Technology Tools for Assessment and Evaluation

This article discussed ways that technology can be integrated into assessment, analysis, and evaluation. In the beginning it covered how we are to align teacher education coursework with standards. It also states, "we have noticed a consistent pattern of low scores in items related to using technology for assessment and evaluation." The purpose of this article was to show effective technology programs and devices that can be used for the CBE process of inquiry including the summative and formative evaluations.

The main points included this article are actually what I am learning in my SPED 467 class right now. My professor Dr. Ken Howell talks mainly about how what is tested should always reflect what is being taught and vice versa. As a pre-service teacher, this article gave me ease to know that there are many websites that can help me with assessment and limit my time and energy. Basically knowing that rubrics, graphs, grades, and reporting documents are already established gives me an already established file of helper tools that can help guide the Assessment Decision-Making process.

The I-Generation- From Toddlers to Teenagers: A Conversation with Jane M. Healy

This article was a discussion between Jane M. Healy and Carol Tell. Jane has been an advocate and critic of technology for the past twenty years and her viewpoint on technology has changed. She first thought that students should be introduced to computers at the earliest age posiible. She now though, as seen with her grandchildren, view that the computer should not be introduced into children's lives till around age seven. She argues that computers should not be taking the roles of teachers which is where our society is shifting. Students also need that teacher/peer interaction to develope their social skills. Jane also argues that technology has a hard time teaching strategies or learning processes rather it is more of a tool. She states that "innovation will be the greastest benefit from these machines."

Jane makes a good point when referencing powerpoint. We should be wondering how much students are learning when they can put together, say, a powerpoint. Is it the technology tools we are intersted in or the actual content that the student is teaching or learned? What about computers doing more harm than good? I think Jane makes a great point saying they can be harmful to your health. I see our world as a growing people wanting everything the fast and easy way. Computers is one easy way to obtain that. Students are not required to talk to other peers and they also don't get to practice their facial expressions or skills that should be obtained for communication. I've learned in many of my educational classess to question what it is your doing and make the information relevant to the students. In that case I think it is a great idea to question what the computer can do that we can't and vice versa. Overall, technology can be a benefit to students but we need to be careful how we introduce it and make sure it does nothing but enhance our teaching skills as professionals.

On the road to Cultural Bias: A critique of the Oregon Trail CD-ROM

This artical mainly criticized the Childhood CD-ROM the Oregon Trial. Some arguments were that it is sexually racist. Men roles were the only ones that were handled like how to cock the wagon or wether you should float it over the river. Women's roles were not touched upon. Also the articale argued that Black African American's were present but their live's weren't. When asked more about their story it was unclear what they were doing, if they were slaves, running away, or working. The goal of the Orgeon Trail was to get to the Oregon Coast and then life would be happily ever after, but what about the impact of race on living conditions? The game also failed to include what happened between settlers and Indians. White hostility was omitted and whites main goal was to stay clear of Indians. The article wants teachers to begin a dialogue developing a critical computer literacy before subjects interact with these games.

This article seemed a bit extreem for me. I think with nearly every program invented these days, people can critique it far beyond what was intended. If every detail is suppossed to be included I'm sure some projects wouldn't even be done by now. What interested me though was what the author said about the role of the teacher. He stated that the teacher should begin a dialogue developing a critical computer literacy before subjects interact with these games. I think when working with any program, students should have a background knowledge of what they are working with, why they are using it, and what implications it has. As a student I am far more interested in learning why I am using a device, what good is it doing for me. As far as the Oregon Trail goes, discussing with your students the impact it had on our country and eliminating the cultural biases would be a great tool to help implement the Oregon Trail into your classroom.

Digital Edge Project

The project I picked was a primary math lesson idea. Students go about their regular school day looking for fractions. For instance, during lunch they could see a pizza half eaten and see that as 1/2. As they find fractions they are told to take photos, using a digital camera, of the objects. Students then after the photos are taken, use the photos and import them using iPhoto and organize them. Then they use imovie to sequence the clips in a timeline, maybe for instance when they saw them throughout their day. They can add text to the photos in Keynote or iMovie or even narration. They also can add music to iMovie from itunes. Once the students have produced a short clip of their fraction findings they are to present them to the class.
This project familurizes students with the i-programs. Using these technological devices help students produce their own films using a variety of special effects and material.

Mitchel Resnick- Rethinking Learning in the Digital Age

This article presented ideas of digital technology with a focus on computers as transforming our way of learning. It talked about how the computer is a valuable source by how it connects the world. Now and more consistently in the future we can learn from others all over the world with world collaboration projects. One concern the article had was that teaching strategies are not changing, yet computers are. One way to look at computers and learning is to think of them both as expressing our creativity and learning from design and creation. Rather than thinking of receiving information, as we are doing this, we also need to be looking at using them as tools in order to broaden our creative thinking. It also talked about the near future and how it will be important to be fluent with all aspects of the computer. It may become a criteria for future jobs to be somewhat fluent with computing. The article made a strong point in saying: "we need to transform curricula so that they focus less on things to know and more on strategies for learning the things you don't know." Instead of memorizing, learning new ways to learn became a focused priority. It stated that we should also put emphasis and encourage childrens creativity at a young age.

When reading this article it came clear to me that knowing the computer as a means for collecting information is not good enough. In order to be fluent and use the computer in it's entirity as a teacher, I need to know websites I can use to help my teaching. I myself am not very creative but I feel okay about that. The computer is a device that can help me become creative. It enables me to make posters, show videos, and other things that can enhance my teaching. Also I liked the point Resnick made when he said, " Instead of dividing up the curriculum into separate disciplines, we should focus on themes and projects that cut across the disciplines, taking advantage of the rich connections among differnet domains of knowledge." I liked his way of thinking because who is to say what instruction we teach and do not teach children. What if we let students chose what they want to learn and develope their own style of learning? This way students might become more passionate about school and develope into more creative individuals which the article says is what our future is looking like. Resnick says that the work force will be looking for those that are creative versus those that have memorized and are factually knowledgeable.