Blog + Survey = Homework Completed

Ms. Garcia is an algebra teacher. First year algebra is required for all students and she has many students who are struggling to understand and some that do not even try. She knows that many students do not read their assignments or listen during class discussions. Now that the students have smartphones, she has some ideas for how to keep them engaged and help them to reach the learning goals for the class.

Every night students complete a homework assignment of algebra problems. Once they have finished, they use their smartphones to connect to the class blog that Ms. Garcia has set up using Wordpress. The blog contains open-ended questions about the homework assignment. For example, Ms. Garcia might ask them to discuss the common principle behind some of the problems. Using Voice Actions or their home computers to draft their entries, students post answers to these questions using the blog's semi-private comment feature. Students can't see each other's responses, but Ms. Garcia can read all of them.

Using her laptop and an overhead projector, Ms. Garcia reviews the students' answers and is able to assess each students' understanding of the principles behind the homework. Since she began asking students to answer these questions, she finds that more of them do their homework assignments. She grades the students' answers on effort, because she is more interested in knowing how much each student knows, and what it is she needs to teach the next day, than in giving a grade.

Ms. Garcia chooses one of the blog questions and anonymously includes three or four representative answers submitted the previous night by her students. She creates a multiple choice question using the Poll Everywhere tool which can be accessed through any device, and asks the students to indicate which of the answers they believe is the best. The survey software displays the results as a bar graph and students are able to see how many of their classmates choose each answer.

Ms. Garcia then leads a discussion by asking one or more students to explain why they think each of the answers is the best. She encourages students to challenge each others' opinions. Then the class votes again using Poll Everywhere to see how many students have changed their minds. Ms. Garcia can gauge how well her students understand the concepts. When she feels that most of the students understand, she moves on to another question from the blog.

Throughout the class, students use laptops to post questions using Google Moderator. All the students and Ms. Garcia can see these questions. Ms. Garcia chooses a question and discusses it with the whole class. Students can vote for a particular question of their peers on Google Moderator, to have Ms. Garcia pick that question if they also need an answer, or they can answer peers' questions if they have the answer.

Ms. Garcia has learned that when she counts the student contributions throughout the learning process as part of students' grades, there is a dramatic improvement in attendance and students make genuine attempts to stay engaged throughout the class. They are more likely to participate in class discussions and more students are able to successfully complete the class.

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