ClassMarker

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I used the resource ClassMarker to develop a quiz for my students and they tried it out for me today. It was a very simple procedure to make the quiz as the instructions were easy to follow and I loved the idea of being able to prepare quizzes that they could access from home or school and chose to use whenever they wanted to test their knowledge. It offers a range of test types which is extremely useful and you can also use it to do surveys and things of that nature.

Test types offered
Multiple choice | Multiple response | True/False | Free text | Punctuation | Essay


I did have some difficulty with ClassMarker, though, being quite new to it. Unfortunately, if you do not use multiple choice answers then students must give the exact answer, that the teacher has entered, or they will be marked wrong. This means that while they may know the answer if they spell a word incorrectly the program will mark them wrong. As long as you explain this to the class before they attempt the quiz it doesn't create any major dramas.

This type of resource enables teachers to be able to track their students progress. If used over a period of time it can offer formative assessment value as you can see how the student is going and easily recognise any areas where they consistently have difficulty. It allows for the development of tests tailored to meet each students individual needs.

I am a huge fan of authentic assessments, but, the reality is that students must also be able to perform well with more traditional assessment type test if they are to be able to succeed when faced with Naplan or the Yr 2 diagnostic net tests (QSA, 2009). Quizzes are made for the individual rather than collaborative assessment, however they need to embed Kearsley's and Shneiderman's(1999) 'authentic focus' is evident. This is definitely a resource that I will be exploring further.

References:
Kearsley, G, and Shneiderman, B. (1999), Engagement Theory: A Framework for Technology-based Teaching and Learning, 1-6. Retrieved November 19, 2009 from
http://home.sprynet.com/~gkearsley/engage.htm

ClassMarker website.
Queensland Studies Authority, (2009) Queensland Studies Authority – P-12 Learning
Retrieved November 19, 2009 from
http://www.qsa.qld.edu.au/learning.html