Assessments are Very Important

         In class this week we discussed further on formative assessments.  We discussed the importance of using many formative assessments throughout your teaching.  Formative assessments help us to see if the students are understanding the material or if we need to re-teach a specific standard or part of a standard.  We discussed a few formative assessments that use technology to assess the students.  The two I found most interesting were the Kahoot games and the use of Plickers.  The Kahoot games they are able to answer on their computers, tablets, or phones.  They can also see who is in the lead and who scores the most points.  The kahoot game also saves the data so that the teacher can go back and see which student/s is understanding the material and which student/s need to revisit the material.  The students are able to create a nickname with the kahoot game.  The teacher should have the students to write the nickname they would like to use on a questionnaire at the beginning of the year so that the teacher can make note of the nickname in their data chart so that they can keep up with the students progress according to the kahoot games.
          I found it very interesting to learn about how to use Plickers.  I had never heard of this type of assessment before.  Plickers uses QR codes that can be scanned with a tablet or smart phone.  Each card assigns a particular number with each student, so when the teacher scans their answer they can see automatically who answered right and who answered wrong.  I thought this was an awesome way to do a formative assessment in the classroom and provided reliable feedback right away.  Plickers also saves the data from the assessment for each student.  The first North Carolina Professional Teaching Standard that relates to using the kahoot games and the plickers in the classroom would be under standard four "Teachers facilitate learning for their students," which states "Teachers integrate and utilize technology in their instruction."  By incorporating technology the teacher is able to help the students to be engaged in the lesson and will help them to be excited to learn because you are using an aspect they enjoy which is technology.  The use of formative assessments will relate to a specific standard under standard four again which states "Teachers use a variety of methods to assess what each student has learned."  By picking formative assessments that help you to not only assess the whole class but also to be able to assess each individual student will help you the teacher tremendously but will also help your students to be successful.  You will be able to see automatically who needs help and who is struggling before it is too late or they are more confused because you moved on.  The data you receive from the formative assessments that you review and decide if you need to re-teach a standard or part of a standard relates to the specific standard under standard five "Teachers Reflect on their Practice,"  "Teachers analyze student learning.
          I remember when I was in school we would use quizlet to do some games and I always really enjoyed them.  I am excited that now there is so many options for using technology in the classroom.  There are also other ways to assess the students without using technology.  I really like the formative assessments that allow the students to get out of their seats and move around the classroom or to work in groups.  I feel like being able to move around and to not sit all day is very important for holding the students focus and for helping them to learn by keeping them engaged.  I also think working in groups is very important and helps the students to socialize but in an beneficial way.  They work on their social skills and their knowledge at the same time.  I also like the fast formative assessments that teachers can use during their lesson, like the thumbs up, thumbs down, the show me a number of confidence 1-5, and the clap your hands if you agree options.  I think these are great to use during your lesson and will help you to know right away if you should do more examples before moving on.  Using multiple formative assessments throughout your lesson is very important for teachers and students.  These assessments and the data form the assessments will help teachers to make sure that their students are successful in every standard and every part of every standard.
           In my future class I hope to incorporate all of the different types of formative assessments in my lessons multiple times everyday.  I want to make sure I am gathering data from my assessments so that I can determine if my students understand the material or if I need to reteach the material.  Without formative assessments and data I would not know what my students know or what they may need more work on.  I will strive to do my best to assess my students so that they can be as successful as possible.  I hope to use assessments that the students enjoy, are excited about, and that will keep them engaged.  I want to help my future students to love learning and to want to learn more each and everyday!  I am really enjoying this class and believe I have learned so much important and helpful information that will help me to be the best teacher I can be for my future students!