Psssst… it’s me… you know… the math teacher that writes a post, say… twice a year anymore?
And IT HAS BEEN A YEAR. Grateful to be on THIS SIDE of it with you! *WHEW*
In my last two not-so-recent posts, I shared about the workflow I’d settled into, as well as when/how I used a few tools I adore. I plan to keep building on those ideas in THIS post.
Recently, I attended a PD day here in ATX with fellow math teachers, and we got a glimpse of the (potential) new question types heading our students’ way in Spring 2023 for our (state) STAAR tests. I realize many states have had much more interactive state assessments than we’ve had here in Texas… come 2023, we’ll finally catch up past the traditional multiple-choice and “griddable” response questions we’ve had as long as I’ve been a Texas teacher. While state testing isn’t everything, assessment FOR learning and using tech tools to help us assess FOR learning are kind of a big deal. So, seeing these new (potential) question types excited all of us, actually! If you would have been a fly on the wall, you’d have heard a room full of math teachers ooooooing and aaahhhhing at the interactive and much more open STAAR tasks! You’d also have heard me immediately advocating for tools like Desmos Activity Builder and ThatQuiz that (1) we already have access to, (2) are FREE, and (3) are ideal for building interactive assessment FOR learning experiences for kids.
A colleague asked me, “Can you train us?”
I said, “How long ya got…?” 🙂
This immediately put me in maker-mode… well not IMMEDIATELY. I waited until I got home to start building… this! Here’s my summertime attempt to feed two birds with one scone. I’ll share this with colleagues at back-to-school time, and I’ll toss it here for the time being for anyone who dabbles in schoolwork all summer, like yours truly.
WHAT IS IT, YENCA?
This is a Desmos Activity that guides y’all through all of the things I’ve learned about ThatQuiz.org prior to this year, but especially this year. I thought I knew this tool… but I’ve learned that its capabilities were FAR BEYOND my use cases! No, ThatQuiz isn’t new or shiny, but it’s quite frankly the answer to what I believe many teachers are looking for! I have learned SO MUCH about using ThatQuiz as a creation platform during SY 2020-2021, that when I thought about writing a blog post about it all, I was immediately overwhelmed. A Desmos AB with screens and media seemed a better fit. So… here ya go! This isn’t designed to be a once-and-done experience. May this resource serve as a helpful guide to return to again and again as needed!
^^^Click the image^^^ to try the activity as a student.
As a reward for your perseverance, you’ll also gain access to the teacher.desmos.com link, in case that’s useful for you.
Could ThatQuiz.org be the solution you didn’t know you needed?
As always… feedback welcome!
