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I came across a great blog post the other day - Formative Assessments Are Easier Than You Think - that told the firsthand account of a teacher, Steven Anderson, who implemented formative assessment in his classroom. He used a sticky-note version of an exit ticket to elicit evidence of student learning and in his words, "what a difference that made."

Formative assessment is 'easier than you think' and with all the digital tools and apps now available for mobile devices it's even easier. We've shared some digital tools before and with the five tools that Steven shared combined with our earlier suggestions there are now 33 digital tools that we've uncovered that are free or inexpensive and help teachers implement formative assessment in their classrooms. Here they are:

A few of Steven's discoveries:

Lino - A virtual corkboard of sticky-notes so students can provide questions or comments on their learning. These can be used like exit tickets or during the course of a lesson.

Socrative - Engaging exercises and games that engage students using smartphones, laptops and tablets.

A recap of those we've previously blogged about:

BubbleSheet - An app that allows students to complete assignments and common assessments using an iPhone or iPad Quizzes up to 10 questions are free.

Coggle - A mind mapping tool designed to understand student thinking.

Conceptboard - This software facilitates team collaboration in a visual format - similar to mind mapping, but using visual and textual inputs. Compatible on tablets and PCs, Conceptboard can work from multiple devices.

Five Card Flickr - Designed to foster visual thinking, this tool uses the tag feature from photos in Flickr.

ForAllRubrics - This software is free for all teachers and allows you to import, create and score rubrics on your iPad, tablet or smartphone. You can collect data offline with no internet access, compute scores automatically and print or save the rubrics as a PDF or spreadsheet.

Google Forms - A Google Drive app that allows you to create documents that students can collaborate on in real time using smartphones, tablets and laptops.

iBrainstorm - An iPad app that allows students to collaborate on projects using a stylus or their finger on screen.

I>Clicker - A device that helps facilitate all student response to polls, questions and other teacher-led discussions.

iLEAP Pick a Student - Helps the teacher pick a student from the class, and uses turn-based selection so every student is selected before a student is picked again. Supports multiple classes and has a number of selection options.

iThoughts - This mind mapping app for Apple's iFamily® is a great visual tool to help you brainstorm ideas, plan projects and themes, and set goals. As students discuss ideas and possible answers to discussions, educators can visually see the path that their thinking takes, helping to understand how students are learning.

Mentimeter - Allows you to use mobile phones or tablets to vote on any question a teacher asks, increasing student engagement.

Padlet - Provides an essentially blank canvas for students to create and design collaborative projects. Great for brainstorming.

Pick Me! - An easy to use app for the iPod, iPad and iPhone that facilitates random student selection. Can be organized by class for convenience.

PollDaddy - Quick and easy way to create online polls, quizzes and questions. Students can use smartphones, tablets, and computers to provide their answers and information can be culled for reports.

QuickVoice Recorder - Another free voice recording app for the iPhone or iPad that allows you to record classes, discussions or other project audio files. You can sync your recordings to your computer easily for use in presentations.

Random Name/Word Picker - This tool allows the teacher to input a class list and facilitates random name picking. You can also add a list of keywords and use the tool to have the class prompt a student to guess the word by providing definitions.

SMART Response VE (for SMARTboards) - A cloud-based software that enables students to respond to planned and spontaneous questions and take quizzes using any of their favorite Internet-enabled devices, from anywhere.

Tagxedo - A tag cloud generator that allows you to examine student consensus and facilitate dialogue.

ThinkBinder - A collaboration tool that allows students to ask questions and discuss topics in a group, share, create and work together on almost any project.

TodaysMeet - This online collaboration tool allows educators to create a "room" in which students can share ideas, answers and thoughts to lectures and lessons. Educators can view student responses in real time for evidence of learning.

VoiceThread - Allows you to create and share conversations on documents, diagrams, videos, pictures or almost anything. This facilitates collaborative student discussion and work.

Wordle - Generates tag clouds from any entered text to help aggregate responses and facilitate discussion.

XMind - A mind mapping software for use on computers and laptops.

This is a great list of digital tools and we'd love to have your suggestions on what we can add to it. What other tools are you using in your classroom or school? Share your additions in the comments section below and let's build an even larger list!

- Via NWEA.org
This article appeared on NWEA on January 21 2014 and was compiled and written by Kathy Dyer. About Kathy Dyer
Kathy Dyer is a Sr. Curriculum Specialist for NWEA, designing and developing learning opportunities for partners and internal staff. Formerly a Professional Development Consultant for NWEA, she coached teachers and school leadership and provided professional development focused on assessment, data, and leadership. In a career that includes 20 years in the education field, she has also served as a district achievement coordinator, principal, and classroom teacher. She received her Masters in Educational Leadership from the University of Colorado Denver.

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33 Digital Tools for Advancing Formative Assessment in the Classroom

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I came across a great blog post the other day - Formative Assessments Are Easier Than You Think - that told the firsthand account of a teacher, Steven Anderson, who implemented formative assessment in his classroom. He used a sticky-note version of an exit ticket to elicit evidence of student learning and in his words, "what a ...

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Start using QR Codes in your classroom today. This short tutorial will show you how to use the website: http://www.qrstuff.com/ Learn to create QR codes from URLs, You Tube videos, plain text, and many other data types.

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Top 10 Reasons to Use Technology in Education: iPad, Tablet, Computer, Listening Centers

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Technology Promotes 21st Century Skills 

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Technology Promotes 21st Century Skills 