The webinar “Expert panel on Portfolios & Assessment” discusses assessment, portfolios, and 21st-century learning with FreshGrade. Four presenters discuss their experience and ideas about FreshGrade.
Kelli Vogstad is a vice principle who uses FreshGrade. Feel free to follow her blog —-> Kellivogstad.com
In this webinar Kelly discusses how to best document learning on FreshGrade. She states that the documentation must show growth over time, provide reflection, and bring in the core competencies. To make learning visible on FreshGrade we must include the curriculum activity and task, but move beyond the picture of the worksheet or test. Our pictures need to show growth and learning. Further, FreshGrade should have two prominent voices: student and parent. Students should be encouraged to document what they have learned, what they still need to work on, and their plans to move forward. Additionally, parents voices should be included but their comments should move beyond praise.
Damian Cooper is an assessment consultant who works to make assessment relevant for students and less work for teachers. Currently he is working on validating the use of observation and conversation as assessment tools.
Damian discusses the importance of a curriculum that focuses on know, do, and understand. He states that there is often an over reliance on factual knowledge and that we need to move toward observing students skills, competencies, and conceptual understanding. One way in which we can observe these areas is through FreshGrade. FreshGrade allows students to record information which we can view as evidence of learning on smartphones and tablets. This type of learning and assessment challenges the traditional marking approach but can be more beneficial as it allows students to gather their own evidence.
Wanny Hersey is a superintendent in Northern California.
Wanna discusses how FreshGrade is utilized to document student achievement and growth at her project based learning school. The school that she describes utilizes focused learning goals. According to her, these goals and certain 21st century skills can be hard to demonstrate in a traditionally academic sense. In her opinion, FreshGrade is able to capture the entire learning experience of the students. Students are able to post about their goals online, which relates to metacognition. This also promotes engagement and conversations. Some challenges that Wanna describes includes the amount of devices available for uploading. For instance, you may need to take time to create a system for uploading if you only have access to a small number of devices. You also need to take time to train parents, teachers, and students about what strong evidence looks like. Further, some of the benefits discussed include the ability to document skills such as, collaboration and critical thinking. Additionally, because many teachers can have access to different student portfolios collaboration between teachers is common, and teachers can use FreshGrade as proof of their own professional growth.
Karen Fadrum helps teachers understand how to utilize portfolios and assessment.
Karen mentioned that while using FreshGrade teachers need time and space, access to information, and a connection to the community. When shifting to using FreshGrade, teachers are learners and need to make FreshGrade work for them and their students. Some tools that can be utilized to support teachers includes: readily available technology, documentation tools for teachers and students, access to creative apps, and flexible learning spaces. Further, teachers should be given professional learning opportunities to share their FreshGrade experiences with each other.
I won’t go over the q & a part of the video as it is twenty minutes long and I am ready for bed! But please watch the video for yourself! There is plenty of fabulous information located at the end of the video –> –> –> –> –> https://learning.freshgrade.com/courses/368996/lectures/5632299
Here is my cute certificate (extrinsic motivation at its finest)
Thanks for reading,
Another webinar summary will be uploaded on the weekend!
Michelle Shields 