Assessment Technology
In the 21st century technology has become more advanced. School systems are relying more and more on technology in order to communicate, analyze student’s learning and to modify their teaching methods to best fit the student’s needs. “Students in today's society encounter modern technologies on a daily basis, and these technologies now play a significant role in the majority of students' lives”( Rafool, & Al-Bataineh, 2012). Technology also has made it possible for student and teacher to share ideas quicker and even provide feedback and get instantaneous results.
There are many different types of tools that can be used to help a teacher assess a student’s learning. “Now researchers are using emerging technology and new methods of data analysis to create experiments that would have been impossible to carry out even 10 years ago” (Salend, 2009, p. 69). Modern technology has enabled a teacher to create assignments, quizzes and lesson plans and track a student’s progress through several different online tools. Polleverywhere, Mimio Vote and Survey Monkey are some tools, which can make it easier for teachers to assessments.
There are normally two types of assessments that are used in collecting information formative and summative assessments. These assessments are used in the schools system to collect data and enhance learning and instruction. Formative assessment‘s purpose is to monitor a student’s progress during the learning process. The results are than used to improve both students learning and the instructors teaching. The assessments are low risk, with means that it is worth low to zero points. As Cornelius argued “formative assessment has been credited with increasing student achievement (as cited in Madison-Harris & Muoneke, 2012).
Summative assessment evaluates students learning at the end of the lesson. This assessment is considered high stakes, which means it worth a lot of points. Summative assessment is used to compare growth by comparing it against testing such as bench mark. The difference between the two assessments is that formative assessment is used during the learning process and summative assessment is used after the lesson is done. Technology has made it possible for assessment to be done on the computer, which you can in many cases have instant results, track progress and compare results. The results can now be shared with teachers, administration and parents.
Using technology to assess student learning has its advantages and disadvantages. According to Sahakov “The use of technology in schools has also made the process of learning and teaching enjoyable (2014). The advantage of utilizing a computer to assess student learning is that computers are a lot faster, which will save time for the teacher in when grading test and formulating lesson plans. Computers can help support students learning with webtools such as Reflex Math, Razz Kids, which helps student work at their own pace and also allows teacher give extra support to a student without teaching a lesson multiple times. With any advantage there are also disadvantages. Although, testing is a lot quicker test grade via the computer can only assess test that are multiple choice. Open-ended question would still have to be hand scored by the teacher. Moreover, technology can be a distraction to student’s and hinder learning. Technology assessed learning can also promote cheating. The reasoning behind assessments is judge what a student needs to learn, how they can improve and how well they retained the information. Sahakov stated that students can take pictures “of their homework and send it via email or SMS to their friends, who copy it and submit as their own. Thus, technology has made it easier for students to cheat in the exams with minimal chances of getting caught” (2014). Depending on who is asked one might say that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
Teachers should not only use technology to assess students learning, especially because there are different types of learners. This could limit the student a student’s potential. As Conti, argued that “The use of varied assessment tools refers to the way teachers create situations in which children can show their understanding of the material. In this way, children can show what they have learned in ways that best mirror their abilities (as cited in Ozdemir, Guneysu & Tekkya, 2006).
The importance of using assessment technology with ISTE standards is to ensure that all standards are met and that the assessment is also align with state core standards, which is important because students will have to undergo state-wide testing. ISTE standards can now be easily assessed online. There are six ISTE student standards “The ISTE Standards describe the skills and knowledge they need to learn effectively and live productively in an increasingly global and digital society (ISTE, 2015).
Reference
Conti, H. (2008). Multiple Intelligences. Research Starters Education (Online Edition), Cornelius, K. E. (2013). Formative Assessment Made Easy. Teaching Exceptional Children, 45(5), 14-21.
ISTE, (2014) ISTE Standards for Students. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards/standards-for-students
Rafool, B., Sullivan, E., & Al-Bataineh, A. (2012). Integrating Technology into the Classroom. International Journal Of Technology, Knowledge & Society, 8(1), 57-71.
Sakahov, Roman (January 15, 2014). Edudemic. Connecting education & technology. 2 Pros and 2 Cons to Education Technology. Retrieved on July 11 2015 from, http://edudemic.com/education-technology-pros-cons/
Salend, S. J. (2009). Technology-Based Classroom Assessments: Alternatives to Testing. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 41(6), 49-58.
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