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#FormativeTech: Meaningful, Sustainable, and Scalable Formative Assessment With Technology
The forces of technology and formative assessment combined! Formative assessment is a must for educators, but it can be difficult to juggle with all the other demands of a busy teacher’s to-do list. Fortunately, technology tools can help you work smarter, not harder. In #FormativeTech , you’ll find:
- GenresEducation
128 pages, Paperback
Published April 4, 2017
8 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
About the author
Monica Burns
9 books1 followerDr. Monica Burns is a Curriculum and EdTech Consultant, Apple Distinguished Educator and Founder of ClassTechTips.com.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 26, 2017
In the book #FormativeTech: Meaningful, Sustainable, and Scalable Formative Assessment With Technology, Dr. Monica Burns discusses a variety of ways to implement technology in the classroom as formative assessments for a whole group, individuals, and group projects. She includes many examples of tasks that can be achieved with technology tools remaining focused on her motto “tasks before apps.” She also defines formative assessments as being on a fact-finding mission to learn more about your students and steer your lessons in ways that benefit them the most. Within each chapter, you will find technology vocabulary along with QR codes leading to videos and other resources, tips for making formative assessments meaningful, sustainable, and scalable, and examples of tasks that can be completed through a variety of technology tools.
One of the many valuable resources in this book is its vocabulary. They are beneficial to someone new to technology and its 21st-century terms. One example on (p.26) workflow- the way students get work from their device to their teacher’s device and vice versa. Another example on (p.25) screencast- a video recording of anything that appears on the screen of your digital device including illustrations, annotations, and voice recording. Also, on (p.49) scannable technology- the interaction of mobile devices and a trigger image to connect users to content. Another great resource is the QR codes Dr. Burns places throughout to lead you to videos of best practices examples or printable items to use in your classroom.
After each chapter, Dr. Burns gives helpful tips on how to make that chapter’s information meaningful, sustainable, and scalable in your classroom and across multiple grade-levels. Her plan is a great structure to follow when trying to guide others in using formative tech in their lessons. Dr. Burns states making technology meaningful is “finding opportunities to collect data from students in everyday lessons.” One example of this is in Chapter 2 Transforming Practice, pick one part in a lesson to add a technology tool for formative assessment. Reflect on how it can help you make decisions for future lessons. Sustainable use of formative tech would be “reflecting on your teaching style and implementing tech as part of your daily routines and keeping the flow of the classroom efficient.” For example, in Chapter 2 figure out what works best for your teaching style and commit to it trying a new tech tool for a month. If you use exit tickets on sticky notes, try doing exit tickets through a tech tool instead. Dr. Burns says making technology scalable is “connecting information between all stakeholders as you work through changes in your teaching.” For example, in chapter 2 find another like minded teacher in the school or online who will commit to trying out a new formative tech strategy. Support each other through the process sharing ideas and videos and looking back on reflections of a lesson with technology together. It is helpful that Dr. Burns continues throughout each chapter with meaningful, sustainable, and scalable tech tips.
Dr. Burns also gives many examples of using technology. She doesn’t just suggest the app, but she gives ideas on how and when in lessons you might be able to use an app or tool focusing more on the task rather than the tool. For example, individual students can use Padlet as an exit ticket at the end of a lesson. The teacher can control viewing capabilities of posts to ensure all students are doing their own reflecting. In whole class settings, students can post questions about a character or plot during a core literature reading on Padlet. In group projects, each member can post their job and how they’ve contributed to the group for the day and how they will move forward in the assignment. Keeping the learning objective as the priority will ensure that the technology used is not only fun but also meaningful.
Dr. Burns’ book, #FormativeTech: Meaningful, Sustainable, and Scalable Formative Assessment With Technology is valuable for many teachers using technology at a variety of implementation levels. It is easy to follow, and the examples provide visual learners deeper insight into how technology can work in a classroom. Dr. Burns understands that not all technology is good technology in the classroom, so her meaningful, sustainable, and scalable tips help teachers to remain focused on the learning objectives and what works best for their teaching style while adding steps of professional growth to their craft.
Burns, M. (2017). #Formativetech: meaningful, sustainable, and scalable formative assessment
with technology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin
One of the many valuable resources in this book is its vocabulary. They are beneficial to someone new to technology and its 21st-century terms. One example on (p.26) workflow- the way students get work from their device to their teacher’s device and vice versa. Another example on (p.25) screencast- a video recording of anything that appears on the screen of your digital device including illustrations, annotations, and voice recording. Also, on (p.49) scannable technology- the interaction of mobile devices and a trigger image to connect users to content. Another great resource is the QR codes Dr. Burns places throughout to lead you to videos of best practices examples or printable items to use in your classroom.
After each chapter, Dr. Burns gives helpful tips on how to make that chapter’s information meaningful, sustainable, and scalable in your classroom and across multiple grade-levels. Her plan is a great structure to follow when trying to guide others in using formative tech in their lessons. Dr. Burns states making technology meaningful is “finding opportunities to collect data from students in everyday lessons.” One example of this is in Chapter 2 Transforming Practice, pick one part in a lesson to add a technology tool for formative assessment. Reflect on how it can help you make decisions for future lessons. Sustainable use of formative tech would be “reflecting on your teaching style and implementing tech as part of your daily routines and keeping the flow of the classroom efficient.” For example, in Chapter 2 figure out what works best for your teaching style and commit to it trying a new tech tool for a month. If you use exit tickets on sticky notes, try doing exit tickets through a tech tool instead. Dr. Burns says making technology scalable is “connecting information between all stakeholders as you work through changes in your teaching.” For example, in chapter 2 find another like minded teacher in the school or online who will commit to trying out a new formative tech strategy. Support each other through the process sharing ideas and videos and looking back on reflections of a lesson with technology together. It is helpful that Dr. Burns continues throughout each chapter with meaningful, sustainable, and scalable tech tips.
Dr. Burns also gives many examples of using technology. She doesn’t just suggest the app, but she gives ideas on how and when in lessons you might be able to use an app or tool focusing more on the task rather than the tool. For example, individual students can use Padlet as an exit ticket at the end of a lesson. The teacher can control viewing capabilities of posts to ensure all students are doing their own reflecting. In whole class settings, students can post questions about a character or plot during a core literature reading on Padlet. In group projects, each member can post their job and how they’ve contributed to the group for the day and how they will move forward in the assignment. Keeping the learning objective as the priority will ensure that the technology used is not only fun but also meaningful.
Dr. Burns’ book, #FormativeTech: Meaningful, Sustainable, and Scalable Formative Assessment With Technology is valuable for many teachers using technology at a variety of implementation levels. It is easy to follow, and the examples provide visual learners deeper insight into how technology can work in a classroom. Dr. Burns understands that not all technology is good technology in the classroom, so her meaningful, sustainable, and scalable tips help teachers to remain focused on the learning objectives and what works best for their teaching style while adding steps of professional growth to their craft.
Burns, M. (2017). #Formativetech: meaningful, sustainable, and scalable formative assessment
with technology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin
July 1, 2023
I was not thinking this one was going to be productive because tools change so rapidly in education, but I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of this work. What made this strong was the sharing of the theories behind why tech can make assessments better and more timely, resulting in better response to students' understandings, and monitoring/adjusting lessons. It is readable enough too that I could add this whole text to a module and know that most of my students would read it.
November 2, 2017
Interesting suggestions to use technology to assess students progress in reading, math and other content subjects. I am still checking out some of its appendixes but I found this a useful guide and will keep the text near so I can check it from time to time when I have questions.
May 18, 2019
Loved this book. As someone who wants to use tech more effectively, it gave me amazing ideas on how to do so in my classroom. The charts and visuals helped me to really see how these items could work.
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July 14, 2017Excellent resource, Monica is one of the best EdTech Innovators
I was engaged from start to finish throughout this venture into the innovations for formative assessments. I have followed Monica for years on Twitter. This book is the best of the best when it comes to utilizing formativetech in the classroom. This is a must read for anyone in education.
I was engaged from start to finish throughout this venture into the innovations for formative assessments. I have followed Monica for years on Twitter. This book is the best of the best when it comes to utilizing formativetech in the classroom. This is a must read for anyone in education.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews