ISLT9458
Technology and Assessment
First, I’d like to describe the reason I took this course. I took a very similar one for graduate credit with eLearning for Educators via eMINTS over two years ago and was petrified that, with the progression of technology, what I’d learned then had already become archaic. While on one hand I was leery to submit two courses of the same name on my resume and in my ePortfolio, I just could not let myself pass up an opportunity to learn about the very latest trends in assessment practices and refresh my repertoire. I am happy to say, however, that what I’d learned previously was not antiquated at all! While, certainly, Google Drive and ePortfolios as a means of assessment are huge developments that have come about in the meantime, I’m so pleased that even the tenants that I learned during my eMINTS training nine years ago still hold very true! Additionally, I’ve grown to admire my district leaders for placing us on the forefront of assessment practices. While I’d assumed that all (or at least most) districts were “doing” similar things that we were, I’ve found through discussion board conversations that we are indeed a progressive force in education. This course has served to strengthen my resolve in Mr. Stiggins’ tenants while utilizing the added component of technology to best serve my students and colleagues alike. I’ve found myself eager to share what I’ve realized and taken a much more active leadership role in the assessment practices at a district level. The wide eyes, blank stares or eager head shakes I receive when I mention the words “Google Drive” or even the integration of the ISTE-S on our report card has assured me that I have quite a bit of work to do! The research based timelessness of effective assessment practices I’ve realized during this course will be a useful support as the new means of assessing mastery of the CCSS and integration of the 21st Century Skills come to fruition; and I can vouch that they’re not just a latest “trend” in education to be quickly dismissed.
In addition to the work I’ve come to appreciate that needs to be done in an infrastructural venue, as a teacher I have enjoyed the fruits of my labor as a result of this class. Since digesting the assigned readings and participating in group discussions I’ve made several changes in my classroom. First, I’ve come to appreciate the value of Google Drive in providing feedback to my students in order to increase their learning. From fellow students, I have become more conscious of the versatility of this tool. Because the pace and rigor of our CCSS based curriculum, the need to utilize technology as a means of providing feedback and instruction is necessary. No one teacher can possibly analyze and reflect on every student’s work via a paper/pencil means. By using the comment feature of Drive to provide hyperlinks to resources for them to peruse and independently apply the content of in their own works has increased the efficiency of their self-paced learning.
I was so pleased to hear the positive feedback from classmates when I proposed the idea (from which I cannot place the source) that, “If you can Google it, it should not be on an assessment.” In today’s world, the rote memorization of information should not be our emphasis as educators. Rather, utilizing the plethora of resources in order to synthesize novel ideas and products is key. Conveying this idea to my masses of colleagues, however, is something I’ll have to fall back on my understands from the Diffusion of Educational Innovations course for. A slow process indeed, educators like myself and others pursuing degrees in this genre must continue to push the envelope and break molds so long in the making to best prepare our students to become productive global citizens.
A huge logistical hurdle that must be overcome is the lack of access to technology that many teachers foster in their classrooms. While I enjoy a 2:1 student to desktop ratio, supplemented by an effective BYOD structure, some are struggling with scheduling sporadic access to a Chromebook cart or partial set of Nexus tablets. I trust that educating teachers of the unfathomable increase in efficiency and collaboration that devices hold, in addition to the unavoidable adoption of online assessments, will lead to an ever increasing push for budgets to include the purchase of a functional quantity or at least the effective implementation of BYOD.
In closing, I am immeasurably invigorated by this course. If anything, I've become more aware of the gaping divide between “techie” and “not techie” teachers. I’m saddened that even the preservice teachers I've harbored in my room are self admittedly lacking in essential technology productivity and collaborative skills. For this reason I've committed to pursuing the certification as an Online Educator via Mizzou in hopes that I can gain the consideration of local Universities and offer electives to supplement their preparatory programs and counteract the ineffective perpetuation of digital immigrants attempting to teach digital natives in today’s society.
In addition to the work I’ve come to appreciate that needs to be done in an infrastructural venue, as a teacher I have enjoyed the fruits of my labor as a result of this class. Since digesting the assigned readings and participating in group discussions I’ve made several changes in my classroom. First, I’ve come to appreciate the value of Google Drive in providing feedback to my students in order to increase their learning. From fellow students, I have become more conscious of the versatility of this tool. Because the pace and rigor of our CCSS based curriculum, the need to utilize technology as a means of providing feedback and instruction is necessary. No one teacher can possibly analyze and reflect on every student’s work via a paper/pencil means. By using the comment feature of Drive to provide hyperlinks to resources for them to peruse and independently apply the content of in their own works has increased the efficiency of their self-paced learning.
I was so pleased to hear the positive feedback from classmates when I proposed the idea (from which I cannot place the source) that, “If you can Google it, it should not be on an assessment.” In today’s world, the rote memorization of information should not be our emphasis as educators. Rather, utilizing the plethora of resources in order to synthesize novel ideas and products is key. Conveying this idea to my masses of colleagues, however, is something I’ll have to fall back on my understands from the Diffusion of Educational Innovations course for. A slow process indeed, educators like myself and others pursuing degrees in this genre must continue to push the envelope and break molds so long in the making to best prepare our students to become productive global citizens.
A huge logistical hurdle that must be overcome is the lack of access to technology that many teachers foster in their classrooms. While I enjoy a 2:1 student to desktop ratio, supplemented by an effective BYOD structure, some are struggling with scheduling sporadic access to a Chromebook cart or partial set of Nexus tablets. I trust that educating teachers of the unfathomable increase in efficiency and collaboration that devices hold, in addition to the unavoidable adoption of online assessments, will lead to an ever increasing push for budgets to include the purchase of a functional quantity or at least the effective implementation of BYOD.
In closing, I am immeasurably invigorated by this course. If anything, I've become more aware of the gaping divide between “techie” and “not techie” teachers. I’m saddened that even the preservice teachers I've harbored in my room are self admittedly lacking in essential technology productivity and collaborative skills. For this reason I've committed to pursuing the certification as an Online Educator via Mizzou in hopes that I can gain the consideration of local Universities and offer electives to supplement their preparatory programs and counteract the ineffective perpetuation of digital immigrants attempting to teach digital natives in today’s society.