TEI Tuesday Tip for 10/8

It's TEI Tuesday! As you teach and assess, you are continually making important decisions about what your students know and what they need to learn. Based on your observations and knowledge of the curriculum, you can then modify your instruction to meet the needs of your learners.  Assessing for learning is necessary for thoughtfully engaged instruction.

One of the tools that can help assess student understanding is IA (Interactive Achievement). While this is used for benchmark testing, it can be used by teachers to develop their own TEI questions for assessing student understanding.  IA, which is now called onTRAC, has the ability to create drag and drop, hot spot and fill in the blank question types. While this is helpful, the reports formulated in IA are what make this tool so valuable in creating thoughtfully engaged instruction.

If you aren't sure what your students know, it's hard to design learning that meets their needs. I will offer many opportunities to learn more about how to use IA during the month of October. Please join me to see how IA can be used to create TEI questions. These sessions are designed to give you a better understanding of the functionality of IA and the many ways you could use it with your students.

October IA Training at Sealston Computer Lab (138)

October 18

• 7:45 - 8:30 am: Using onTRAC reports to create math quick checks (Fanya and I will show you how the reports can help you in creating a quick check assessment for math)
• 4:00 - 5:00 pm: Creating a basic and TEI exam

October 24

• 7:45 - 8:30 am: Using onTRAC reports to create math quick checks (Fanya and I will show you how the reports can help you in creating a quick check assessment for math)

October 28

• 4:00 - 5:00 pm: Creating a section exam with TEI questions (Section testing is used to create multiple sections in an exam to control the use of certain tools in each section)

October 29

• 7:45 - 8:30 am: Creating a section exam with TEI questions (Section testing is used to create multiple sections in an exam to control the use of certain tools in each section)
• 4:00 - 5:00 pm:  How to create your own exam questions

October 30

• 7:45 - 8:30 am: Understanding the reports in IA

TEI Tuesday Tip for 10/1

It's TEI Tuesday!! Time for a new TEI tip!

Attached is a flipchart with sample math TEI questions for grades 2-6. These questions are aligned with quarter one math SOLs. This flipchart opens in ActivInspire. ActivInspire is a wonderful, interactive program that can be used even if you don't have a Promethean Board.

Perhaps my best tip this week is my recent experience with using a wireless mouse. This very handy tool allows you complete freedom to walk around and observe your students when you are presenting information on your computer with your LCD projector. Of course, I believe one day we will have rooms equipped with interactive whiteboards.....but, until then, why not purchase an inexpensive wireless mouse? I bought a $12 mouse and it worked great (minus the few times it dropped) My coordination has since improved as I "walk and mouse". If you happen to be in the computer lab, you have the added bonus of being able to see what your students are doing on their computer screens, without being tied to the "teacher computer".

Using a wireless mouse, you can project these sample items and navigate through the flipchart. Try passing the mouse to students for them to answer. Of course, you can also recreate these items with paper, however, I believe it is always good practice to have them see the formatting as it appears on testing programs.

I am always happy for feedback after your use a flipchart.

Here's to a great day of "thoughtfully engaged instruction"!

TEI Tuesday Flipchart 001

TEI Tuesday Tip for 9/24

Our school has launched TEI Tuesday. The purpose of TEI Tuesday is to intentionally engage your students in the kinds of thinking and rigor used in the TEI (technology enhanced items) questions.

Need a quick look at the kinds of TEI questions your students might be asked? Take a look at the sample math, reading, writing TEI items in these pdf documents.

Grades 3-7 Sample Math TEI Questions
Grades 3-8 Sample Reading-Writing TEI Questions & Paper Templates

Let's start by knowing where to find TEI resources on the Sealston website. If you haven't explored the Websites for Staff page, http://kgcs.k12.va.us/ses/staff_websites.htm, take a few minutes today to see the wealth of instructional resource links. Among the links are ones that our instructional leaders, LJ Darcy and Fanya Morton, have worked on developing. I started this blog last year, which will continue to expand this year.

Make sure you sign up for Teacher Direct, http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/teacher_direct/index.shtml, from the DOE. You will receive SOL related information throughout the year.

Most importantly, start discussing among your grade level, how you can start getting your students to think beyond one right answer.
 

Here's to a great day of "thoughtfully engaged instruction"!

Reading TEI Flipcharts

King George County Division Reading Specialist, Laura Jo Darcy, has created reading TEI flipcharts for grades 3-6. Her goal in creating these is to provide teachers with resources which align to the current VA reading standards. These flipcharts are designed to be an instructional tool to help with building reading skills as well as exposing students to technology enhanced items (TEI). You are encouraged to use these as an assessment for learning with your students and not merely a stand alone activity. With each question, guide your students to use the tools on the page (highlighter, pen) to find supporting evidence in the selections.

If you would like to view the contents of the reading flipcharts, but you do not have ActiveInspire, a pdf for each of the reading templates can be found on the "Reading TEI Templates" page.

• Grade 3 Taj and Berto Reading Flipchart
• Grade 4 A New Chewing Gum Reading Flipchart
• Grade 5 The Amazing Hummingbird Reading Flipchart
• Grade 6 Follow That Mouse Reading Flipchart
• Guide Words Flipchart 
• Coral Reefs, Reading a-z, Level Q Flipchart

To contact Laura Jo Darcy about the reading flipcharts, email her at: ldarcy@kgcs.k12.va.us

Math Training TEI Flipchart

I would like to extend a thank you to Michael George, Instructional Technologist, at Fredericksburg City Public Schools, for the opportunity to be a part of the ActivInspire training with his staff. Our consultant, Penny Izquierdo, did a wonderful job of helping me understand all of the unique features of ActivInspire as well as the learner response systems. I am excited to look at my flipchart designs with  some new possibilities. I am already considering how to find funds for purchasing ActivExpressions!
In the meantime, I would like to share a flipchart that is geared for trainers to use in showing how to modify TEI items in flipcharts.This flipchart is designed to help introduce TEI items by first having participants practice mini-tasks. Please feel free to use this flipchart as needed.

Math TEI Training Flipchart

Fractions TEI Flipchart

This flipchart contains TEI (technology enhanced items) questions pertaining to fractions. K-6 math teachers in King George County Schools worked in grade levels to incorporate increased rigor in the teaching of fractions. One way to help students with this is by creating questions that can be used as assessments for learning. In using these with your students, note their ability to not only use the tools, but understand the thinking that is involved with answering these.

Fractions, K-6, TEI Flipchart

Math 3rd-7th Make It - Take It - TEI

This flipchart has all of the sample math TEI (technology enhanced items) questions for grades 3 - 7. Each sample is followed with a template of the sample item that can be modified for any grade level. If you are new to using ActivInspire, the first few pages will help to orient you to the basic skills you need to work with the templates.
I hope that you will find these helpful resources in creating TEI flipcharts for your students. My school division does not have Promethean Boards in every classroom. In testing how these flipcharts work in a computer lab setting,  I have worked with several teachers and classrooms. We had no problems having the students open the flipchart and use them individually on a PC or laptop. The students enjoyed using the tools in ActivInspire and they were able to simulate the TEI question types.

Math 3rd-7th Make It - Take It - TEI Flipchart  (also posted on the Math Templates page)