Google Corner
10 Things Every Teacher Should Know How To Do With Google Docs
Great things other teachers are accomplishing with their students. Have you tried any of these? I think the hidden idea is the Resource Tools, especially if you are a teacher requiring reports from students.
Fun Stuff...Just Because
Emoji for Exit Tickets? Why not?
Check out the example below.