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Understanding Universal Design for Learning - 3 Key Principles

1/4/2023

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UDL stands for Universal Design for Learning. UDL is an educational framework that aims to make learning more inclusive and accessible for all students. UDL is based on the idea that by proactively designing educational environments, materials, and activities to be flexible and customizable, educators can create opportunities for all students to learn and succeed. The UDL framework consists of three main principles:
  1. Multiple means of representation: Provide multiple ways for students to access and understand information and concepts, including through different modalities (e.g., visual, auditory, kinesthetic) and media (e.g., text, images, video).
  2. Multiple means of expression: Provide multiple ways for students to demonstrate their learning and express their ideas, including through different media (e.g., written, oral, visual) and formats (e.g., individual, group, online).
  3. Multiple means of engagement: Provide multiple ways for students to engage with the material, including through different activities (e.g., discussions, hands-on projects) and learning environments (e.g., in-person, online).

I first heard the concept of UDL introduced at a meeting where Goalbook was shared as a tool that was available to teachers to use in designing instruction to meet students' Individual Education Plans.  The term UDL was thrown out a lot in that meeting, but I had no idea what it stood for or why it was important to understand when designing instruction. 

UDL can benefit all students in a classroom, not just those with disabilities. By providing multiple ways for students to access, express, and engage with material, UDL can create a more diverse and flexible learning environment. An environment that caters to each student's unique strengths and needs. For example, if a teacher provides multiple means of representation for a lesson on World War II, some students may prefer to learn through reading a text, while others may prefer to watch a video or listen to a lecture.  Providing some options such as extended time without an IEP in place is a sticking point in some classrooms.  UDL pushes home the point that what's good for one can be good for all.  This may be the biggest hurdle for us to cross in traditional classrooms.

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By offering a range of options, the teacher can meet the needs of each student and help them better understand the material. Similarly, by providing multiple means of expression, teachers can give students more choice in how they demonstrate their learning. Some students may prefer to write an essay, while others may prefer to create a presentation or a video. By offering these options, teachers can allow students to showcase their learning in a way that is most comfortable and effective for them.
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An analogy of Universal Design exists at the entrance to most buildings. There are two ways to access our building, the stairs or the ramp. Most days I take the stairs and am quickly at the door; if I have pushed it too hard during a workout or have a sore knee, I might opt to use the ramp.  When I use the ramp, it takes me a little longer, but it makes it easier, and on those days, that is what is best for me. I don't need permission to make this decision. UDL's primary goal is to create expert learners. Expert learners decide which supports and scaffolds they believe will help them be more successful.  A learner may need more time, a video, an audio recording, or a safe editing partner.

​I am curious how a focus on UDL can influence instructional design when we are utilizing our Learning Management Systems. I am reading UDL and Blended Learning; Thriving in Flexible Learning Landscapes by Katie Novak and Catlin Tucker to learn more! 
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3 Question Summary - Helping Make Sense of Rigorous Text

9/10/2022

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Reading is one of the many vehicles to learning, and yet when complex or long texts are assigned to students, many students struggle. In classrooms, you will often hear instructions given to annotate or take notes as you read and yet pulling those items together is difficult.  Recently I listened to the podcast “Rebuilding American Civics”, in the conversation, Luke Perez addresses the jump from high school to college and some of the skills that he sees lacking in students; the conversation drew me in. I vividly remember the long reading assignments and reading without gaining knowledge. 

In the podcast, Perez, a professor at Arizona State, shares the strategy of using “The Three Questions Summary.”  This strategy enables a student to take dense pieces of text and summarize it down to the essentials.  The Three Question Summary can be applied in chunks as a student reads and then again as more of the text is processed. A student might answer the questions at the end of each chapter and then again at the end of the text.  
Questions to ask as you read the document/book chapter/primary source:
  • What is the argument?
    • “(Author) argues______”   (In one sentence, capture the argument being made. It can be the thesis statement from the author. )
  • How is it argued?
    •  “Argues this by….”   (Explain the outline of the argument.)
  • Why does it matter?
    • “This matters because….” (This third question can show an understanding of lesson objectives or assess the overall comprehension of the material. At this point, the student’s internalization of the material can connect prior knowledge and lead to additional questions.)​​

Perez states during the podcast that when the 3 Question Summary is applied while reading, students are able to engage and retain more rigorous content. Answering the questions and putting a summary together also reinforces the learning through writing.

The 3 Question Summary is a technique that I plan on using during my next rigorous read.  Give it a try with your students and see how it affects the knowledge students walk away with as they engage in their next reading assignment.  


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7 Things to Model While Learning

11/22/2021

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The Learner Lab Podcast is a podcast that I listen to on a regular basis and I often walk away from an episode with something to think about or improve on in my own learning journey.

In the episode, "How to Improve the Learning Environment with Modeling" hosts Trevor Ragan and Alex Belser explore the role that modeling plays in learning. The episode starts off with an "Anti-Talent" Show challenge at a school.  This was a challenge where students and teachers, selected something that they were not good at and practiced and learned about it for two weeks and then shared the before and after.  When students saw teachers struggling to learn something new, the teachers were modeling the learning process.  It turns out that there is actually science behind why the teachers struggle to learn had an impact on the students. Without being aware, people mimic or accept what they see in front of them as the norm. 

Guest of the podcast are Karch Kiraly, head coach of USA Volleyball and Ceci Craft, a mental performance coach.  They shared that every action we display and thing we say is technically modeling. We can model good things, irrelevant things, or not so good things.  Our actions have more of an impact on those around us than we realize. 

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At the time of the interview, Coach Kiraly shared how USA Volleyball had won two silvers but continued to pursue the gold. "We are not there yet, there is work to be done." In the gym, he and his players make public declarations and post on a white board something that they are working to get better at. Stating a learning goal helps the athletes and coaches in his gym hold each other accountable. Kiraly goes on to explain that it's not about the flex of being good at something, it's identifying a piece of your skill set to work on and learn about. He makes a point of talking about how a coach's learning impacts  the strategies and routines used with the players. Along the way modeling how that learning some times goes right and other times fails us before we figure it out. Team USA's learning paid off as @usavollebyall brought home the gold from the Tokyo games! 

The episode got me thinking about what others might pick up on from the way a leader learns. I jotted down 7 things they shared that if modeled can improve the learning environment for the people around us. 
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  1. Hunger to Grow - a true desire to learn and get better
  2. Willingness to Experiment - not having all of the answers is ok
  3. Vulnerability - the unknown effect or judgment others will have
  4. Willingness to Learn Something New - open to change
  5. Asking for and Using Feedback - valuing critical and complimentary assessment 
  6. Responding to Adversity - being resilient and pushing through
  7. Owning mistakes - simply saying I made a mistake

Which of these 7 things are present in your own learning?  Where can you grow in your learning journey? 

​You can listen to the episode of the podcast here.
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What Leap Did You Take During the Pandemic?

7/16/2021

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Sitting around the dinner table a couple of weeks ago, I had a friend ask me what was one thing that we would never have tried had the pandemic not happened. It got me thinking….​

For me, the answer was our daily schedule. Our traditional school schedule had students visiting 7 classes for 50 minutes a day with a common period in the middle of the day for lunch and activities.  As we started to brainstorm we set out with a clear finish line, knowing what the total number of minutes needed to look like, and began to work backwards. 

We did not take our traditional schedule and move it online. Asking students to sit in front of a computer for 7+ hours, as if they were in class was not an option we thought was viable or in the best interest of our students. We sought feedback and ideas and we completely changed how time was allocated.  Students had learning experiences designed that ultimately took up the same amount of time, but we organized the time in a completely different way.
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Our schedule allowed for synchronous sessions in the morning and then time in the afternoon for students to spend minutes in “the work” of learning, meeting with teachers individually during office hours, or in “Content Hours”. (An idea that came from our teachers.)  Content Hours were hour blocks of time that were assigned to departments. In this hour, teachers had the ability to bring all of the students that they taught together at one time. At the high school level, that might mean 180 students or even more if several teachers teamed up together. Our teachers used this time in a variety of ways.  Content Hour allowed teachers to bring in professionals and guests that students normally wouldn’t have access to.  Students were able to meet authors, scientists, and remotely travel the world led by travel guides that normally are escorting groups in person. Teachers also had the ability to give an assessment all at one time, as opposed to giving it 5 times and taking away from the synchronous time they had with students in the mornings. 

Content Hour was one of the biggest “wins” we saw emerge for our students in some courses, but not in all of them.  In the beginning, I believe we should have offered additional learning and collaborative time for teachers to share their ideas about content hour with each other. As a school community, I think we also could have established clearer expectations and set norms for the content hours. 

Developing the schedule was not easy and involving our stakeholders throughout the process was critical. When I saw the "Stages of Thinking" that Farnam Street published, I found it correlated with the process we went through.   During step 2, the tempting thing to do was to just go with a block schedule and spread the time out throughout the day.  ​
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Our COVID schedule gave our students more agency and flexibility in their learning than they had ever had. This was a good thing for many but a black hole for other students who just did not have the time management and/or executive functioning skills to navigate the learning landscape.  I believe the flexibility in our schedule allowed for families to work around students sharing devices and various household scenarios. The agency that students experienced allowed them to spend more time in some content areas than in others. 

Moving forward, I want to continue to work on increasing student agency and giving students flexibility in where they spend their time when they walk through our doors.  (And, thank goodness they will be walking back through our doors. Not to mention NEW DOORS!)

What is a leap that your school took during the pandemic, what did you learn from it?
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Waterfall a Quick Strategy to Use in Virtual Instruction

3/29/2021

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In face to face instruction, I loved using simple white boards and having students show their answers to get a quick pulse on where everyone was or what they thought. In virtual instruction I have seen a strategy called Waterfall work in much the same way.

In the virtual world, where students and many adults are hesitant to turn their cameras on or unmute their microphone Waterfall gives them a chance to participate in a safe low stakes way. When everyone is contributing the focus is not on any one person. 

  1. Ask a question
  2. Students answer in the chat, but do not click send
  3. Teacher says or projects an image “3-2-1 Waterfall!”
  4. Students all press send together for a cascade of answers!


Waterfall can be used at the beginning of class, as a check for understanding during instruction, or as an exit ticket. It can also be a silly or personal question that fosters a sense of community. 

Make a copy of the template here. 
When you are designing your instruction plan where you will use the strategy. You can simply place the waterfall icon image in the corner of a slide to remind yourself to use the strategy, or you can insert a copy of the slide above to add a bit of color and sound to the strategy.  Press the Play button in the corner as students are typing in their answers and they'll hear a waterfall. (It's the little things like a sound that can make a difference, sometimes.)  Waterfall is a simple strategy that is effective.  
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Mail Merge with Custom PDFs - Email Each Student in Your School a Unique File

3/20/2021

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Pandemic problem - students were remote and we needed to send each student their report card at the end of a grading cycle. We did not want to use the U.S. Mail as it was expensive, non-eco friendly, and time consuming, Our solution, mass email individual files to student email addresses. We chose to send the emails and documents to student email addresses because we were confident that they were the most reliable address we had on file for any student, as the email addresses were created and assigned by the school district. In non-pandemic times, we would send the document home with the student. 

Early this year we learned how to send a mass email through mail merge using Word. Thank you Peerti Burns for teaching us how to do this first step! After we learned how to mail merge out a standard email we were met with a new challenge, attaching a specific pdf to each email. Sending each student a specific file took us a bit of time to figure out.  The steps below walk you through what we learned so that we could send individual pdfs to students.  

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Click to set custom HTML


There are two tools that I used to help make the process simpler and go faster. I reference them in the videos, but I am linking them here too.
Links to Plug-Ins
AutoSplit:   
https://www.evermap.com/AutoSplit.asp

Mail Merge Toolkit: (Remember to try trial and make sure the version you buy attaches your file.  I am not sure what the difference is between Personal Attachments and Personalized PDF in attachment. There were not two versions when I purchased the add-in). https://www.mapilab.com/outlook/mail_merge/#purchase  

Also, I used two formulas that you can copy and paste into your spreadsheet to help complete your data sheet.
Links to Formulas:
  • Formula to remove characters from ID Number:     =LEFT(A1,LEN(A1)-4)    
  • Formula for Vlookup to match file with ID Number  (Remember to change file to your file’s name.): 
          =VLOOKUP($A2,'[Report Cards Sample File.xlsx]Sheet1'!$A$1:$G$3193,7,FALSE)     

Learning to send documents individually to students has added an additional layer to  our communication channels. It's efficient, reliable, and cost effective.  The challenges we have faced during the pandemic have been immense, learning to leverage email to distribute unique student information is one way in which we have gotten better through the pandemic months.  I hope what we have learned helps you communicate with your community.
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Baamboozle - In the Classroom or Virtual Retrieval Practice

2/23/2021

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Baamboozle is a free game platform that can be used in-person or in a synchronous learning session. Baamboozle has a built-in library of thousands of games ready to play in all subjects. Also, the easy game creation tool in Baamboozle allows you to make and customize games in no time. Don't see a game that meets your needs, let students create games from the learning they have been engaged in. Allowing students the opportunity to author the games for your classes to play allows for students to share and reinforce their own learning. Students are placed on teams (options range from 2-4 teams in the free version) and compete against each other.  Baamboozle is an excellent way to get kids speaking as answers are given verbally and points awarded to the team.  There are three different modes that games can be played in. 
  • Quiz Mode is straight forward question and answer and points are awarded.
  • Classic Mode with power-ups
  • Classic Jr Mode with simple scoring
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You might be wondering what "Power-Ups" are. They are a twist that keep teams on their toes.  Power-Ups pop-up as a separate box when a question is selected. They add an additional layer of fun to the game. Power-ups allow teams to earn extra points, lose points, or other game-changers.

While Baamboozle can be integrated into any content area or grade level, the listening and speaking aspect of the game platform makes it a solid resource to use with English Language Learners. 

I found a nice tutorial created by @MattBergman14.  It walks you through creating and running a game session. Watch it below. ​
Give Baamboozle a try and change things up.  Remember how important retrieval practice is in learning, Baamboozle is a great tool to not only formatively assess where students are but also sprial content back into your learning sessions.  If you try it, let me know how it goes. 
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Quick Write - Emoji Writing Prompter

2/23/2021

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As a warm-up, brain break or connection activity this is a fun site to add to your toolbox! Ian Byrd designed this quick and easy Random Emoji Generator writing prompter. Students can write about anything they like. When they run out of things to say, they can select  "And Then..." and another random emoji will appear next to the first one to continue the story. This can go on for as long as the student likes. Consider having students do this in pairs or triads and then share out with your class.  Pretty much the full range of emoji's can be generated, so your student might get a toilet or the poop emoji. You might want to address how those types of emojis might be referenced and incorporated before students get started. 
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It All Starts with an Idea - My Three Words for 2021

1/3/2021

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As winter break comes to an end, for the 6th year in a row I have selected a word or words that I think will influence my life in the coming year.  It’s a process I look forward to and dread at the same time, as it requires reflection and goal setting. Looking back over the years, the words that I have selected all have a place in my story and this year I think the same will be true.

If 2020 has taught me anything it’s to ask why?  The systems and patterns we follow on a daily basis exist because someone else decided to put them in place.  As a kid, I went to school from 8 to 3 and as an adult, I have gone to work in a very similar pattern. Until I went to college there was very little choice in anything in my education.  Why? Because those were the rules and it’s the way things have always been done. And that is the worst answer of all. 
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In 2021, we have the chance to question the systems and patterns we are following and construct a life that is better.  So my three words have been chosen in the hope of flourishing both personally and professionally while being a part of something exciting and meaningful.  #My3Words
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Ideate (verb)  Ideation is the creative process of generating, developing, and communicating new ideas, where an idea is understood as a basic element of thought that can be either visual, concrete, or abstract. Ideation comprises all stages of a thought cycle, from innovation, to development, to actualization. (Wikipedia)  
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It all starts with an idea. I believe that bringing together smart divergent thinkers and working as a team is critical. Listening, questioning, and developing “what if” scenarios and then balancing them against each other to create something better for our daily lives and education system.  

In an interview with Roger Martin on the podcast “The Knowledge Project,”  I was introduced to the concept of integrative thinking. The Rotman School of Management defines integrative thinking as: "...the ability to constructively face the tensions of opposing models, and instead of choosing one at the expense of the other, generating a creative resolution of the tension in the form of a new model that contains elements of the individual models, but is superior to each." 
 

There is something liberating and exciting about realizing that we may be able to  impact what day to day life and learning looks like. This can be accomplished by looking at the model of school we currently have and being a part of creating a better experience.
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Move (noun), a change of place, position, or state. (Oxford Languages)  In 2021, my school will be moving into a new building after over 6 and a half decades. It’s a project that has been in the works since 2012. The move will cause change and disruption.  It will also be emotional. 

In my non-work life, I will be moving from one side of my house to the other, as we take on some renovation projects that have loomed over us since Hurricane Harvey. It’s time to finish what we started.

Move (verb), make progress; develop in a particular manner or direction.  It shouldn’t be hard to make progress in this area. 2020 was the year of the chair in so many regards. It just happened and I will have a focus and a goal each week to move physically.   

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Enjoy (verb) take delight or pleasure in (an activity or occasion) Life is fragile and unpredictable. As we move through 2021, I want to have fun and celebrate change, milestones and small moments.  Keeping things simple, not making assumptions, and valuing critical friends will all play a role in enjoying life this year. 

I have learned one other thing this year….these three words all are just not about me. I am blessed with a loving family and friends, my team at home, and also a professional learning and working community.  I am counting on all of them to wallow in the weeds along with me and to see where these words may lead.  The future is exciting and I think it’s important that we all realize we have a chance to help create better! 

A shout out to Chris Brogan for authoring the idea of "My Three Words" and to my friend Jennifer Hogan for being the conduit to the idea for me six years ago!

​I would love to know what your "word(s)" are or in what ways you have committed to focus on in 2021?
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My past #words
2020 - Consistent, Intentional, Ship
2019 - Arena, Moments, Faith
2018 - Create
2017 - Connect, Blend, Voice
2016 - Grow
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Rethinking Assessments during COVID-19 and Beyond

12/30/2020

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The pandemic has caused us to make many changes in our everyday life, causing businesses to re-think their business strategies to remain relevant and open during these challenging times. It’s no different for education. For centuries, “school” has remained consistent and almost unchanged overall. With people all over the world making and implementing new plans and new ways of doing things, we wanted to focus on the topic of assessment for this blog post.  

There are some hard questions that have been raised by educators about assessment:
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  • Is formative and summative assessment necessary during the pandemic?
  • Do tests need to be proctored and/or timed?
  • Can it really be considered an assessment if students are allowed to use notes and resources to craft their answers?
  • Is it possible to move beyond assessing what students know to what students can do with their knowledge (apply, create, iterate, solve)?
  • Are we measuring what we value?
  • How can we use technology to assist in the creation of authentic and interactive assessments?

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Matt Enlow’s tweet on December 2 started a thread that gave insight into changes that teachers were making and although there is no one size fits all assessment solution, there are ways in which we can grow and assess better. ​
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Below are five ways we found that assessments and final exams might be given and adapted during COVID-19 and beyond.
  1. Student Choice
Design tasks that allow students to spiral back through the most important standards you have covered during the semester.  Let students earn points for the challenges that they take on. Here’s a challenge board that teachers can customize.  Another way to approach this type of assessment is to list the standard and then it’s the student’s job to submit evidence that they understand or have mastered it. The length of time across the bottom of the board could be adjusted to grading periods or to the complexity of the challenge. An example of a product that might be submitted was created by high school student, Shirley Zhu, “Combinatorics: Sticks and Stones”  

     2. 
Evidence of Mastery using Flipgrid. Example from Mike Mohammad  (A secondary science teacher) 
Create a Slide Deck and have each slide with a standard or learning target that students can submit a flipgrid response to. Check out the Bingo Card he created for students and the Slide Deck with Instructions.   Students are presenting evidence and it’s in short snippets. If they are recording something in Flipgrid, it’s specific and not drawn out. They hit their target and move on to show evidence on the next standard in another Flipgrid submission.  Everything is linked in a slide deck which makes it organized and easy for the teacher to assess. To make assessing the Flipgrid responses quick and efficient, organize students as individual topics (now called groups) in flipgrid.  Greg Kulowiec explains this hack here. 

      3. ​ Final Exams or Epic Finales by Anthony Crider 
Could exam week become the best week of the year?  Anthony Crider took the traditional exam and flipped it upside down to create a culminating experience at the end of the semester.  After seeing a colleague tackle a final by asking one really good question, he set out to do the same thing. 
“It took me longer to come up with that one good question than it did to pick 100 questions for my introductory astronomy class. I also trimmed the question down to be as short as possible, requiring students to “unpack” it even before answering it. As one student wrote to me afterward, “I think I spent as much time figuring out what the question was asking as I did answering the question.” 
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  “The unspoken truth of education is that we don’t want students just to learn the material; we want them to want to learn the material. The final exam closes the book on a semester of learning. An epic finale primes the students to discuss the topic for weeks (or years) to come and to leave the classroom amid a bit more awesomeness than when they arrived.”
      4.  A Google-Proof Assessment  
Developing an assessment that allows students to use their notes and the resources that are available to them on a daily basis.  It is a question that can not be directly answered via Google because it requires analysis, interpretation, and application. The web will be a very helpful resource for students in collecting information related to these questions, but search engines will not lead to easy answers. Use Blooms Digital Taxonomy, adapted by Andrew Churches, to help craft questions that cause the learner to create, evaluate and analyze. Creating these questions will take time and practice. Get with your team and divide the learning targets that you’ll be accessing and use this template to help develop your questions. 
      5.  ePortfolio - Collecting Evidence of Learning   
A portfolio allows the assessment to shift and have the learner own the assessment process.  John Spencer has a great collection of resources to help establish a portfolio process to collect evidence of learning and has included steps to take while curating a portfolio during distance learning. 
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What sets people apart from others in the 21st century is knowing what to do with the information that is available to them, not simply having the information. Developing the skills of curation, evaluation, synthesis, and application should be goals within any assessment.   

How might the next assessment you develop look different? How would you lead teachers to re-think and change their assessments?
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