Useful product to help students take ownership over their own learning
Community Review for Goalbook Toolkit
My Take
Though goalbook is not building a deep understanding of content, the use of goalbook is teaching students how to set goals, how to measure progress toward meeting those goals, and how to adjust goals in addition to pushing students to think about their own learning in meaningful ways. In addition, it allows students, when used the way I use it, to become responsible for their own learning. Since this is one of the most important things students can learn, I think that though Goalbook is expensive, it adds value to my teaching and my students' learning.
How I Use It
Though this was designed initially for teachers to create and track progress toward students meeting IEP goals, my school has used it as a platform to drive student-directed learning. All students set goals in specific areas and the Goalbook people help us upload the goals in a manageable fashion. Each student has an account that lists their goals and the benchmarks required to meet the goals. The student's goals are shared with the student, his/her parent(s), and any relevant teachers. This allows all stake holders in the goal to keep track of student progress toward meeting the goal. Everyone can post comments about how well a student is doing in meeting the goal and by logging into Goalbook, parents can quickly see how their child is doing.
These goals are student-initiated and student-driven. Students set academic and work/study habit goals. This allows for all students' needs to be met--your math goal reflects what YOU need to work on in math, not what the class needs to work on.