Assessment and Technology E-book

1. Assessment and TechnologyE-book Janie Larimore, Jaime Lester, Leah Ruane, Tammany Vincent, Robert Weagle Grand Canyon University  TEC 538-Learning in the Digital Age Instructor: Dr. Holly Strickland June 28,2010

2. Table of Contents Formative Assessments Page 3 Page 4 Summative Assessments Performance Based Assessments Page # Other Assessment Methods Page 6 • Other Assessment Methods Page8 References Page8

3. Formative ASSESSMENTS Pre-Tests Benefits: Pretesting is used to improve teaching and learning.  It is especially helpful to a teacher with a class of different leveled students with different learning backgrounds.  When a test is given before the learning occurs, it allows the teacher to plan for what the students already know and adjust the learning accordingly.   Weaknesses: One weakness of pre-testing is that it takes up time that could be used for instruction.  However, the data that comes from it is valuable towards guiding the teacher.  In addition, students who get anxiety from tests might be hesitant to take a pretest. Technology: Data that comes from a pretest can be put into a spreadsheet application (like Microsoft Excel) and graphed to show the teacher what students already know and what they need to learn.  Also, some pretests can be made online at websites like http://www.proprofs.com/. Think-Pair-Share Think-Share-Pair is a summarization technique that teachers used in any content area before, during, and after a lesson. This activity is broken down into three basic steps. During the “think” part the students reflect upon a question or problem. In the second stage, the “share” portion the students discuss their answer or solution to the problem with a partner. In the final stage, the students share their viewpoint with the rest of the class. Advantages: This activity helps keep all students on task, and interacting with the information. Teachers can use this activity as a formative assessment as they walk around the room listening to student conversations. Disadvantage (s): Making sure that students stay on topic during the “pair” part of the activity. Technologycan be added to this assessment technique by having students create a video blog and post it to the Internet for the “share” portion of the activity.

4. Summative ASSESSMENTS Group Projects Benefits: Group projects are a great tool to assess students at the end of a lesson or chapter.   Students can gain social skills through discussion and collaboration.  Working in a group prepares students for the real-world where many projects are a team effort. Weaknesses: Working in a group can be a challenge for students because personalities are all different.  Some students may end up doing more work than others, or may end up wanting to turn an assignment in early while some may wait until the last minute.  As a teacher, it is important to carefully assign the groups and define clear roles for each member. Technology: There are several ways for students to collaborate using technology.  They can discuss online via instant messing or discussion boards.  In addition, technology can be used to produce the project itself such as creating a PowerPoint presentation or making a brochure in a Word Processing program.

6. Performance Based ASSESSMENTS

7. Other ASSESSMENT Methods

8. References Berman, Elena (2001). Using Pretests. Retrieved July 26, 2010 from   http://aer.arizona.edu/Teaching/docs/UsingPretests.PDF Michigan State University (2006). Types of Assessments. Retrieved July 26, 2010 from http://vudat.msu.edu/assess_types/ Think-Pair-Share. (n.d.). West Virginia Department of Education. Retrieved July 26, 2010, from http://wvde.state.wv.us/strategybank/Think-Pair-Share.html What is an e-Portfolio?. (n.d.). Regis University: Academic Web Server for Faculty. Retrieved July 27, 2010, from http://academic.regis.edu/LAAP/eportfolio/basics_what.htm