ISLT 9458: Technology and Assessment
Spring 2012
Course Description:
Learn how to assess specific types of knowledge, using technology to enhance the process. Explore innovative tools and means of assessment that help teachers individualize and differentiate instruction to improve learning. Develop technology-enhanced assessments of student learning.
Reflection
Throughout this semester, I have gained a great deal of insight and tools that I plan to take back to my classroom. There were so many great ideas and experiences shared throughout the semester. I really enjoyed all the information I gained from my peers and the strategies and tools that they have been using in their classrooms. I also gained a great deal of knowledge because there were such a large variety of content areas taught in our classroom. I feel that I gain more from those that do not teach the same subject matter, because I have less knowledge and predetermined expectations. I really appreciate sharing experiences and knowledge with my peers because I am able to learn so much more and how to effectively utilize my learning.
One of the major idea I gained from this course was that students must always be given a time for reflection and rethinking. My school is becoming a Marzano school, so this concept was not a new one to me. One thing that I took away from this course is that I could allow for reflection in different ways. One way I really liked was the idea of a blog. I currently use exit-tickets to allow for time to reflect and rethink on the lesson, but I really like the idea of integrating technology into this time. My school district has a 4 year plan to become a one to one school, meaning one computer for every student. My hope is that I can begin this process before this begins, but in the meantime, take time to do this every few lessons. The concept I really liked about the reflections being online is that the students could then go back and review their reflections later on, adding additional comments and notes. I appreciate the idea that having the reflections online will allow for greater reflection and also integrate the technology our kids really need into the classroom.
When beginning this course, I did not have very many misconceptions. I had concerns that often come with technology. One of my concerns that I brought to this course, was that the use of technology is of course limited to everything working with technology. Although this did not change, because there will always be times where technology does not work, I did gain some great ideas on how to work around technology problems. There is always going to be a time where the internet is not working, or a computer shuts down without reason, what I have to do is ensure that I plan for those concerns and also work with my students on how to react when technology does not work in my favor. Another misconception I had was that assessment was just what I was brought up doing; pencil paper, multiple choice assessments tests, quizzes and final judgments on what I know. What I gained from this course is that an assessment does not have to be traditional assessments and technology can be used as a tool for students to demonstrate their knowledge of a concept without the requirement of a test. From my peers and through the different tools provided, I have gained a toolbox of different items I can use to assess my student’s proficiency without giving them a test.
As I discussed earlier, I have already begun to use some of the things I have learned in this course. For my Science class, I have started using some of the tools I discovered as well as my classmates shared to teach different subject matter. My co-teacher and I have begun to explore some of these tools and are also planning to use some of these tools for next year. Both of us believe that our students learn better from experience versus traditional lecture and worksheets. I am excited to continue to gain more tools that I can use as assessments that are more performance based as well as allowing for my students to utilize technology. One way I plan to do more research is using more technology in my math class. Math is a concept that I tend to have a difficult time incorporating technology aside from clickers and having my students come up and use the interactive whiteboard. I hope to find more tools that I can use as more performance based assessments that incorporate technology into the classroom.
Using technology in general presents several challenges. One of the biggest challenges I have found has to do with my current district. Although they pride themselves on being a technology district and have worked very hard to have large amount of technology in the district, we are still without a lot. Our district has an extremely small server, thus resulting in slow bandwidth and when several people are working on the computer, students can get kicked out of what they are working on. With that challenge, attempting to utilize technology for an assessment is a great concern. Currently, we use Renaissance Learning as an assessment in our building. We assess using STAR Reading and Math which gives us a great deal of data including grade equivalents and areas that students need to work on. We have experienced several problems with the program because it works like a streamed video, taking up a great deal of bandwidth, which has had students kicked out of the program. Because of this, I believe that some of our students’ scores are inaccurate. My concerns would be as we continue to integrate more technology into our assessments, if we use live, online tools, students may become frustrated because the system may run slowly or not at all. One way to get around this problem is to allow students to work in groups if they program is something that is a learning tool. Each student could answer questions independently, but can work as a group on the “lab”. This will allow for more students to use the program, with less programs running.
Another concern is monetary. As with many of the schools in the United States, my district is going through difficult times. My district is made up of a very diverse group that is neither wealthy nor extremely poor. Because of this, we do not receive “Title” money, but the tax money our district receives is much smaller than the districts that surround us. For this next school year, for example, my school has a budget of zero dollars for technology. Aside from basic maintenance, our district is spending no money on new technology or improving on the current technology. One way I can get around this concern is to work on grants and find donations to help equip my classroom with the technology tools my students need.
Overall, I believe that I have gained a great deal from this class. I have learned about some new tools that I can utilize in my classroom, as well as a better understanding of assessments. In addition, I have gained an additional tool through our book, Understanding by Design, that I can use as a template for my lesson planning.
One of the major idea I gained from this course was that students must always be given a time for reflection and rethinking. My school is becoming a Marzano school, so this concept was not a new one to me. One thing that I took away from this course is that I could allow for reflection in different ways. One way I really liked was the idea of a blog. I currently use exit-tickets to allow for time to reflect and rethink on the lesson, but I really like the idea of integrating technology into this time. My school district has a 4 year plan to become a one to one school, meaning one computer for every student. My hope is that I can begin this process before this begins, but in the meantime, take time to do this every few lessons. The concept I really liked about the reflections being online is that the students could then go back and review their reflections later on, adding additional comments and notes. I appreciate the idea that having the reflections online will allow for greater reflection and also integrate the technology our kids really need into the classroom.
When beginning this course, I did not have very many misconceptions. I had concerns that often come with technology. One of my concerns that I brought to this course, was that the use of technology is of course limited to everything working with technology. Although this did not change, because there will always be times where technology does not work, I did gain some great ideas on how to work around technology problems. There is always going to be a time where the internet is not working, or a computer shuts down without reason, what I have to do is ensure that I plan for those concerns and also work with my students on how to react when technology does not work in my favor. Another misconception I had was that assessment was just what I was brought up doing; pencil paper, multiple choice assessments tests, quizzes and final judgments on what I know. What I gained from this course is that an assessment does not have to be traditional assessments and technology can be used as a tool for students to demonstrate their knowledge of a concept without the requirement of a test. From my peers and through the different tools provided, I have gained a toolbox of different items I can use to assess my student’s proficiency without giving them a test.
As I discussed earlier, I have already begun to use some of the things I have learned in this course. For my Science class, I have started using some of the tools I discovered as well as my classmates shared to teach different subject matter. My co-teacher and I have begun to explore some of these tools and are also planning to use some of these tools for next year. Both of us believe that our students learn better from experience versus traditional lecture and worksheets. I am excited to continue to gain more tools that I can use as assessments that are more performance based as well as allowing for my students to utilize technology. One way I plan to do more research is using more technology in my math class. Math is a concept that I tend to have a difficult time incorporating technology aside from clickers and having my students come up and use the interactive whiteboard. I hope to find more tools that I can use as more performance based assessments that incorporate technology into the classroom.
Using technology in general presents several challenges. One of the biggest challenges I have found has to do with my current district. Although they pride themselves on being a technology district and have worked very hard to have large amount of technology in the district, we are still without a lot. Our district has an extremely small server, thus resulting in slow bandwidth and when several people are working on the computer, students can get kicked out of what they are working on. With that challenge, attempting to utilize technology for an assessment is a great concern. Currently, we use Renaissance Learning as an assessment in our building. We assess using STAR Reading and Math which gives us a great deal of data including grade equivalents and areas that students need to work on. We have experienced several problems with the program because it works like a streamed video, taking up a great deal of bandwidth, which has had students kicked out of the program. Because of this, I believe that some of our students’ scores are inaccurate. My concerns would be as we continue to integrate more technology into our assessments, if we use live, online tools, students may become frustrated because the system may run slowly or not at all. One way to get around this problem is to allow students to work in groups if they program is something that is a learning tool. Each student could answer questions independently, but can work as a group on the “lab”. This will allow for more students to use the program, with less programs running.
Another concern is monetary. As with many of the schools in the United States, my district is going through difficult times. My district is made up of a very diverse group that is neither wealthy nor extremely poor. Because of this, we do not receive “Title” money, but the tax money our district receives is much smaller than the districts that surround us. For this next school year, for example, my school has a budget of zero dollars for technology. Aside from basic maintenance, our district is spending no money on new technology or improving on the current technology. One way I can get around this concern is to work on grants and find donations to help equip my classroom with the technology tools my students need.
Overall, I believe that I have gained a great deal from this class. I have learned about some new tools that I can utilize in my classroom, as well as a better understanding of assessments. In addition, I have gained an additional tool through our book, Understanding by Design, that I can use as a template for my lesson planning.
Artifacts
Performance Assessment:
The performance assessment is a unit plan of a series of lessons. The most important aspect was how I to utilize technology to assess students. This artifact demonstrates how I can use technology to assess students.
Online Assessment:
This document was a review of an online program that I could use as an assessment tool.