Organizational Tools Post #4

This time I explored creating rubrics, so I set up an account on Rubistar. This tool is free, and I thought interesting, as it is developed and maintained specifically for teachers, in fact it has some government funding to keep it going.
The site was very easy to use. I played around with it and created two rubrics I can use in my class. They have two main areas. In "find a rubric" you can type in key words and look for rubrics that other teachers may have created. In "create a rubric" you can look in one of the ten sections for a rubric outline and then use the outline to create your rubric, or you can create one completely on your own. It lays out the grid and then has drop down menus in each category where you can choose specifics to insert into your rubric. For example, if you were creating a rubric on Letter Writing, it has categories in formatting, neatness, grammar, capitalization, paragraphs, ideas, etc. Once you click on the category it inserts the criteria for obtaining the score. If you would like, you may make changes directly in each criteria box.
I made a rubric for a Rocks and Minerals Workbook I have my students complete as part of a science unit. There were no project rubrics that fit what I wanted, but I easily took bits and pieces out of other ones and copied them into the one I was making.
I think this can be a great tool for teachers. The project titles they currently have on the site seem to be geared more towards middle or high school students, but it really doesn't take long to create one of your own. It's also a great place to look for ideas of what other teachers have already created. I plan on using this tool.