Publication Date

7-2014

Document Type

Project

Degree

Master of Arts in Education (MAEd)

MA Concentration

Educational Technology

Keywords

formative assessment, Edmodo, Google, Promethean, Quizlet, Socrative, summative assessment

Advisors

Roger D. Pence, Pamela A. Redmond, Jim O'Connor

Abstract

This project investigated, compared, and reviewed electronic tools for formative assessment by classroom teachers in American public secondary schools. Although assessment was demonstrated to be an important component in teaching and learning by various research papers, widespread and frequent formative assessment remained an underutilized technique as of 2014. With the increasing prevalence of technology in American homes and classrooms, plus the emerging availability of a variety of electronic assessment tools, together with the growing capabilities of these tools to engage students and provide timely feedback to teachers and students regarding student learning, this project's goal became timely and valuable in facilitating the increased use of these tools by teachers with limited familiarity with technology. These assessment tools were compared for several qualities, including ease of use, availability to students on different devices, availability in and out of the classroom, diversity of features and assessment modes, and price. The results of this comparison showed that several high-quality free options exist, and most teachers would not need a fee-based solution. Google Drive products are excellent and provide sophisticated features that are available for users to grow into. Socrative and Quizlet provide attractive, simple, and easy-to-use products that are available on phones or computers and are excellent options for beginners. Edmodo provides a more full-featured website, in which formative assessment is one option among many. Other tools, both free and fee-based, vary in quality, value, and complexity.

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