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Generate Instant Pear Decks

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  I’ll keep this short as the video explains most of you. Any new educational technology can be complicated to dig into from scratch as you attempt to align it to learning outcomes.  Well, a new feature that Pear Deck has introduced has taken a giant leap forward to help educators do just that.  Before we jump into the new features, if you are unfamiliar with Pear Deck and why my students and I consider it the #1 EdTech tool that helps their learning, check out the video in the previous blog post.   But if you are more concerned with why you should even dive into Pear Deck or learn about this new AI generation of Pear Deck sessions to a learning target, check out the video below. Like I said, I’m keeping it short so you have time to watch the video. If you have questions, please contact me at mohammam@elmbrookschools.org or the Pear Deck Learning team at support@deck.peardeck.com . Also, check out the amazing Stacey Roshan's video on this update. 
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Standards Presentations Using Flipgrid

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Summative assessment can be a bit tricky in distance learning when relying on traditional pencil and paper test. One of the assessment options I have allowed students to use in the past was an evidence presentation in which they created a 1 on 1 presentation demonstrating their mastery of the unit standards by presenting artifacts from the unit.

 I'm trying something similar with my students as we wrap up our momentum unit. This unit was done completely via distance learning. We had several different activities and I made sure that students had opportunities to cover our main 4 science skill outcomes as they related to momentum.

  1. I can plan and carry out investigations
  2. I can analyze and interpret data
  3. I can use mathematics and computational thinking
  4. I can construct explanations
The goal for the summative assessment is for them to provide evidence for each of these 4 outcomes. I didn't want the technology to be the barrier. So, I choose Flipgrid which is a very simple to use video creation and submission platform that my students have an easy time with.


For each of the 4 standards, I created a topic. I gave them a brief overview of what was expected in the prompt. For the focus, I used Screencastify to record the workflow for creating the Flipgrid video and explaining the prompt in more depth. In addition, I posted one example submission video to the grid for them to watch. The topic itself is moderated. This means that the videos posted by students will not be able to be viewed by other classmates.


Some of the tools that I am looking for them to use (and modeled in the focus video) are loading images, adding text, drawing, and using the Flipgrid smartphone app to record writing on a piece of paper. For those who cannot respond verbally, they can use the text option in Flipgrid to construct their response.

I created a simple rubric for feedback within Flipgrid.


Eventually, these videos will be added into their portfolios as unit evidence. I'm excited to see what they students submit. I'll be sure to share how it went.


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