Ed Tech in Our Classrooms

 Blended learning offers a powerful way to enhance face-to-face instruction by incorporating digital tools that support diverse learning modalities. Before exploring this approach, I was most familiar with a hybrid model—one that combines in-person teaching with online or asynchronous activities. However, the blended learning model presented in the video is more nuanced and, importantly, more intentional. In the video, biology teacher Mickey MacDonald from Gainesville, Florida, explains: “Why I wanted to go to a more blended environment was so that I could figure out a way to differentiate instruction within the biology classroom… and work with students in small groups while others remain engaged in content learning.” This perspective is particularly compelling from a special education standpoint, where differentiation and inclusion are essential. Blended learning creates opportunities for targeted support. For example, small-group instruction paired with tools like iPads and ap...

Throughout my education, I’ve experienced two flipped classrooms—both in science courses. In CHEM 1 and Introduction to Microbiology, lectures were moved outside of class through videos and readings, while class time focused on problem-solving and discussion. Although the structure was similar, the execution differed significantly. In microbiology, we watched one or two short videos before class and completed guided questions. Class time was highly structured, with collaborative work that built toward increasingly complex applications. This format was effective, and I felt I learned a great deal. In contrast, the chemistry course was frustrating. Assigned lectures were outdated Zoom recordings, and we were expected to jump between timestamps to find relevant segments. Class time lacked structure, often reduced to the professor asking for questions without clear direction. As a result, the learning experience felt far less effective. Overall, flipped classrooms can be powerful when i...

I am definitely interested in finding ways to use games to assess my students once I am a teacher. I really like how, by using games as an assessment tool, students do not feel as much pressure or as much nervousness because it is less intense than a standard test or quiz. I do agree that games are more engaging, as they give students a way to show their understanding by working hands-on and with other students. I do think that it is important, as the teacher, to establish expectations and rules early on to better manage the classroom when students participate in these games. In the past, I have seen teachers use Kahoot for formative assessment, but it is very interesting to see them use other types of games to assess their students. Overall, I think games are a great way for teachers to assess their students; test their knowledge, check for critical thinking, and communicate/work with others.

  I watched the "Games as Assessment" video, and I have had some experience with this in younger classrooms. As I go through my college experience, I learn more every day that children, especially young children, learn and interact better with engaging, seemingly fun activities. When children can play games and make learning fun, they are more likely to want to do it.  A lot of what I do at younger levels is play-based learning, and children can engage with different domains of learning through play. This includes science, mathematics, English, social studies, and social-emotional learning. I think it is not only a good way to explore children's knowledge, but also enjoyable for them. This can create an environment where children want to learn, are excited to learn, and show off their skills. In most preschools I have been in, teachers often use informal assessment through play and use their observations to record what children know, what they discover, and what ideas the...

I am very interested in using games as an assessment tool because, in a secondary classroom setting, they are not very common. What I have learned is that there are many types of games that can be adapted to assess learning, and that they do not have to be complicated. That you can adapt a game or make a completely new one. A version of this I have seen is with a card game called Super Fight. This is a game in which two cards with specific attributes/skills/abilities are chosen to create a villain/hero, and students have to debate which would win in a fight. This is a simple game that can be used to assess students' oral communication, argumentative, and related skills. I want to implement more games as assessment tools in my teaching style because students learn best when they are having fun.  

I believe that using games as an assessment tool is a wonderful way to engage students while checking their understanding.  In my experience as a student from elementary school to high school, games were always used as fun competitions in class. My teachers used games like Quizlet, Kahoot, and Blooket to effectively engage us during these assessments, and they also served as "breaks" that let us pause lectures and lessons to have some fun.  Out of all the games I participated in, one stands above the rest: Quizizz (now known as Wayground). Quizizz is a spectacular learning game similar to Kahoot, used to test students' knowledge. Students use it by joining a game and choosing a fun character avatar, answering multiple-choice questions throughout the game, and finishing with a score and a spot on the leaderboard.  My high school Spanish teacher assessed our learning on various units with Quizizz, and it immediately engaged me every time. Participating in the competitions w...