Instructional Reteaching Tool

I've always struggled with the best way to provide positive, individual feedback for assessments.  For the most part, students complete assessments quite well.  With the four or five students that struggle, giving them positive, constructive feedback is crucial.

Today, I created a video that discussed in detail steps to solve particular problems from the assessment.
I used SMARTboard notebook software, Camtasia, and a mouse.



Students watched at their own pace.  After they changed the answers on their paper, I conferenced with them individual about specific questions pertaining to the concepts.


I believe this to be a better method than large group discussion with all 26 students.  It doesn't force students who understand the concepts to view demonstrations of information they already know.

Explain Everything For New Approach

I am going to try a new approach for students to understand and most importantly to remember events from social studies.  We are studying the events of westward expansion leading up to the Civil War.  I am providing two apps to the students.

U.S. History Timeline
Explain Everything

In addition, we discussed in depth the "Fair Use" policies of using images.  The Open Clip Art website was introduced.  We also discussed that all citations of images will be in blue with a certain font.

Students will be guided by me to find about 10 answers based on questions I pose pertaining to 10 major events.  They will use the U.S. History Timeline to discover the answers.  Once the answers are found and verified, students will create slides in Explain Everything.

The intent is to create the slides as a digital medium for telling the story.  After all the information is gathered, students will return to the beginning of the created digital story and write a script.  They will then record themselves recounting the events leading up to the Civil War.

Individual Tutoring For The Masses!

When a portion of the students do not understand items from an assessment, I record my explanation of how to solve assessment problems so that each student who doesn't understand may view the explanation on their iPod/iPad during their time.

In creating these tutoring sessions, students who do understand DO NOT need to hear additional explanations!

I use Camtasia, but Screenr would work as well.  I have created a consistent opening song and ending song along with title pages.  I have went so far as to place background music during my explanations!

I really think next year, with a classroom set of iPads this will be an easy way for me to reteach difficult assignment problems as well.  The students will have a larger screen to see the actual writing on the screen.

Below is an example: