Hello Everyone,
As Deborah mentioned, I am an instructional designer for AEA PD Online. One of the main areas of my work is leading the work around the student personalized learning system (SPLS). It was great to hear your ideas on how you might be able to utilize the SPLS in your context as well as some of the challenges that you might face when implementing it with your students. Please know that we are always looking for suggestions from the field on how to make the SPLS work for you. I have tried to categorize your questions and answered them below.
Teacher Support:
Many of you mentioned that the system has a learning curve for teachers. One of our goals is to build a self-paced training for teachers on how to use the SPLS. This training would include things like:
•How to upload students to the system
•How to assign students content on the system
•How to assist students in accessing the system
•How to monitor student progress on the system
•How to provide feedback to students
•How to develop content on the system
You suggested a help/resource section for teachers would be beneficial to have as a part of this system. This is a great idea and we are working on adding this. We also have a set of videos created that can help you with this. If you are interested in them right now, please email me (dkrefting@aeapdonline.org)
Development of Content:
Many of you felt that it will take a lot of time for a teacher to create and monitor the content in this system. AEA PD Online instructional designers work with stakeholders from across the state to develop content for the SPLS. However, as the demand for more specialized content grows, it is going to become more and more important that teachers build and share their content on the system. This building will lead to a more robust catalog for all Iowa teachers to use with students.
We already have teachers and students creating content and sharing this content statewide. What this means is that a teacher in SE Polk might have created an Algebra course that can be used by any teacher in the system. It is our hope that as teachers start to create content the library of work will be greater. Can you image having 3 Algebra courses to pick and choose modules from? This also means that if you are a math teacher you don’t have to create Algebra because someone else did but may you create Geometry. The best of Statewide collaboration.
Interactivity:
You mentioned that you have concerns that some students will simply skim or breeze through the content to try to "test out" of the material. You will see this with other systems as well or even with textbooks. There are stopping points in our system where students are given a formative assessment on the content. If you didn’t get that content in the system, we would be happy to share some of the stopping points in the system.
One way to keep students from "clicking through" the content is to introduce elements of interactivity in the modules. The system itself supports:
•Multiple choice/true or false quizzes
•Interactives (sidebars, tooltips/textpoppers, check for understandings, and matching activities)
•Single response assessments
•Multiple answer assessments
•Range
•File upload options
•Open ended response
Many of these can serve as a "gate" or be followed by a "gate". "Gates" require that students complete something before they can move on to the next section of the module. This can help prevent the students from being able to simply “blow through” a module. It is also possible to embed items into the module. For example "SoftChalk" activities (matching, sorting, hotspot activities, slideshows, etc.) can be added to modules. It is even possible to embed some websites into a module. Several of the "My Plate" modules include embedded interactive sites.
Creative Demonstration of Competency or Mastery (Performance Assessments):
As mentioned in the previous section there are single response items and file upload options. Both of these options can be used to allow students to demonstrate competency in a more creative manner than objective assessments or quizzes. Students could create web-based artifacts (youtube videos, prezis, infographics, etc.) and share the link in the open-ended response question. Teachers could then go in, copy/paste the link into a browser and view the artifact. Students can also create file-based artifacts and share it via the file upload. For example one of the modules have students draw a diagram using an online whiteboard that is embedded in the module. When they are done they can save it as a file, that can then be uploaded to the system on the next page. Teachers can then view the file and provide feedback. As this system matures, additional things will be available. Remember it is still in its infancy. :)
Another question that was asked was “can this system link all lessons and material to specific standards that the students will be meeting”. Currently, the modules are all linked to specific standards to support the learning of the standards. You can view what standards are being supported in the description of the module as well as search for modules that support for the standard.
I hope this answered the majority of your questions and thoughts. If you would like to use this system with students please contact me and I will assist you. If you are interested in updates to the system as they occur, you can sign up for our newsletter at
http://eepurl.com/ccWi45 .
Denise Krefting
AEAPD Online
Instructional Designer
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