Wizer - A Free Platform to Create and Share Interactive Worksheets for Your Students

Wizer is an educational platform that allows instructors to create quick, easy and fun digital worksheets, to share them with fellow instructors, and to keep track of student performance.

The "FAQ's" below will tell you question types, multimedia resources, login formation, and some of the technology requirements.

As you know, "free" and "time-saving" are important factors to me....

Wizer FAQ's:

1. How much does Wizer cost?

Wizer is FREE for teachers. You may build, assign, share and use as many worksheets as you like for free.

2. How many worksheets can I make?

As many as you want! The use of the Wizer digital worksheet builder is unlimited. Make as many as you’d like. Please click to ‘share on gallery’ so that other Wizer teachers can see what you’ve created and use it with their students. Your influence is growing!

3. Can I use another teacher’s worksheet?

Yes. Wizer is a community of innovative teachers who create and share their digital lessons. Any worksheet on the public gallery can be used by simply clicking ‘Use’ or ‘Use this worksheet’. This duplicates the worksheet and puts the copy in your account. You can use it as-is or make some adjustments to fine tune it for your students.

4. What is the public gallery?

When teachers create a worksheet, they may chose to ‘publish on gallery’ to share it with other teachers. Any worksheet shared on the public gallery can be viewed by other teachers for inspiration or used with their students. To use a gallery worksheet, just click ‘Use’ or ‘Use this Worksheet.’

5. Does Wizer work on iPads and tablets?

Yes! Wizer worksheets can be completed on any iPad or tablet.

6. Does Wizer work on Chrome Books and laptops?

Yes. Any 1-to-1 device that is connected to the internet and has a web browser can be used to create and complete Wizer worksheets. The best browsers are Chrome and Safari.

7. How do I assign the Wizer worksheet to my students?

 

To assign a worksheet to students do the following:

When creating the worksheet, at the navigation on top click on 'Assign to students'.

On the window that opens you can create an assignment for each class. Each gets its own link & pin code so you can later review their answers separately for each class.

There are 3 ways for you to share it with the students (from left to right):

1. Use the Google Classroom link and follow Google's instructions.

2. Copy the link and simply share it with your students.

3. Instruct your students to go to this link: https://app.wizer.me/learn/ and enter the pin code.

8. How do students login, complete and submit Wizer worksheets?

1. Google Classroom: Click on link.

2. Link: Click on link, sign in using G+ or name/password

3. PIN: Go to https://app.wizer.me/learn/, enter PIN worksheet PIN. 

9. Can I use Wizer with Google Classroom?

Yes. Wizer is integrated with Google Classroom and Wizer worksheets can be assigned to students directly via the green Google Classroom link. The first time you assign a Wizer worksheet via Google Classroom you will be asked to confirm your connection with a few simple steps.

10. Can I use Wizer with Haiku?

Yes. If your school uses Haiku digital learning platform you can create or use Wizer worksheets, then copy the worksheet link into your classroom pages.

11. Can I use Wizer with Moodle?

Yes. If your school uses Moodle open source learning platform you can paste worksheet links directly into class assignments.

12. What kind of multimedia resources can I use in Wizer worksheets?

You can easily add video, audio and images to any Wizer worksheet. Images can be made interactive using the Fill on an Image question type.

13. What kinds of questions can I make with Wizer?

Wizer question types: Open answer, multiple choice, matching, fill in the blank, fill on an image and tables.

Think QR Codes are Static? Think Again!

All of the QR (Quick Response) codes that I have created are static QR codes which served one function and that was to take you to a certain website.

QR codes have definitely evolved over time so take a look at the article from Edutopia entitled QR Codes Can Do That? and find out how to:

• Add your voice
• Attach PDF files
• Collect information
• Send a tweet
• Change locations

Blended Learning and Career and Technology Education - Part IV: Implementing Blended Learning With Resources from the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education

In this four-part series, I’ll define blended learning, discuss the models of blended learning, the implications for career and technical education, and how the Curriculum, Assessment, and Digital Delivery (CADD) areas of the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education can assist in the implementation of blended learning.

Photo courtesy of the Clayton Christensen Institute

Blended learning is a shift to an online instructional delivery for a portion of the day to make students, teachers, and schools more productive, both academically and financially.  We all know there’s no single right approach to building the “perfect” model for blended learning as communities have different resources, classrooms, computers, schedules, and many other unique needs.  A school doesn’t always have the resources or the expertise to select and purchase a learning management system (LMS), design lessons, or write assessments, but there are available resources.

Did you know that the Curriculum, Assessment, and Digital Delivery areas of the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education can assist in the implementation of blended learning?  The National Technology Plan acknowledges the challenges of raising college and career-ready standards without a significant investment of new funding so check out our online catalog and search the following links for additional information and see how we can assist you in blending digital and teacher led instruction to personalize learning for each student.

CIMC

CareerTech Testing Center

ctYouniverse

Blended Learning and Career and Technology Education - Part III: Implications for Career and Technical Education

In this four-part series, I’ll define blended learning, discuss the models of blended learning, the implications for career and technical education, and how the Curriculum, Assessment, and Digital Delivery (CADD) areas of the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education can assist in the implementation of blended learning.

Here are several ways that blended learning can have a profound effect upon career and technology education:

Personalized instruction – Blended learning allows for a more personalized and interactive learning experience by putting the student in charge of their own learning.  Taking the best of traditional education and blending it with the power of online learning will provide the teacher an opportunity to review data, in the moment, determine where the student is at and to form instruction for the next period or the next day.

Increased monitoring – The use of a student information, assessment, and gradebook systems that link to the LMS provides instant feedback on assignments and assessments.  This allows the instructor to spend time reviewing student data, adjust instruction, and provide additional classroom or individual instruction. 

Open entry/Open exit – Blended learning fits nicely with competency-based learning and the concept of open entry/open exit.  Personalized instruction and increased monitoring will allow the instructor to more accurately determine when tasks and competencies are achieved.

Increased enrollments – Depending on the blended learning model and the CTE program being offered, enrollments could potentially be increased.

Increased performance gains – “The Rise of K–12 Blended Learning - Profiles of emerging models” by Heather Staker profiles 40 educational entities. Not every school reported gains and some thought it was too early to verify results, but many posted positive gains when compared to the traditional classrooms within the same district.  For example:

“School of One - Students in summer 2009 acquired new math skills at a rate estimated to be

seven times faster than peers. Students in spring 2010 showed gains that, when

annualized, would equate to 1/2 to 2/3 of an additional year of gain. Students in

spring 2010 showed significant gains across all academic quartiles.”

Other potential benefits from this study include increased retention rates, an increase in teacher/parent contacts, increased course completion rates, a strengthening of curriculum offerings, and lower instructional costs.

As you can see, blended learning can have the potential to benefit the student, the instructor, and the parents in a careertech setting.  Again, I’m not aware of any research that helps decide if one model works better with any certain occupational area (if you know of any research in this area, PLEASE SHARE!!).

CIMC Introduces New Online Catalog

CIMC introduces the next generation of our online catalog, featuring curriculum and assessment products.

CIMC Online Catalog

CIMC is excited to offer our new interactive catalog which serves as a hub for the field to access agency products and services.  The only thing that has changed with the catalog is everything – users will notice a professional look and feel, enhanced graphics, links to resources, suggested products, and the ability to pay with a credit card, purchase order, or check.

We are thrilled to offer an improved and interactive experience that allows users to find their favorite products and services – the only thing that hasn’t changed.  As always, our skills standards, curriculum, and assessments create the perfect foundation for competency-based instruction, in Oklahoma and beyond.

Take a moment to discover the new online catalog and see how we've changed. We are committed to your satisfaction and welcome your feedback!

CIMC is part of the Curriculum, Assessment, and Digital Delivery (CADD) division of the Department of Career and Technology Education. For additional information on our products and services, please visit:

CIMC
CareerTech Testing Center
ctYOUniverse
Digital Printing, Distribution and Client Services
 

Blended Learning and Career and Technology Education - Part II: Blended Learning Models

In this four-part series, I’ll define blended learning, discuss the models of blended learning, the implications for career and technical education, and how the Curriculum, Assessment, and Digital Delivery (CADD) areas of the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education can assist in the implementation of blended learning.

As I mentioned in the first post in this series, technology has created a personalized access to the world where we can connect and learn… where we can create and share.  Almost every aspect of our lives have been changed by technology, except... education.

I believe blended learning can have a profound effect upon career and technology education in many instructional ways which will be discussed in the next post.  There are certain elements of blended learning that already occur in CTE and some may be doing an excellent job as I write this, but I’m not aware of research that helps decide if one model works better with any certain occupational area (if you know of any research in this area, PLEASE SHARE!!).

The Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Education defines blended learning as “a formal education program in which the student learns:

(1) at least in part through online learning, with some element of student control over time, place, path, and/or pace;

(2) at least in part in a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home;

(3) and the modalities along each student’s learning path within a course or subject are connected to provide an integrated learning experience.”

The Models —

The majority of blended-learning programs resemble one of four models: Rotation, Flex, A La Carte, and Enriched Virtual. The Rotation model includes four sub-models: Station Rotation, Lab Rotation, Flipped Classroom, and Individual Rotation.

1. Rotation model — a course or subject in which students rotate on a fixed schedule or at the teacher’s discretion between learning modalities, at least one of which is online learning. Other modalities might include activities such as small-group or full-class instruction, group projects, individual tutoring, and pencil-and-paper assignments. The students learn mostly on the brick-and-mortar campus, except for any homework assignments.

a. Station Rotation — a course or subject in which students experience the Rotation model within a contained classroom or group of classrooms. The Station Rotation model differs from the Individual Rotation model because students rotate through all of the stations, not only those on their custom schedules.

b. Lab Rotation – a course or subject in which students rotate to a computer lab for the online-learning station.

c. Flipped Classroom – a course or subject in which students participate in online learning off-site in place of traditional homework and then attend the brick-and-mortar school for face-to-face, teacher-guided practice or projects. The primary delivery of content and instruction is online, which differentiates a Flipped Classroom from students who are merely doing homework practice online at night.

d. Individual Rotation – a course or subject in which each student has an individualized playlist and does not necessarily rotate to each available station or modality. An algorithm or teacher(s) sets individual student schedules.

2. Flex model — a course or subject in which online learning is the backbone of student learning, even if it directs students to offline activities at times. Students move on an individually customized, fluid schedule among learning modalities. The teacher of record is on-site, and students learn mostly on the brick-and-mortar campus, except for any homework assignments. The teacher of record or other adults provide face-to-face support on a flexible and adaptive as-needed basis through activities such as small-group instruction, group projects, and individual tutoring. Some implementations have substantial face-to-face support, whereas others have minimal support. For example, some Flex models may have face-to-face certified teachers who supplement the online learning on a daily basis, whereas others may provide little face-to-face enrichment. Still others may have different staffing combinations. These variations are useful modifiers to describe a particular Flex model.

3. A La Carte model — a course that a student takes entirely online to accompany other experiences that the student is having at a brick-and-mortar school or learning center. The teacher of record for the A La Carte course is the online teacher. Students may take the A La Carte course either on the brick-and-mortar campus or off-site. This differs from full-time online learning because it is not a whole-school experience. Students take some courses A La Carte and others face-to-face at a brick-and-mortar campus.

4. Enriched Virtual model — a course or subject in which students have required face-to-face learning sessions with their teacher of record and then are free to complete their remaining coursework remote from the face-to-face teacher. Online learning is the backbone of student learning when the students are located remotely. The same person generally serves as both the online and face-to-face teacher. Many Enriched Virtual programs began as full-time online schools and then developed blended programs to provide students with brick-and-mortar school experiences. The Enriched Virtual model differs from the Flipped Classroom because in Enriched Virtual programs, students seldom meet face-to-face with their teachers every weekday. It differs from a fully online course because face-to-face learning sessions are more than optional office hours or social events; they are required.

- See more at: http://www.christenseninstitute.org/blended-learning-definitions-and-models/#sthash.NCQBMOAF.dpuf

Next- Blended Learning and Career and Technology Education - Part III: Blended Learning Implications for CTE

National Agriculture Day - March 15th

CIMC Agricultural Education Catalog

Did you know the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education (ODCTE) offers Agricultural Education in 355 high schools? Did you know these programs prepare students for careers in production agriculture, agribusiness, and other emerging agricultural-related occupations?  Did you know the CareerTech Student Organization affiliated with Agricultural Education is the Future Farmers of America (FFA)?

Study Guide

Did you also know the Curriculum, Assessment, and Digital Delivery (CADD) areas of ODCTE have been supporting this occupational area for decades?

CIMC produces competency-based instructional products and services for a variety of career and technical areas, including agricultural education.

The CareerTech Testing Center creates and offers online assessments as a measure of occupational readiness for students and industry workers. Free study guides include assessment information, standards and test content, sample questions, a list of abbreviations, symbols, and acronyms, strategies for test taking success.

ctYOUniverse

ctYOUniverse.com hosts online student-ready classroom sites for CareerTech-related subjects. Each fully customizable course site comes pre-populated with curriculum materials developed by CIMC. This one-stop shop for learning materials provides instructors with everything they need to teach in a blended, flipped, or traditional setting.

Many thanks to the men and women that produce and protect America's food supply!

The Educator's Guide to Hashtags

Follow us on Twitter!  @CareerTechTest

Whether you're a social media novice or not, hashtags may seem confusing and inessential. These short links (hashtags) preceded by the pound sign (#) are integral to the way we communicate online and it's important to know how to use them.

Can hashtags be fun? Absolutely!

On Twitter, the pound sign (or hash) turns any word or group of words into a searchable link. This allows you to organize content and track discussion topics based on those keywords. So, if you want to post about the NFL Super Bowl, you would include #SuperBowl in your tweet to join the conversation (or simply search for the hashtag to follow the discussion). Clicking on a hashtag will allow you to see all the posts that mention the subject in real time.

I also recommend using a social media management platform, such as HooteSuite, TweetDeck, etc., where you can create columns with hashtag topics.  I like the ability to monitor several discussions, i.e. #edchat, #lrnchat, #careerteched, at once and all on the same screen.

I've created a list of popular educational hashtags and tried to categorize them for you (see below). It definitely isn't all inclusive, but it's a good starting point and I hope you will share any new educational hashtags you find interesting and helpful!  (Also, hashtags are now a staple to social media and their use has been extended to other social media platforms.)

Popular Educational Hashtags
Hashtag	Category
	Career and Technology Education
#careerteched
#CTE
#vision15
	College
#highered
	Curriculum
#cchat
	Distance Education
#disted
#elearning
#k12online
#mlearning
#onlinelearning
	Groups and Chats
#edchat	Educational Technology
#educhat	Education Chat
#lrnchat	Social Media and Education
#oklaed	Oklahoma Education Chat
	Instruction/Learning
#blendchat	Blended Learning
#blendedlearning	Blended Learning
#education
#elearning	Electronic Learning
#flipclass	Blended Learning
#GBL	Game-Based Learning
#ntchat	New Teachers
#onlinelearning	Blended Learning
#pbl/#pblchat	Project-Based Learning
#studentcentered	Blended Learning
#teachered
#teachers
	Language
#bilingual
#efl	English as a Foreign Language
#ell	English Language Learning
#esl	English as a Second Languae
#tesol	Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
	Leadership
#edleadership
#eduleaders
	Resources
#education
#educational videos
#educationresources
#learning
#lessonplans
#library
#research
#teachers
#TLChat	Twitter Librarians
#TT	Teacher Tuesday where educators suggest others to follow
	Special Needs
#gifted	Gifted Education
#GTChat	Gifted Education
#spedchat	Special Education
	Science
#STEM
	Technology
#1:1
#apps
#blendchat	Blended Learning
#BYOD	Bring Your Own Device
#EdApps	Educational Apps
#edtech	Educational Technology
#edtechchat	Educational Technology
#elearning	Electronic Learning
#ipadchat	iPad
#iNACOL	International Association of Online Learning
#iste	International Society for Technology in Education
#mlearning	Mobile Learning
#mobile	Mobile Learning
#slide2learn	iDevices and Learning
#vitalcpd	Effective Use of Technology in the Classroom
#web20

OSU - CareerTech Digital Forum: Educating for Global Coompetitiveness

Oklahoma State University and the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education invite you to watch their digital forum entitled "Educating for Global Coompetitiveness" on Friday, June 13, 2014 (Speakers are from 8:30 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. CST).

Featured speakers are OSU President Burns Hargis, CareerTech State Director Dr. Robert Sommers, Tom Vander Ark, and David Cillay.

I've had the opportunity to previously meet and discuss customized learning with Tom Vander Ark, author of Getting Smart: How Digital Learning is Changing the World and CEO of Getting Smart, a education advocacy firm, but I'm excited to hear his newest thoughts on the subject and how learning is becoming more competency-based.

Dr. Cillay, Vice President of WSU Global Campus, led the 2012 launch of the Global Campus, which includes WSU’s online degree program. His responsibilities include expanding WSU’s market share, supporting faculty in technological innovation and using e-learning tools to ensure that WSU remains open and accessible. I'm also excited to learn from this presentation as it should add great value to what we are trying to accomplish with digital delivery at the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education.

Please join the discussion on Twitter at: #DLFTalk and click here to watch this free live event!

AirPano - Amazing 360 Degree Aerial Panoramas

After a few weeks of cold weather, cloudy skies and snow on the ground my mind begins to wander and think of where I would rather be than here. Hawaii sounds good, doesn't it? Unfortunately, my bank account usually says no to those types of dreams so I found AirPano.com which, at least, took my mind off of how cold I am and provided me a poor man's virtual vacation.

AirPano.com was actually better than I expected as it provided incredible 360 degree imagery of landmarks and cities from all over the world. Their website features "over 700 panoramas showing over 120 amazing locations of all continents including Antarctic and the North Pole" and panoramas from some 50 other locations are in the works.


Source: AirPano.com

Much of the AirPano imagery now includes interactive pinmarks that you can click on to learn more about the places that you are visiting (as you can see on the Venice, Italy panorama below). I think AirPano is a great way to learn about other parts of the world, not only from the amazing images, but also from the history and facts about each site that they provide. Last, but not least, it is a great way to get your mind off of the cold winter weather...


Visit Venice, Italy on AirPano.com

How to Search Google Images by Usage Rights

I found a great resource by Joyce Valenza on Never Ending Search that I wanted to share with you. In her post, Google search by usage rights, she demonstrates an easy way to find copyright-friendly images on Google Image Search.

First, enter your search term into Google Images and then click on Search Tools and then Usage Rights.

A drop-down menu appears offering the following options: not filtered by license, labeled for reuse, labeled for commercial reuse, labeled for reuse with modification, labeled for commercial reuse with modification.

Please read the rest of Joyce Valenza's article by clicking HERE to find many other copyright-friendly image search options!

Tips on Reducing Test Anxiety for Online Test-Takers

I just read a great post by John Kleeman on the Questionmark Blog that I wanted to share with you concerning test anxiety. We have previously discussed test anxiety (here and here), but it is interesting to read Kleeman's take on the difference in test anxiety between online and paper and pencil assessments. Here is the post in its entirety:

Ten tips on reducing test anxiety for online test-takers

I’ve been reading about test anxiety (concern or worry by participants sufficiently severe that it impacts test performance). I’d like to share some tips on how online assessment sponsors can reduce its likelihood.

When creating and delivering tests, you seek to accurately measure knowledge, skills or abilities. Often you want to check competence or mastery for workplace or compliance reasons. If some of your participants have severe test anxiety, this doesn’t just disrupt them, it makes your test less accurate in measuring real performance. You might end up failing someone who is competent, just because anxiety affects their test performance.

Many studies (for example here) report that online tests cause less test anxiety than paper ones. Here are some suggestions on reducing test anxiety:

1. Some people have anxiety about a test because they haven’t mastered the subject being tested. Provide a clear description of what each test covers before the time of the test, and provide study resources or instruction to allow people to master the subject.

2. Test anxiety can also feed on unknowns, for instance on unfamiliarity with the test or believing untrue myths. Share information about the test’s purpose and what you do to make it fair. Also share information about the content: how many questions, how the scoring works, how much time is available and so on. Explain what happens if someone fails – for instance is it possible to retake?

3. It’s hugely valuable to provide practice tests that participants can try out before the real test. This will tell them where they are strong and weak and allow them to gain confidence in a less stressful environment prior to the real test. See my article 10 reasons why practice tests help make perfect exams for other reasons why practice tests are useful.

4. Give participants an opportunity to practice using the same type of computer, mouse, keyboard and user interface as will be used for the real test. This familiarizes them with the test environment and reduces potential anxiety, particularly for those who are less computer literate. If you are using Questionmark to deliver the test, make practice sessions available with the same template settings and the same types of questions. (Sometimes this is done with a fun quiz on a different topic, just to get people accustomed to the user interface.)

5. If you provide guidance to test-takers, point to self-help resources for people who have test anxiety. ETS provide a good resource here for instance. Another resource from the University of California is here.

6. Some self-help resources suggest breathing exercises or other exercises people can follow to reduce tension for people who are anxious about tests. Provide an environment where this is practical and train your test administrators and proctors about the prevalence of test anxiety.

7. If you have a way of encouraging test takers to sleep, take exercise and eat healthily, all these things aid a rational approach to taking a test and reducing anxiety.

8. If it works in your programme, consider whether it’s worth having a series of tests rather than a single test, so there is not a single “make or break” moment for participants. A series of tests can have other benefits too. It makes cheating harder, and by spreading out learning and revision, it can make participants retain the learning better.

9. People with disabilities are more likely to suffer test anxiety. Ensure that your program of accommodations takes this into account. See this helpful article on reducing test anxiety for people with disabilities.

10. Above all, create good quality, fair tests. If you follow good practice in authoring your questions and assessments, then there is less to be anxious about, as the test will be a good measure of performance. See Questionmark’s white paper “Five Steps to Better Tests” for some helpful advice in creating tests.

Many Questionmark users provide very effective practice quizzes and tests which help reduce test anxiety, and I hope these tips are helpful, too.

I’d love to hear additional input or suggestions.

Thanks again to John and Questionmark for allowing us to share their thoughts on assessment!