Module+5+Reflection

//**Reflection Prompt:**// 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 I read about how technology is used for assessment and data collection. It has made data storage and access to records easier for school staff, but data systems are not uniform throughout the state. I also discovered that although technology has made it much easier to store and collect data, it has not changed the type of data much. It has mostly been used for more efficient versions of paper and pencil assessments.

=Impact:= What impacted me most was that technology in assessment practices was simply computerizing the same multiple choice tests and assessments. The text suggests that technology can allow for richer portfolio-type assessments and opportunities for original student products to be incorporated into assessment. As a special education teacher, technology has made accessing standardized and normed assessments needed for IEP data collection much easier. With the district-wide data system in place, I no longer have to call many places and wait for information about transient students, or wait weeks for information about students provided that they have been in the district before. I've found that my students prefer electronic creation and submission of assignments and tests, especially because it cuts down on the amount of paper that they have to keep track of. Also, as long as they do not forget their email passwords, they will be able to access any work that they have sent.

=Intent:= Although I do rely on online assessment tools quite a bit, I intend to incorporate more student artifacts into their assessment. It would be pretty easy to incorporate a link asking a student to create something and submit it within the online testing/activity tool I subscribe to. I also want to work on displaying more of my students' digital work. I have a website that I use for the class, but it is more like an assignment bulletin board, than anything else. I am going to try to incorporate a wiki-space for students to share their work with others.