Posted by Expectations: In my EDUU 625 course, we were given a role-playing assignment as our midterm. The assessment asked us to look through Khan Academy and come up with a plan to present to administration around implementing Khan academy using iNACOL standards. We were asked to review the site and develop a deeper understanding on how Khan Academy can impact math instruction in a blended learning model. After taking a deep dive into Khan Academy, the expectations were to create two videos that gave an overview of the purpose and slides that shared demonstrated why and how the iNACOL standards would be followed.
Assessment: While putting together my assessment, I spent a few hours learning about Khan Academy. I do not utilize this program in my day-to-day so I had to start by watching videos and diving into the purpose. After truly understanding the purpose and benefits of implementing Khan Academy in an elementary school I was able to break it down by iNACOL standard. After going through each standard I created both videos. After gathering all of my thoughts, points, and videos I put together the final slide deck to turn in.
Reflection: This assessment was authentic and did not allow for plagiarism. While I do not use Khan Academy in my day-to-day job, nor do I present things to my admin or board with an emphasis on Khan Academy, I do engage in similar activities. I am often tasked with looking for curriculum, tech resources, or other resources to support teachers. As I present the resource to admin, I always demonstrate how it relates to content standards and/or teaching standards (we follow the 5D+ rubric in my district). This assessment required me to fully understand the program and share how it could best be implemented. When it comes to giving assessments, giving a project based assessment is the best way to ensure student understanding of concepts. The only big thing that I would change would be relevance. Implementing Khan Academy has no relevance on my job… while it is important to be able to present a program to admin with a clear vision and plan, it is also important for the program to be needed. Since my district does not have a need for a new math support program, I felt like I was only completely this activity for a grade. I would have preferred to be given a challenge where I needed to find a resources and then completed the same steps with the resource of my choice. This is something that I also keep in mind when assessing students. Assessments should be relevant, authentic and allow for minimal opportunities for plagiarism if we want to ensure academic integrity.
Becky Lim 