For week 3 we were asked to choose a resource or collection of resources and evaluate them according to a set of selected criteria. I chose to evaluate TED Ed Lessons because they were the most likely to offer content that would be appropriate for my classes.
I chose to use the Achieve set of rubrics because of their categorized and detailed assessment. Although some of the rubrics were not directly applicable, they still helped in evaluating the resource on the whole.
Rubric I - Degree of Alignment to Standards N/A~3
I found this rubric to be irrelevant for my purposes because the content here is either created and tailored to the lesson by the teacher using it, or is of generic, informational nature and added to a lesson and tied to the standards by the teacher.
Rubric II - Quality of Explanation of the Subject Matter - N/A~3
This rubric is impossible to use in evaluating the parent source as much of the content is user created and can fall into each scoring category of the rubric.
Rubric III - Utility of Materials Designed to Support Teaching - 3
Here is where this resource shines. Teachers can use existing lessons or create their own using the TED Ed template. This resource begins with a (typically) short video on a specific topic. Students are then able to click on the 'Think' button to answer multiple choice or short answer questions about the video. There is the option to add a 'Dig Deeper' button to offer students links to related content (articles, websites, videos, etc.). Finally, they can participate in discussions related to the video. What is nice about this is that teachers can adapt the content there to modify, add, or delete questions, resources, and discussions and then republish it so that they are the moderator.
Rubric IV: Quality of Assessments - N/A~3
This rubric is also difficult to use on the whole resource as it involves user created and modified content and can be scored across the spectrum. In general, most of the assessment and extension methods discussed in Rubric III are excellent at assessing of learning as well as assessment for learning through teacher feedback to open questions and discussion. If we limit the content to TED Ed Originals, then the quality of the assessment is usually very relevant and appropriate to the content.
Rubric V: Quality of Technological Interactivity - 3
The TED Ed resource is completely online based and interactive. A video clip by design is interactive at a basic level in that a user can start, stop, skip as necessary to ensure understanding of the content. The extensions of 'Think', 'Dig Deeper', and 'Discussion' all offer students a chance to interact with the content and contribute or collaborate to acquire deeper understanding.
Rubric VI: Quality of Instructional and Practice Exercises - 2~3
The TED Ed resources are brief lessons that are often more of an introduction or brief summary of important concepts. As a result, there are not a great number of questions and practice exercises built in. Of course, the moderator of the lesson can add as many questions as they like to a resource, but the 'just right' amount seems to be between 5~8 multiple choice and short answer questions.
Rubric VII: Opportunities for Deeper Learning - 3
The TED Ed lessons address many of the requirements listed in the rubric for Deeper Learning. Students work together in discussions to share and critique ideas related to the discussion topic, engage in further learning by doing suggested research links, communicate in short answer questions, and may have to reason abstractly. By including the basic components of a TED Ed lesson (Watch, Think, Dig Deeper, and Discussion) most resources will satisfy these requirements. Of course, it is possible to eliminate one or more of these components.
Rubric VIII: Assurance of Accessibility Standards
This resource is free to anyone with a login. The limitation of this resource is that a user must be 13 or older to create an account or they will be unable to save answers and participate in discussions. In this case, teachers would need to have a separate way of collecting student responses and moderating discussions (this is more of an issue in online environments).
As it is based online, all that is needed is a computer with an Internet connection and the basic web tools installed (video playing capabilities, .PDF reader for extension articles, and possibly flash for older video content or external links). Because teachers can customize content that is already available and published, there shouldn't be a problem of content being deleted for the most part. If the original content (video file) is deleted, however, it may render the resource useless.
In conclusion, I think that this is a valuable resource for learners of all ages as it can cover almost any topic in a variety of ways. The content is free and customizable, and offers enough versatility to engage learners in deeper learning.
I chose to use the Achieve set of rubrics because of their categorized and detailed assessment. Although some of the rubrics were not directly applicable, they still helped in evaluating the resource on the whole.
Rubric I - Degree of Alignment to Standards N/A~3
I found this rubric to be irrelevant for my purposes because the content here is either created and tailored to the lesson by the teacher using it, or is of generic, informational nature and added to a lesson and tied to the standards by the teacher.
Rubric II - Quality of Explanation of the Subject Matter - N/A~3
This rubric is impossible to use in evaluating the parent source as much of the content is user created and can fall into each scoring category of the rubric.
Rubric III - Utility of Materials Designed to Support Teaching - 3
Here is where this resource shines. Teachers can use existing lessons or create their own using the TED Ed template. This resource begins with a (typically) short video on a specific topic. Students are then able to click on the 'Think' button to answer multiple choice or short answer questions about the video. There is the option to add a 'Dig Deeper' button to offer students links to related content (articles, websites, videos, etc.). Finally, they can participate in discussions related to the video. What is nice about this is that teachers can adapt the content there to modify, add, or delete questions, resources, and discussions and then republish it so that they are the moderator.
Rubric IV: Quality of Assessments - N/A~3
This rubric is also difficult to use on the whole resource as it involves user created and modified content and can be scored across the spectrum. In general, most of the assessment and extension methods discussed in Rubric III are excellent at assessing of learning as well as assessment for learning through teacher feedback to open questions and discussion. If we limit the content to TED Ed Originals, then the quality of the assessment is usually very relevant and appropriate to the content.
Rubric V: Quality of Technological Interactivity - 3
The TED Ed resource is completely online based and interactive. A video clip by design is interactive at a basic level in that a user can start, stop, skip as necessary to ensure understanding of the content. The extensions of 'Think', 'Dig Deeper', and 'Discussion' all offer students a chance to interact with the content and contribute or collaborate to acquire deeper understanding.
Rubric VI: Quality of Instructional and Practice Exercises - 2~3
The TED Ed resources are brief lessons that are often more of an introduction or brief summary of important concepts. As a result, there are not a great number of questions and practice exercises built in. Of course, the moderator of the lesson can add as many questions as they like to a resource, but the 'just right' amount seems to be between 5~8 multiple choice and short answer questions.
Rubric VII: Opportunities for Deeper Learning - 3
The TED Ed lessons address many of the requirements listed in the rubric for Deeper Learning. Students work together in discussions to share and critique ideas related to the discussion topic, engage in further learning by doing suggested research links, communicate in short answer questions, and may have to reason abstractly. By including the basic components of a TED Ed lesson (Watch, Think, Dig Deeper, and Discussion) most resources will satisfy these requirements. Of course, it is possible to eliminate one or more of these components.
Rubric VIII: Assurance of Accessibility Standards
This resource is free to anyone with a login. The limitation of this resource is that a user must be 13 or older to create an account or they will be unable to save answers and participate in discussions. In this case, teachers would need to have a separate way of collecting student responses and moderating discussions (this is more of an issue in online environments).
As it is based online, all that is needed is a computer with an Internet connection and the basic web tools installed (video playing capabilities, .PDF reader for extension articles, and possibly flash for older video content or external links). Because teachers can customize content that is already available and published, there shouldn't be a problem of content being deleted for the most part. If the original content (video file) is deleted, however, it may render the resource useless.
In conclusion, I think that this is a valuable resource for learners of all ages as it can cover almost any topic in a variety of ways. The content is free and customizable, and offers enough versatility to engage learners in deeper learning.