Module+5+Reflection

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 reflection will focus on what I experienced and learned during Module 5 of our Introduction to Technology course. During these two weeks, our cohort was given opportunities to consider how we use technology in the classroom for assessment and evaluation. Our assigned readings also helped us to better understand how technology can be used to collect data in order to better guide instruction. We also expressed ideas and thoughts through discussion board in response to our readings, sharing how we ourselves use technology for assessment and evaluation as well as what productivity tools we have witnessed being used effectively within our own school districts.

** Impact ** This module has allowed me to take a closer look at how I am utilizing technology to carry out assessments and collect data in my own classroom. I currently use AIMSweb to input data from DIBELS and AIMSweb mathematics testing. I am then able to use this database to print charts and graphs which help me compare students' progress to the expected grade level benchmarks as well as to other students. These comparisons help me design reading and mathematics instruction as well as how I group students during guided reading. I am also able to use these graphs and charts to better communicate with parents about their child's strengths and weaknesses. I currently also create spreadsheets to record how the students perform on chapter math tests. The assigned readings during this module made me realize that it is not only important to use technology to assess student learning, but also to assess student technology literacy, to collect and analyze all types of data, and to evaluate the implementation of technology programs.

** Intent ** It is my intent to make more effort to learn how I can utilize technology to not only assess my students' learning, but to also collect and analyze the data from those assessments. I want to make sure that I am not just inputing the data into the computer, but actually using it to guide my instruction. I want to look into possible technologies that might be currently underused in my building. Finally, I want to find ways to better assess my students' technology literacy as I now realize this is a core knowledge domain requiring regular and rigorous assessment.