Using EdTech for Choice & Differentiation

Over the past 4 years I’ve been experimenting with options for student summative assessments related to unit outcomes. It’s been going quite well for the most part, but I’m trying something a little bit different this time to help with some of the logistics. I am always amazed at the options that I fail to explore in some of the tech tools I am using. But like every good tool it doesn’t make sense to use these features until you have a purpose beyond novelty.

I currently teach 3 blocks of physics with 80 students total. My first block is co-taught and ⅓ of our students have an identified learning disability. We are intentional about the supports we provide to learners with IEPS, but also the entire population in terms of strengths and challenges. To address this, we moved away from using Google Docs as templates to Google Slides. I have been using Doctopus for ages to distribute the same templates to all learners and it has been working wonderfully. (FYI we use an LMS therefore I am not using Google Classroom to distribute)

Over time, we’ve realized that one template doesn’t meet the needs of all learners.  Many benefit from having additional scaffolding built into the template to clarify and guide the thought processes. This leads to having multiple templates for the same task.  It has become a bit of an issue for learners to be able to manage these template because they had to make copies of the template they needed and then be sure to set sharing permissions, etc.  

This became an issue with many of our learners who struggle with multiple step processes. It resulted in an overload of steps that created a tech barrier (long workflow) before students could even begin the tasks we had intended. We were creating templates with scaffolds for learners who needed them but putting additional obstacles in terms of accessing them.

This was the case until I decided to check out the differentiated sharing option in Doctopus. I had always seen it as a part of the set-up, but figured it would be too difficult to use so never investigated.  It turns out to be incredibly easy to use if you have begun the process of creating choices and differenced assessment options.

I’ll come back to Doctopus in a bit but want to speak to what needed to be in place first.

At the end of our current unit of instruction, learners had a choice of assessment options. These options involved building on some previous work done in class and a couple of application options. I won’t go to in-depth on these.  If you are really interested, here are  link to the options.  

The goal of multiple options is to provide students with choice in the focus of the assessment. The last option I always like to give is propose your own topic just incase a brave student has an idea during our learning and wants to take it somewhere I hadn’t thought of yet.

For each option, except the test, I created a template in Slides for the assessment with the requirements that would be shared with the learner. In addition, I created a version with scaffolds. Yes, this means quite a bit of up front work. But for some of the assessments, the version without scaffolds simply has the basic instructions and requirements and the students need to create from there. They are welcome to create outside of the Slides, but it gives them a document that is already shared which they can build in if they choose to.

The scaffolded version provides much more guidance as it walks them through demonstrating all of the requirements to show mastery.

This unit I tried to be more intentional about the process by which students choose their assessment format/focus. I went through a series of slides outlining each option and then asked them to complete a Google form. This way we’ll have a digital list of each student’s choosen option.

Now is where Doctopus comes in. If you are unfamiliar with Doctopus, check out Kasey Bell’s quick overview.

Doctopus allows me to choose specifically which template to distribute to each student in just a few different steps. From step 3, I choose differentiated.

In step 4, I assign a template to a specific letter.

Then code each student with the letter they should receive under the Group Column. The Google form I had students fill out made this process super efficient.

Once step 4 is done, complete your Doctopus in the traditional way as if you were simply sending out a single template version.

How do we determine who get’s the scaffolded version? This is where prior assessment data and rapid cycle feedback come in.  We have a very good pulse on the abilities of our learners processing skills as we progress through the unit and make that judgement call.  We can always provide additional support while they are working on the summative assessment as it is designed to be done in class.

Although learners are working on different assessment options, it’s still important to have a unified assessment format to cover them all. I have been using the Next Generation Science Standards Science and Engineering Practices to guide my assessment reporting.  Although the details of how each is addressed may be different for each option, they are still rated using the same scale as it connects to unit content.  If you are interested, below are two examples of the scoring guidelines.

George Couros asked us to challenge the notion of technology as just a tool.  Technology can help learners create and transform their experience.  The same thing can be said from the teacher’s lens. The right technology can open the door to not simply new efficiencies, but new possibilities. I look forward to finding ways that technology can be used to change what I think is possible to manage and allow my learners to do.