WebAssign
While accountability is not a word that quickly comes to mind concerning teenagers and the internet, in the realm of education it has certainly helped to provide just that. Looking beyond the well-documented downside of internet in the classroom (i.e. too much time social networking, Wikipedia-supported research papers and limitless distractions), when used correctly, the internet can enhance productivity, provide unbending deadlines and deliver instant feedback regarding a student’s educational efficiency and accuracy. One such example of this is the teacher friendly website WebAssign, providing a source of online homework, assessments and grading. Webassign is an instructional tool that allows teachers to pose students with challenging problems across a variety of subjects, with built in safeguards against cheating and unsanctioned collaboration. Each student’s log in information will pull up a truly individual assignment, each problem having numbers or other key information variably substituted to lower the risk of copying. While student might be able to work together to figure out how to approach the problem, each will inevitably have to work it out on his or her own to find the satisfactory answer. The site also provides teachers with instant grading and an easily manageable gradebook to track student performance. Individual assignments can be customized and randomized to cover a wide variety of subject matter and provide various levels of difficulty.The program has its benefit for students as well. Available for access 24 hours and 7 days a week, WebAssign allows for students willing to put in the work as much time as possible to achieve their desired results. Multiple attempts (with differing answers of course) allows for students to actively learn, even when turning in a graded assignment. WebAssign gives students the opportunity to figure out what they’re doing wrong and correct it during an assignment, not just after its completion. Instant grading is not only easier on the instructor, but allows for students to immediately know where they stand and what areas they need to improve, instead of waiting days for assignments to be returned. Conveniently, WebAssign is a fully-hosted web-based service, with no complicated or expensive software to install on home or classroom computers.