Formative and Summative Assessment

Formative assessment is a way of assessing students' understanding and knowledge about a particular subject. Worksheets, brainstorming, using manipulatives to show how a student solved a problem are a few ways to execute a formative assessment. A summative assessment is about asking questions and only wanting one answer. The most obvious type of summative assessment is any standardized test. Unit tests are also summative because you test a specific number of units that you have discussed in class. You give students questions, and you grade based on whether the student responded with the correct answer or not.

Formative= look for understanding

Summative= Test/grade on specific answers

A technology tool that a teacher can have students use as a formative assessment is blogger. The purpose of our class being given specific prompts to respond to allow our professor an opportunity to go through each post to see if we are understanding and learning what we need to be. We can convey confusion, excitement and many other feelings simply by how we react in our blogs.

For a summative assessment, I, as a teacher, may require my class to make Prezis about the 13 original U.S. colonies. I may have them work in groups and work on one colony per group. The key thing that would make this assignment summative is a rubric. If I issue a rubric ahead of time to the class and demand that they follow it, I will grade based on how well they followed it. The Prezi may indeed allow for some formative assessment, but the act of grading according to a rubric makes the assignment a summative assessment in the end.

Professional Organizations

http://www.screenr.com/nYd8

Professional Organizations are useful resources for any and all people entering any type of profession to build professional relationships. They serve as a bridge between students and professionals. Professional Organizations allow for communications amongst many people within the same profession to share concerns, thoughts, ideas, advice, etc. For me, personally, I will strongly consider joining NSEA (Nebraska State Education Association). I believe that this organization would serve as a great resource when I begin my teaching journey. I picked this particular organization for two reason: 1. It's in Nebraska and I feel that I will start my teaching career in Nebraska and 2. I have access to the organization already in college. One of my current professors, Bill Lopez, is a sponsor for a UNL base of the organization, so I already have access to this organization. As a student, I can become involved with the organization for an annual $60 fee, but with that fee, I will have access to money saving opportunities. The organization provides discounted traveling fees as well as retail and insurance discounts. There's also a money management program that this organization offers its members, which would benefit me greatly due to my lack of control in my spending habits.