Journal+Module+Five

Journal Module Five


 * //Reflection Prompt 5://** //How has technology impacted or changed your classroom assessment and evaluation? Has your data collection methodology changed with technology? If technology has not impacted your assessment and evaluation, what would you like to change? Discuss technology and your own productivity and professional practice.//

Description: This week we were presented with the challenge to look at our assessment in the classroom and surrounding the classroom and the effect that technology is playing on this practice.

Impact: My school actually employed a number of technology based assessment and evaluation techniques. The first two, Star Testing and Accelerated Grammar and Spelling, are both computer-based tests. These tests assessed the student’s grade level ability as well as areas of need. This material could be taken back to the classroom to more effectively plan instruction.

Another tool that was used by our school was Think Link. Think Link is a paper based test given three times a year which gages student progress and is supposed to predict student scores on the state and national assessment. The test was paper based, yet the results were all digital. Each class received its own spreadsheet and graph that allowed the teacher to see where the class excelled and had difficulty. The data was even broken down for each student, so areas of success and concern for each student could be seen. This data could be taken back to the classroom to more effectively plan as well.

The creators of Think Link also offered “probes” which were completely online and could allow educators to assess student ability as many times a year as desired. The probes offered the same detailed readouts that were offered on the paper-based tests. This was a great technology that I wish I would have known about sooner.

As I reflected on these technologies I realized that my school was really using a lot of technology related to assessment and evaluation, yet I did not make use of these results as much as I should have. Whether it was my lack of knowledge, or my lack of effort to actually use the results to rework my curriculum, my use of the results was not adequate and this has to change.

Intent: The resources were there, yet I was not using them. The first reason, my lack of knowledge, needs to improve. As I have mentioned in my past reflections, one of my new goals is to stay current with new technologies, at least as much as possible. Through my reading of blogs like SmartBrief and through my continued desire to learn, I think that I can meet this goal. My second reason for not using the results, lack of effort, is inexcusable. I am aware that things change throughout the year and time becomes sparse, yet I need to take and use these great resources. If I can tailor my teaching to what the students really need, I need to make time and incorporate student needs into my teaching. I do not want to let my lack of time hinder my student’s learning. In the future, I will make use of the available technologies through better knowledge and better effort.