At the beginning of the semester, we were asked to form small groups that we would work with for our blogs and for a final tech presentation. Each member of our group had different free inquiry topics and we decided to explore FreshGrade, one of the most frequently used online grading platforms.

We made a hilarious infomercial with some of the pros, cons, and tips on how to use the platform; however, I have decided not to share it here in order to preserve my privacy. But please know, it was full of great information and amazing acting.

FreshGrade allows teachers to post assignments and students to send in various documents for assessment – they can send pictures, videos, audio recordings, etc. It organizes student learning evidence so that they can highlight exactly what they want their teacher to focus on in the comment section when handing something in (eg. if they wrote an essay and wanted the teacher to pay particular attention to one paragraph for assessing grammar and punctuation). It also lets a student’s home team connect with the teacher and view the documents being handed in; they can see what was going on at school in real time and have a better understanding of what their child is doing each day.

FreshGrade seems like a great tool for communication, organization, and collecting evidence of learning. I haven’t used it myself, but I have spoken with some teachers who really like it and others who prefer different platforms. The advice that was given to me is to find what works for you and roll with it!