Electronic Student Response Tools

Providing electronic response to students is a much better form, in my opinion, then having to write out a bunch of feedback comments. In our school, we use Moodle and Blackboard to provide students comments, quizzes, and other feedback options, such as email. I really like these programs because they are convenient to use, provide a good support system for the teacher, and provides an easy format to allow for comments and quizzes. Our district is in the process of switching over to Moodle completely for one reason, cost consideration. Moodle is free where as Blackboard is fee based. What is really cool with Moodle is the ability to transfer Blackboard content right into Moodle. This allows instructors who have been using Blackboard for years to easily transfer over all information.

When looking at the Rubric programs, I really liked the Rubistar program. I found that it was much easier to use compared to the other programs provided. I need this ease of use because in my field of Technology Education, my rubrics look a lot different than the ones supplied from other sites. The rubrics that I have created through Microsoft Word are subpar to what this program provides for me. Instead of focusing on setting everything up, I can concentrate on the crticial comments that are provided in each box.

When looking at the quiz programs, I focused in on Quia. While the program would work great for a school setting, providing instant comments that teacher could help base student knowledge on, I do not like the fee portion. I can use Moodle to generate the same type of quiz and comments that this program provides. The other beneficial thing that Quia provides is the ability to keep grades. While that is an excellent feature, our school district uses Infinite Campus which is where I must enter my grades. I would be doing double duty transferring grades, something that doesn't sound entertaining too me.