As it turns out, perfect was a bit of an overstatement. The iPad may be the perfect platform, but I still need the right app to make it the perfect tool.
In another year or so, there may be a better device for what I want to do, but for right now the iPad is it. I also considered the iPod Touch, but the small screen size makes it hard to see an entire set of class data at one time. Really a laptop would serve better, but I can’t easily carry one, even a netbook, with me around the classroom. Beyond the device considerations, there are also decisions to be made about which standards to assess.
When I get to a new unit I identify the standards I’ll be assessing. The word “standard” is used here in a loose sense of the word. The standards I’m assessing include the state standards for physics but also include other big ideas and skills I’m trying to teach. I set up a 5-point scale for each “standard” and I holistically rate each student on each concept. Five indicates complete mastery while a one indicates a complete lack of understanding. I also add check boxes for the major misconceptions.
After this, tests and quizzes have been the most valuable opportunities. I get data from each student on every concept covered by my assessments. When I first started, I thought this would be terribly time consuming, but I’ve written my tests to make it easier. No scan-trons this year. What I do is grade the tests as I normally would, then I go through them a second time to assess apparent mastery of the concepts. I try to do this as quickly as possible. In the end, it adds about 20 min to the time required to grade a test for one section. An added benefit is that my second look often finds things I missed the first time. In an ideal world, each question would only address one standard and then I could be totally objective. Unfortunately, most questions I can ask will rely on multiple concepts being mastered to one degree or another.
Figure 2. Numbers form as seen on an iPad. Data can easily be entered in the form, but there is no easy way to select a particular student. Tabs along the top allow for easy switching between sheets.
The ideal tool would allow me to collect data along the way during discussions so that I could chart student growth in each standard and it would also be easy and quick to enter data. So far, I have not found the perfect tool, but the search has been valuable. I have three contenders currently:
Google Forms: I created a form in Google Docs that had all the students as a drop down menu and my standards as a “Scale” question type. Data entry is very quick. I can instantly select any student. However, the data are not easy to organize. [Figure 1]
Numbers: This is Apple’s version of Excel. The iPad version allows you to create a form sheet to enter data on, very much like a Google Form [Figure 2]. Works perfectly on the iPad and makes it very easy to have a “whole class” picture whenever you want. However, it is not easy to get serial data to chart student growth.
ActiveGrade: I just found this one. It is an online grade book for Standards Based Grading. It seems to do nearly everything I want, but I haven’t tried it with my classes yet. It will allow me to easily chart and compile data on the growth of students in each standard. It is easy to use and does run on the iPad, but it was not designed for the iPad. An account costs $12 and will last till September 2011 (
www.activegrade.com).
MACULJOURNAL |
You can find more on these tools and how I use my iPad to teach at my website,
ipad.flosscience.com.
What’s the bottom line? So far I’ve been pleased with my foray into data driven decision making. It is definitely possible to do this as an individual classroom teacher without being totally overwhelmed. While I’m not entirely satisfied with my ability to collect meaningful data during class discussion I am very pleased with the data I’ve collected after tests. Everything in physics builds on our previous work. The data makes it easy to see what concepts/skills I need to spend more time on with the whole class as we move forward. It also gives me more insight with specific students. When they come for help I know exactly what areas they are weakest in and which areas they’ve got down. Additionally, I now have a great resource for parent teacher conferences. During fall conferences, my spreadsheet was far more useful than my actual grade book.
Steve Dickie teaches Physics and Pre-Engineering at Divine Child High School in Dearborn. He’s been teaching for 11 years. One of these day’s he may be satisfied with how he teaches, but then again, probably not. He can be reached at
dickie@divinechildhighschool.org or via Twitter @falconphysics
Spring/Summer 2011
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