Chapter 13 Assessing Learning with Technology

Objective: Illuminate how teachers prepare for gathering accurate assessments and integrating assessment with technology-enhanced instruction.
Teachers should prepare for assessment by first deciding which types of formative and summative assessments would be appropriate for what they want their students to achieve cognitively. The example the book gave is that if a teacher wants to assess the students' ability to think analytically, a true-false (binary) assessment would be an inappropriate form of assessment because it uses lower cognitive levels.Teachers should be sure to incorporate formative assessments throughout the unit so that they have an idea of how their students are progressing. A portfolio could combine all the formative assessments for a final summative assessment. The book also offers the idea of using an e-portfolio, which is what we, as teachers ed students, are creating throughout our years in the program so that when we are ready to apply for jobs, we have a product to show to our prospective employers.

How is assessment for "technology-enhanced curriculum" different from assessment for regular curriculum? The book makes a point of distinguishing between the two, but when it comes to the examples they show, it seems the only difference is that the students are using a computer, not that they are being assessed any differently.

I think it will be helpful in my classroom to use a portfolio. I particularly like using pretests and then ending with a post test so the students can see for themselves how far they have come. I am not concerned about wether the portfolio is electronic or not. I think the point is to have a collection of work somewhere for the students and their teachers to refer to at a later date.