Rubric!

In EME5050 this week we were asked to create a scoring rubric for our digital storytelling presentations that our students will create. Initially, I was thinking that this task would be an easy one. After all, how hard can it be to create a rubric right? Well, I was wrong.

I admit that I have rarely used a rubric in my classroom. When I have used one, it has been created by somebody other than myself. So, I sat down at my desk to begin the creation of my rubric. I read through the module provided for our class that was all about rubrics. I took a look at some sample rubrics to get a better idea of what I could do. After looking at some samples I realized that there are a wide range of criteria that I could score my students on. I decided to look over the digital storytelling presentation that I had put together for my students. I looked over my notes from it and had the beginnings of what I could use in my rubric. I knew that I definitely wanted to score my students on their research and their use of a KWL chart. From that point I had to make a decision on how I would score their actual presentations. I took some time to think about how the quantity of slides they should use in their presentation and how many graphics I would expect them to have at the very least. Once I had made my choices on this, I knew that I needed to score them on their grammar and spelling also.

Now it was time to actually write come up with how I would score the four areas of criteria. This was the part of this activity that I struggled with the most. I knew what I wanted to grade my students on, but I had no idea what kind of wording I wanted to use in my rubric. It took a lot of thought and some advice from a fellow teacher and my husband, but I finally figured out exactly what I wanted to say in order for my rubric to be clear. After that I signed up for an account at iRubric.com and built my rubric. Once it was completed, I embedded it into my curriculum page and now believe I have a finished product. My rubric can be viewed below and also on my curriculum page.

After finishing up this assignment I think that I could use a rubric for assessment more often. By letting my students delve further into a subject that interests them and complete a hands-on project that requires more than just reading and regurgitating some answers on a multiple-choice test, will enable them to experience more meaningful and authentic learning. It will open up all kinds of learning opportunities for my students, as well as engaging them with the use of technology. The possibilities are endless.