Audio & Video Assessment Tools

Throughout my teaching, I have had the opportunity to use a variety of web 2.0 tools that incorporate either audio or video into the course. Not only are these useful when providing learning opportunities from the students, but they also provide opportunities for assessment and evaluation.

One of the video tools I’ve had the opportunity to use is EdPuzzle. EdPuzzle is an interactive video tool that allows instructors to create a custom assessment for the videos they assign to students to watch. EdPuzzle allows user to search from many content aggregators, including YouTube and Khan Academy, and then edit the video to include a variety of assessment questions. The nice thing about EdPuzzle is that you can use it to track student progress and learning throughout the videos – you know exactly what the student viewed and has answered, as well as how they have answered each of the assessment questions. Further, due to the interactions that take place between student and teacher, timely formative assessment and descriptive feedback can occur. Teachers can use these EdPuzzle videos to tailor the learning experience based on how students achieve.

I also recently discovered Audioboo, which is a free podcasting platform which allows students to create a ‘boo,’ which is a web podcast that can be easily uploaded to a variety of platforms, including Edmodo.  This could be provided as an option for students to “show what they know,” which can solidify student learning (AAL). As an example, I occasionally have my students demonstrate their knowledge of a particular concept in math. Sometimes, I have students create some type of digital presentation, but my auditory learners have trouble translating their ideas visually. I let them use Audioboo to demonstrate their knowledge in a different manner.

Clearly, the ways in which we can assess students, or have them self and peer assess, are changing. Rather than being stuck with pencil and paper, students now have a variety of ways in which they can express their knowledge, which can be useful for a variety of learners.