I'm a heavy user of Google Classroom, and I quite enjoy the various posting features offered within the Google Classroom stream. They're all great. But I can tell you from a teacher's perspective, however, that the main thing I actually use Classroom for on a daily basis is issuing lesson plans to my classes. 



​So what's the problem?

​Sadly, Google Classroom doesn't actually offer a "lesson" option. The available posting options currently made available within Google Classroom include questions, announcements, or assignments. 

Thus, for the teacher who wants to post a lesson, one of the three available posting options needs to be adapted to this purpose. Personally, I find the "assignment" option to be the best fit for a lesson because it allows me to give the lesson a title, and it allows me to associate the lesson with a date (which is a must). The main problem, however, is the fact that using the "assignment" option gives the impression that the student has something due for every single class... and this isn't necessarily the case. 

Moreover, when I do issue an actual assignment, it invariably finds itself hiding amongst dozens of previously - and subsequently - posted lessons. As a result, parents and students do not pay nearly as much attention to my assignments as they likely would if my assignments were not hiding amongst so many other similar looking postings.

I hope that Google Classroom enthusiasts everywhere will join me in encouraging Google to create a "lesson" posting option in Classroom. In my view, such an option could be very similar to the current "assignment" option: it could simply be titled "Lesson" as opposed to "Assignment."

I would also point out that the utility of such a lesson posting option could be increased if the "lesson" post could give the teacher the option of associating a submission with the post. I say this because some lessons do indeed require students to submit some work, while other lessons do not require anything to be submitted at all. 

If such a Google Classroom feature were to be made available, then students and parents would be able to clearly delineate between actual assignments and the lessons that teachers such as myself post using the current "assignment" option. In other words, parents would no longer mistake daily lessons as overdue assignments, and overdue assignments would no longer find themselves camouflaged as old lesson plans. 

Google, if you would consider doing this, then I think you would not only increase the utility and usability of Google Classroom, but you would bring Google Classroom one important step closer to serving as a full-fledged course management system.  

By definition, formative assessment is supposed to provide data that teachers use to identify needs, modify instruction, and provide support. 

But how many teachers actually do this on a regular basis? How many teachers can? I'm not talking about a token event that occurs just every now and then. I'm talking about consistent formative assessment that is conducted throughout the year and across the entire curriculum of a course. That proposition takes a lot of time, and time isn't something that teachers have in great abundance. Nonetheless, I am here to report that, with the right tools, consistent and comprehensive formative assessment can not only be done, but it can be fun and motivating as well. 

The tools I'm going to discuss in this post include: Google Classroom, Kahoot!, and Google Email. Let's get started.

Google Classroom

To implement this system, you will need to use Google Classroom to post comprehensive lesson plans, complete with objectives and instructions, as well as links and attachments for any required resources. It is important to understand that the "Assignment" is the best option for a lesson plan, as it can be associated with a Google Calendar date. (Although it will appear as a "due date," which isn't necessarily ideal.) It is also important to note that you can quickly obtain and copy a URL that will send students to a specific Google Assignment post (i.e. lesson plan). More on that later. 

Kahoot!

Anyone who knows me or who follows my blog knows how much I love Kahoot. I have developed a Kahoot for virtually every concept I teach. (I won't just have a big Kahoot for a unit review. Rather, if a unit has eight concepts, then that unit will have eight Kahoots.)

I therefore use a Kahoot to provide a quick check-in at the end of each topic. I usually run my Kahoots at the end of a class or at the beginning of the next class. They take about 15 to 20 minutes, and they provide both the students and the teacher with excellent and immediate formative feedback. They are also well designed to allow the teacher to provide timely, targeted remediation on any points of confusion revealed by the check-in. After the results for a given question have been revealed, the teacher can even expand an image that may have been used in that question in order to examine the issue before moving onto the next question. 

At the end of the Kahoot, the teacher can download a comprehensive spreadsheet of the class results. For this reason, it is imperative that students sign in using their real names. I make a habit of downloading the Kahoot results, and then quickly seeing who might have failed the Kahoot. Anyone who failed a given Kahoot will receive an Early Warning Radar Bulletin from Google Email. 

Google Email

An email can be sent out from within the Google Classroom, or from with Google Mail. I simply copy, paste, and modify a version of the email presented below, and send it out to anyone who failed the Kahoot. If the circumstances warrant it, I might also carbon copy the parents. I've also been known to send out motivational emails to students (and, at times, their parents) who demonstrate exceptional brilliance within a Kahoot. I should point out that the email will contain live links back to the lesson plan that resides within Google Classroom. If you recall, that lesson plan will contain attachments to any resources associated with the lesson.

In Summary

As I have often pointed out, setting up technical infrastructures such as Google Classroom lessons and Kahoot check-ins do indeed require a lot of time up front. However, the dividends they pay are great, and the teacher will get to draw those dividends for years to come. After that, this outstanding form of formative feedback, timely remediation, and student/parent communication can become a practical, realistic, and regular part of a teacher's program.

​Give it a try, and let me know how it goes.

If you are receiving this email it is because our recent Kahoot check-in indicates that you could benefit from reviewing the material on consumer and producer surplus, socially optimal outcome, and market intervention (price ceilings and price floors).

I'm going to suggest that you review this material at your earliest convenience, and then try doing the Market Intervention Quiz in the Mastery Learning Lab. [Unit #1: Economic Theory & Consumer Behaviour --> The Mechanics of the Market System --> Market Intervention Quiz].

Cheers,

Mr. L

References:

​Formative Assessment Definition - The Glossary of Education Reform." 29 Apr. 2014, http://edglossary.org/formative-assessment/. Accessed 11 Oct. 2017.

I find myself raving more and more about Kahoot to my colleagues these days, so I thought I would take a moment to help spread the word about this incredible online educational app.

Kahoot is essentially an online, interactive game that can be created and launched by anyone who signs up for a free account at Create.Kahoot.it. 

These games proceed by broadcasting a sign-up screen, which invites participants (i.e. students) to join the game by browsing to www.kahoot.it, and then entering a unique PIN number (which is generated each time a Kahoot is launched). The game begins when the game host (i.e. the teacher) decides to start the game. The host and the players can see the names of everyone who has signed up for the game, although participants have the freedom of entering any name they might wish. (I should add that the game host can kick out any participant who decides to enter using some sort of naughty or offensive name.)

Games are essentially comprised of multiple choice questions featuring a question and four associated answer options. One or more answer options can be designated as correct by the game designer. Each game can feature an identifying image or video, and each question therein can also feature its own unique image or video.

Once the game is launched, students have a brief moment to read each question before the answer options are displayed. Once the answers are displayed, the players have a certain amount of time (designated by the game designer) to select the correct option. Answer options are coded by both colour and shape. Students thus click on the colour and shape associated with the answer they believe to be correct. All students ever see on their own device screens are the four colours and shapes. 

Each question finishes once the time designated for the question expires, or when all players have answered the question - whichever comes first. At that time, a bar graph displaying the number of players who chose each answer is presented. In addition, this graph indicates which of the four answers was correct. After that, a scoreboard showing the top five scores and their associated player usernames is displayed. The game then proceeds with the next question, and it carries on in that order until all questions have been answered. I should point out that there is a set of options that are selected at the outset of each game, and these include the option to randomize the questions.

​So then, why am I loving Kahoot so much right now? Well, let me tell you...

1. With Kahoot's newly refined interface, these little games are lightning fast to build and launch. (After all, if a given tool, technology, or approach isn't firmly grounded within the reality of a teacher's tight time constraints, then it simply won't be used.) Kahoot's new game creator interface is slick, intuitive, and highly responsive. In fact, I would hazard a guess that I could build a brand new, ten-question Kahoot on almost any topic in about 15 minutes. Moreover, entire Kahoot games, as well as individual Kahoot questions, are very easy to duplicate and then modify. (Indeed, duplication and modification of questions is a key feature that makes Kahoots so fast to build.)

​2. Kids love playing Kahoot! My students beg to play Kahoot every class. The game is fun, fast-paced, and is designed to engage each and every student in real time. ALL students (not just the high achievers) compete in a safe, anonymous environment. Only the top five scorers are revealed after each question. (Low scorers don't need to worry about being embarrassed.)


​3. Kahoots are an excellent tool for formative assessment. The students and the teacher immediately learn whether the class is mastering or struggling with certain material. Moreover, the teacher can actually download and save comprehensive results for the entire class after each game. (See detailed directions on how to download full class results from a Kahoot.) I have even integrated Kahoot results within my formative feedback and my parent communication. (See: Early Warning Radar.) 

​
​4. Finally, I just discovered (through pure experimentation) that the Logitech presenter that I use to remotely operate my PowerPoints and Google Slide presentations will also work with Kahoot! This means that teachers are no longer tethered to their computers while hosting a Kahoot, and are thus free to walk around amongst their students during the game. 

​If you're teaching in a one-to-one environment, I hope you'll give Kahoot a try the next time you're looking for a fun, interactive experience that will reinforce learning, provide instant remediation, and generate excellent formative assessment data that can guide next steps for both teachers and students.