Standard+IV


 * Reflections on Technology Facilitator Standard IV: Assessment and Evaluation **

In the last couple of years, I have had experience with all of the performance indicators listed in this standard. The first performance indicator is //Assessing Student Learning//. This year, our school received Classroom Performance Systems (one for every two math teachers) and I have used them quite extensively for formative and summative evaluations, and for general feedback (TF IV A.1 and A.2). For example, I have used them for oral surveys to determine student’s effort and study time on a test. It takes a little bit to set it up at the beginning of the year, but once you have your classes set up, the rest is easy. The students are assigned a clicker number and you can see their individual responses without exposing their identity to the rest of the class. A bar graph can even be created directly after a question is asked to show the results to the class. I have also used CPS to administer formative assessments such as tests and final exams. The students don’t even have to get the clicker until he done taking the test. Then, they can just go through and put their answers in. It’s immediately graded!!! No more grading tests by hand or using the Scantron machine. I also learned how to run reports from the software to analyze the data for better information about why certain questions were missed. The students know immediately what their grade is before even leaving the class. Then, when I pass the tests back, we can go over the answers as a class and see what kind of mistakes are being made, which question was missed the most, and discuss possible reasons for why it was missed.

The second performance indicator related to standard IV is //Collecting, Analyzing, and Reporting Data// (TF IV B.1). Not only have I done this with the clickers (it does all of that for you), but I have also given students a survey after a technology-rich lesson involving laptops, their online textbook and other resources, and working in collaborative groups. I survey students about the lesson (what they liked, didn’t like, what did they learned, etc.), organized and analyzed the data, and presented it back to them. Students love to see their actual responses quoted for all to see and used by the teacher. It’s like.”Hey, my opinion does matter and my teacher really does care about what we think.” To give students a voice in strategies that affect their learning is important to all of us—students and teachers alike.

The third performance indicator under this standard is //Evaluating Technologies for Effective Use// (TF IV C.1 and C.2). I feel like I am constantly doing this in my classroom with the document cameras, the clicker systems, or any other technology we try out in class. I have shared with current facilitators the pros and cons of working with different technological tools.

Standard IV from the ISTE’s Technology Facilitation and Leadership Standards addresses the areas of assessment and evaluation. Technology facilitators and leaders must be able to design and help implement ways to assess student learning in core areas as well as technology-related skills, through the use of technology. They must also be able to analyze and evaluate various technology used for education and determined its effectiveness in the classroom. Facilitators and leaders must be able to show teachers how to collect, organize, and analyze data using current technology tools in order to maximize the tool’s effectiveness.

I have never used the CPS clicker systems before and have learned that this is a great device to perform both formative and summative assessments, organize and analyze data, and is far superior to a Scantron machine.

Most educators feel that learning a new technology is time-consuming and difficult. If you ask a technology facilitator to come and help you learn a certain program or sign up for an in-service on that program, it doesn’t take as long as some may think. I have learned to just sit down and go through it, and then you will feel comfortable using them with your students.

Assessments and data are key to technology success. Not only should we evaluate programs for effectiveness, but we can also use the program to measure student success. Being able to collect, organize, and analyze data instantly is a valuable resource in this digital age. Students need to be able to see what they are doing wrong and correct it before going home to do their homework. Teachers also need data in order to determine what the students are and are not understanding in order to modify instruction for individual student success.

Assessment and timely feedback is essential to student success. I feel this standard really emphasizes the need for technology facilitators and leaders to implement technologies that promote effective assessment strategies through technology.  One of the questions I do have about the CPS is how to run a report that just shows a student’s name, the number of the problem, and their answer. To have all of this information on one page would be great. I have looked for the report, but can’t seem to find it. Also, I would like to know how to turn off the clickers without having to end the program first, so that students can power down their clickers as they turn in their assessments.

As I was reading this chapter, one thing did puzzle me about this standard. Interestingly, although the No Child Left Behind act created nearly 10 years ago requires all students to be technology literate by the time they finish the eighth grade, the legislature and educators have still not developed a consistent way to assess this. Several countries have created and implemented a national test for assessing technology literacy in K-12 schools, some even through core academic subjects. So….why haven’t we?

Citations:

Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). //Technology facilitation and leadership standards: What every K-12 leader should know and be able to do //. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.