ClassMarker

ClassMarker

The years 1-10 Curriculum Framework for Education Queensland Schools Policy and Guidelines suggest that assessment is a purposeful, systematic and ongoing collection of information as evidence for use in making judgments about student learning. Programs such as ClassMarker, i believe, can provide learning managers with the opportunity to collect this data in an ongoing way that engages students into their learning. Kearsley and Shneiderman (1999) suggest that these forms of technology provide an environment that fosters the kind of creativity and communication needed to nourish engagement.

Providing students with a weekly quiz, that provides the opportunity to view their responses and the correct responses, could be an authentic factor of formative assessment. ClassMarker enables the learning manager to assess the results on the web and then provide feedback to their learning cohort. This feedback can can inform students of where they need assistance and where they can improve their student learning, before summative assessment is conducted. I found the program to be straight forward and it can be used with relative ease. The features include a variety of delivery formats including multiple choice, true/false and short answer.

I have created a quiz based upon the current unit of work i am working with. The unit is entitled 'Medieval Times' and has been designed for my year 4/5 cohort. The quiz is a 'true' or 'false' answer quiz and has an element of 'guesswork' involved, which like any multiple choice answer problems, may have implications. However, the content of the quiz is designed specifically to focus on students prior knowledge. As the learning manager, i would front load the students, and encourage them to consider the alternatives to each question before reaching a decision. I trailed this quiz with my own son, who is in year 5 and he thought the concept was wonderful. He commented on the fact that he actually wanted to do it because it was not like 'normal' tests.

http://www.classmarker.com/embedded_quizzes/?quiz=170e8cf0cd36ac251d5a3950267e21e3

Really, once again, it comes back to 'engage' them don't 'enrage' them.

Bye for now,

Kerri.

Reference:

Kearsley, G., Shneiderman, B., (1999). Engagement Theory: A framework for technology-based teaching and learning. Retrieved July 18, 2009, from
http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

Prensky, M. (2005). Engage Me or Enrage Me - What today's learners demand. Retrieved July 29, from,

http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/erm0553.pdf