Evaluating Student Outcomes
Photo from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kumanday/4368935365/
Outcomes: Students will be evaluated individually with a portion of the evaluation focused on positive and consistent group interactions and participation. Students must have participated through ePals, group research and collaboration, and the final group presentation. In order to evaluate the group as a whole, each student will fill out a group evaluation as well.
Criteria: By the end of the project, each student will completed all of the objectives above, including research, group work, and the final presentation to the class. Teachers will have monitored student progress, technology, and completed all evaluations.
Telecollaborative Project Rubric
| Category | Not Completed | Insufficient | Satisfactory | Exemplary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research and ePals posts | research not completed/ nothing posted | some research completed/ minimal posting on ePals | research and ePals posting completed | in-depth research completed/ several ePals posts |
| Other country's ePals questions | no questions answered | some questions answered/ questions partially answered | all questions answered | all questions answered with in-depth comments |
| Group Participation | did not work well with group members/ refused to work with group | had difficulty working with group members/ did little research | worked well with group members/ positive and regular contribution to workload | worked extremely well with group members/ workload contribution was positive and consistent |
| Sources | Very little or no source information was collected | Source information collected for graphics, facts and quotes, but not documented in MLA format | Source information collected for all graphics, facts and quotes. Most documented in MLA format | Source information collected for all graphics, facts and quotes. All documented in MLA format. |
| Presentation | delivery not smooth and audience attention lost | delivery not smooth, but able to hold audience attention most of the time | relatively interesting, rehearsed with a fairly smooth delivery that usually holds audience attention | interesting, well-rehearsed with smooth delivery that holds audience attention |
| Multimedia Presentation | content is minimal OR there are several factual errors | includes essential information about the topic but there are 1-2 factual errors | includes essential knowledge about the topic/ subject knowledge appears to be good | covers topic in-depth with details and examples, subject knowledge is excellent |
| Multimedia Elements | no multimedia elements are included | includes 1 multimedia element/ only includes pictures | includes 2-3 multimedia elements | includes 3 or more multimedia elements |
| Grammar and Mechanics | grammatical and mechanical errors outnumber content/ mostly written in English | grammatical and mechanical errors exist but do not impede comprehension/ some English or Spanglish | few grammatical and mechanical errors/ no English or Spanglish | no grammatical or mechanical errors/ advanced target language use |
Class Management Strategies
Observation: The project will need to be observed closely to make sure that the timeline is being followed, that the students are posting appropriate material and comments, and that technology is functioning properly. I will be responsible for monthly check-ins and answering all questions throughout the course of the project.
Creation: Creation of all required materials will have to be done in advance. The project will not begin until those resources have been created, reviewed, and edited. The first year with the project could be a trial run or the project could even be scaled back to include pairs of classes researching one pair of holidays but having all students in the class research the same holiday. Also, all technology will need to be requested, obtained, and safely stored prior to the commencement of the project. This technology will be necessary for months at a time, and it may be better to write a grant to request technology that would stay permanently in the classroom instead of checking it out for a month at a time.
Exchange: If the exchange portion of the project is not going well, students will have to research the holidays on their own, in lieu of discussions and media sharing with students from another country. Although this would be an unfortunate situation, the reality is that you cannot force another class to participate. That is why commitment to the project and outlining all of the requirements ahead of time are vital. The beauty of the project is that it can continue without being paired with another class, but being paired with another class permits target language practice and authentic cultural experiences and materials. If a class stops communicating, it is also possible that we can pair two U.S. classes with one class in Mexico. The exchange of information would still be the same.
Potential Problems: Some potential problems that could affect the timeline of the project include inclement weather or natural disasters as well as technology issues that include a lack of an Internet connection in the classroom or difficulty sending information in the appropriate format. If the timeline has to change, there is room in the plan for it to be pushed back if necessary. The project only encompasses 4 out of the 10 months of the school year, so there is room to move the project if a situation arises. The only issue then is that the holidays may or may not fall within the time frame in which they occur; this is a minor matter in the larger plan. Unfortunately, technology issues will have to be dealt with on a school by school(class by class) basis. Participants should not be willing to sign up for the project participation if they do not have access to the main technology necessary for the project. Every attempt will be made to help the school/class first, but it may be necessary at times for a school/class to remove themselves from the project.
Project Evaluation
By whom: Leslie Ammann (personal classes) & Other Spanish Teachers (their own classes)
Format: Google Form evaluations for teachers and for students
Timing: Mid-Year Evaluation after the first two holidays, final evaluation after the last two holidays
The following evaluation can be used for both the mid-year and the final evaluations. This evaluation can also be used with the students!
