1.

Context that will help the reader understand who is being assessed and for what
purpose (e.g., grade level, subject area, and standard/learning
objective/understanding)
For this Performance Assessment, 5th graders will be assessed on technology skills, and
digital citizenship understanding for media class using Bloxels Builder, a video game
creation app. The ISTE Standards they will meet are:
1c Students use technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice and
to demonstrate their learning in a variety of ways.
1d Students understand the fundamental concepts of technology operations, demonstrate
the ability to choose, use and troubleshoot current technologies and are able to transfer
their knowledge to explore emerging technologies.
2b Students understand how to engage in positive, safe, legal and ethical behaviors when
using technology, including social interactions online or when using networked devices.
4c Students develop, test and refine prototypes as part of a cyclical design process.

2. The essential question.

Why is it important to manage our Digital identities?
How can we use current technologies to create learning platforms for others?
What technology skills are useful in a variety of technologies?

3. A completed GRASPS Task Design Prompts form (Fig. 7.7, p. 159).

Goal
 Your task is to design a game using Bloxels Builder where players can navigate a
character to demonstrate acceptable digital citizenship attributes.
 The goal is to teach players about digital citizenship and developing good digital
identities through a self-made video game.
Role
 Your job is to create a video game using bloxels, where players have to reach
checkpoints to learn about, and make choices regarding digital citizenship.
Audience
 The target audience is your peers that need to be informed on digital citizenship.
Situation
 The challenge involves dealing with limitations within the Bloxels Builder App,
and incorporating digital citizenship knowledge into the video game platform.
Product, Performance, and Purpose
 You will create a “choose your path” video game in order to inform players on the
importance of their role, and actions in the digital world.
Standards and Criteria for Success
  Your performance needs to fully explain what digital citizenship means, and walk
players through good and bad demonstrations of digital choices. The game should
have multiple path choices for players to make leading them to success or to the
end of the game. All gameboards created need to be compatible and allow for
players to move towards an end checkpoint.

4. A brief written description of the performance task as you would present it to

your students (see “Performance task vignettes” on p. 158 for examples).
This year we have had many discussions on Digital Citizenship and why it is
important to be thoughtful in our actions when using technology. Each of you have
demonstrated respectable digital citizenship attributes in a variety of ways this year. You
have also learned how to navigate through new technologies and use what you already
know to be successful using new apps or websites. For the next several classes we are
going to work on a project using a new app to demonstrate the technology skills you have
developed this year, and the knowledge you have on digital citizenship. Your job is to
work with a partner, to use Bloxels and create a video game for players to navigate, learn,
and make choices regarding digital citizenship. Your video game should fully explain
what digital citizenship is and why it’s important. It should also give players multiple
opportunities to make choices regarding digital citizenship. All gameboards created
should be compatible and allow your players to reach and ending checkpoint.

5. A Performance Assessment Plan with enough detail that another person could
easily implement it. (Consider implementation factors such as time, technology,
and grouping, for example.)
DAY 1
Give students at least an hour of time to explore with Bloxels, and the Bloxels Builder
App before introducing the project. It may be ideal to do this in two 30-minute sessions.
Show students as a whole group, different parts of the building process such as design,
decoration, configuration, and character creating. Make sure students know the use of
each different colored bloxel. Show them how each gameboard is connected and need to
be compatible with the connecting gameboards.
After students have time to explore and learn how to use the app tell them that they
are going to create a video game that teaches players about digital citizenship, and lets the
player choose paths to lead them to an end checkpoint, if correct choices were made. This
will take several hour sessions (4-5 times). I would suggest spanning the project over
several weeks. Depending on how many iPads your class has available, create partners or
groups for students to work in. Ideally partners would work best.
DAY 2
For the first work session have students brainstorm their thoughts. Have them list
examples of digital citizenship and good or bad choices. Have students plan on paper
each part of the game where players have to make a choice of which path to take. What
will the players’ choices be? What is the scenario or story? What will the checkpoint
teach about digital citizenship?
 Show students a short example of a Bloxels creation where a player reaches and reads
a checkpoint, and has to choose one of two ways to travel. Show them how one leads to
the end of the game because of a poor digital citizenship choice, and the other takes the
player closer to the winning checkpoint, because of the demonstration of good digital
citizenship. Show them how after each choice is made an explanation should be given on
why it was a good or bad choice or “path”.
DAY 3-5
Let students work in their groups for several sessions in order to complete the task.
Do quick checks to insure groups are on task, collaborating with all group members, and
making progress in the creation of their game. Encourage students to focus on game
layout first, then decoration/configuration/character building. Tell students to test their
design often to fix potential player problems. When groups have finished the task, have
them upload their game to the infinity wall within the Bloxels App. Have groups share
and play each others games. If time allows, share with younger grade levels to teach
about digital citizenship.

6. A scoring guide that shows exactly how students will be assessed. Select an
appropriate scoring system (Checklist, rating, holistic rubric, or combination)
and assign point values.

Task Demonstrated Points

Possible

Bloxels video game uses checkpoints to tell the player what digital citizenship is 5
and why it is important showing the designers understanding of the information.
(1c,2b)

Bloxels video game gives players at least 5 choices to make regarding digital 5
citizenship scenarios, showing the designer's knowledge of how to act
appropriately when using technology.(1c,2b)

Bloxels video game is fully functioning and gameboards are compatible allowing 5
players to reach a winning endpoint, if all correct paths are taken. (1d,4c)

Bloxels video game shows the designers creativity and choice by using multiple 5
functions of the app such as decorations, character building, and configuration.
(1d,4c)

7. A narrative that provides:

1. A clear description of the technology students will use and how it will enable
your assessment of their performance.
 The technology my students will use is iPads and an app called Bloxels
Builder. Bloxels is a hands-on, build your own video game app geared towards K-
8 students. The app allows you to configure your game using colored blocks that
each serves a different purpose. For example, a green block is terrain that can be
walked on by a player, and a red block is a hazard block that causes a player to
die if touched. The app will allow me to assess the performance of my students
because they need to demonstrate their ability to use new technology and transfer
their knowledge of other technology to be successful users. They will have to use
the technology to demonstrate their learning of digital citizenship. They will show
me this through their creations using the app. This technology requires trial an
error attempts which students need to demonstrate their ability to do and resolve
problems within their design.

2. A clear picture of your thought processes as you designed this PA (e.g.,

justification for your choices, your struggles, questions you had. The six
facets would fit in here.).
When designing my Performance Assessment, I struggled with what
objectives I wanted my students to demonstrate. Because I am not a regular
classroom teacher, and I do not teach a core subject area, choosing objectives was
tricky. In my classroom I do a variety of project based learning with technology,
but I never attach rubrics to these because I am not required to assess or grade my
students. Because of this, I sometimes lose sight of my objectives or goals for my
students. It is easy for me to get caught up in the use of technology and not have
clear goals for my students. I chose to use a new app that my students hadn’t seen
or used before because it would show their ability to transfer knowledge when
using new technology, which is an important skill for our high-tech world today. I
also had my students’ interests in mind when I chose the app. I wanted it to be a
motivating project for them. When I was developing this assessment, I questioned
how it would clearly show my students meeting the objectives. As I was
developing the project I had to add more details to make sure that the task allowed
my students to demonstrate each objective.
I think that this assessment does touch on each facet of understanding in
someway. In working with a partner or a group, the students have to be able to
explain their thinking to each other when it comes to design of the game, and
using the technology. They can use each other to learn and explore the new app.
The students have to show their interpretation of what it means to be a digital
citizenship through the design of the game and paths. Their application of
knowledge in new situations is shown through emerging them in a new and
complex app. Students could show their understanding of perspective through the
scenarios they create in their game. There are many digital citizenship scenarios
where the answer or “right choice” could be debated. Students could use the game
to explain different perspectives on why someone choses a certain action.
Empathy could be demonstrated also through explanation and scenario building in
the app. A student could demonstrate empathy of a cyber-bully online, who may
be doing it because they were once bullied as well. Self-Knowledge can be shown
through group work. I think that when a student seeks confirmation or advice
 from peers by working in groups, they show their limitations of their knowledge
in the subject.

3. A self-assessment of your design. What would Wiggins say?

I think that Wiggins would approve of my Performance Design because it does
reach each facet of understanding in someway if my students chose to perform in
this way. I think they key to having them demonstrate each facet will be showing
them good example of a game choice that fully explain scenarios and choices that
players make, and referencing this example often. I think that this Performance
could lead to students focusing either more on story/path content and neglecting
game design, or vice versa. For students to meet all objectives they have to be
able to be able to meet the content requirements and work through game design
problems, which could be challenging for 5th grade students if not given enough
time and feedback.

4. Peer review information – name of person reviewing your PA and brief

report on feedback you received. Did you make changes based on
suggestions? Why or why not?
Danielle DuHadway was my peer review partner. She suggested that I elaborate
more on my technology choice, Bloxels. For someone who has never heard of the
app it may be hard to follow and use my assessment plan. I did make changes to
the detail of the technology part of my assessment to help explain what the app is
and how it can be used.