Product differentiation is provides different challenges for teachers. Developing one scoring guide that covers a video, paper, musical composition, or artistic creation seems daunting. The saving grace here is that the same standards are being evaluated so the scoring guide needs to closely align to the chosen standards and not deal with the technical skills or idiosyncrasies of the software program.
It becomes the student's responsibility to use the tool they choose to communicate to the teacher that they know the content. Students often don't come to us with that skill, so taking the time to evaluate presentations, as a class, asking students to record not only the scores they would give a presentation but exactly how it shows comprehension of the content. It is easy to make a dazzling exciting video that has very little content and at the same time a poorly executed presentation may not look great but the content may be there.
The other challenge is making sure that the content is not just copied and pasted from other websites. The best way to prevent that from happening is to ask a questions that can't be "googled".
Instead of asking for a report on a president, teachers ask students to communicate how the president they chose is similar/different to the current president. Students still have to look up the information but they are then creating something that really shows their comprehension.
Let's take a moment to practice that skill.
It becomes the student's responsibility to use the tool they choose to communicate to the teacher that they know the content. Students often don't come to us with that skill, so taking the time to evaluate presentations, as a class, asking students to record not only the scores they would give a presentation but exactly how it shows comprehension of the content. It is easy to make a dazzling exciting video that has very little content and at the same time a poorly executed presentation may not look great but the content may be there.
The other challenge is making sure that the content is not just copied and pasted from other websites. The best way to prevent that from happening is to ask a questions that can't be "googled".
Instead of asking for a report on a president, teachers ask students to communicate how the president they chose is similar/different to the current president. Students still have to look up the information but they are then creating something that really shows their comprehension.
Let's take a moment to practice that skill.