T E C H N O L O G Y
" User-friendly for both teachers and students "
Formative is a web-based program , accessible via a web browser like Google Chrome , Safari , or Microsoft Edge . It is extremely user-friendly for both teachers and students , with compatibility for devices beyond computers . My school is a 1-to-1 iPad school , and this made Formative ’ s mobile-friendly site especially attractive .
The designers of Formative made teacher-focused decisions when developing the appearance of its website . Where most edtech programs put effort toward the “ bells and whistles ” – adding more pleasing graphics and social media integrations – Formative opted for practicality .
Formative presents as a minimalistic site , with intentionally few navigation options . Rather than devoting time toward deciding among various activities , Formative offers just one , called simply , a “ Formative .”
Formative offers a range of interactions for teachers and learners within each activity .
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A teacher can present material , use traditional multiple-choice questions , ask short-answer questions , and much more . In particular , Formative includes a question called “ Show Your Work ,” in which students write answers by hand . I regularly use this question for assessments on noun and verb charts .
In my 7th and 8th grade classes , I have utilized Formative for both delivery and assessment of content .
D E L I V E R Y Formative allows a teacher to upload images , videos , or PDFs to an activity and annotate them with interactions . When assigning a reading , my students were overall more engaged with the material , as I placed questions directly on a PDF .
Another feature of Formative is to embed a website within the activity itself . This aids in student focus and ensuring students remain on the same website when completing the activity .
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