Assessment Tools

5-2 Data Assessment Link

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gGHa24iHJP5O3NS8O7fqDd4MPNjIRE8WflacxuDVaa4/edit?usp=sharing

            Classroom assessments when implemented consistently and used effectively can provide teachers with not only a window into what their students know and understand, assessments can also provide teachers insight into the effectiveness of their own pedagogical practices, and areas within their instruction that may still require work.  What is important to understand is that gathering this vital information does not require the use of complicated tools or a sophisticated statistical analysis of assessment results, it simply requires teachers to “tally how many students missed each assessment item or failed to meet a specific criterion then use these tallies to pay special attention to the trouble spots that arise” (Guskey, 2003, February).

            A prime example of this is clearly demonstrated in the Grade 6 Mathematics assessment data shown within the above linked spreadsheet.  As the collected data reveals there is a significant difference between each of the learning standards students were tested on and the results that were achieved in this ten question test. For example as the table shown on the data overview sheet reveals most of the class successfully met learning standard M:03:FA: 6.3 however, the opposite could be said about standard M:03:FA: 6.2 which broadcasts the need for a whole class reteach on this particular topic.

            Delving deeper the data collected from this math assessment assists the teacher further by providing a baseline snapshot of where each of his/her students are in relation to each of the standards presented as well as aides the teacher in identifying both individual and groups of students who are struggling to meet a majority of the standards as well as those students who are gradually progressing to meet them and those excelling and ready to move on to learning more advanced concepts, as shown on page 2 of the above linked document titled “students groupings”.  As the chart on this sheet reveals by classifying students into small groups based on whether they have met or have yet to meet each of the learning standards, the teacher can visually see where additional support and instruction is needed, as well identify opportunities for students to learn and support each others understanding of the standards based on the results of this one test.  In moving forward the teacher can use this data collected from this one test as motivation to try alternate methods to reteach concepts that students didn’t quite reach yet, as well as use the information as a prompt to open lines of communication with each of his/her students making them and active part of their learning process.

            What is most important to understand is that this data like most assessments is only one measure of each of the student’s understandings of the standards presented and should not be held as the soul determinant of their overall performance level. Like most data collected it should be looked at in combination with a variety of artifacts, like observations, in class and homework assignments as well as exit slips before passing final judgment on what students actually need to succeed. “The more data sources that suggest a particular need among students, the more confident teachers can be about moving forward instructional changes to fulfill that need” (Logan, 2014).  

            The tools teachers choose to use to gather their data like most things in education can vary greatly from classroom to classroom. However, one thing is for sure the process of collecting and sharing the results of assessments is getting easier with the ever-expanding technologies available for use by educators via the Internet.  Two powerful Web 2.0 tools currently available that are particularly conducive to data collection are ZoHo Creator, and Google Docs. Both of these online applications offer users the ability to create visually stunning spreadsheets that are both flexible and easily expandable.

            For example, the Grade 6 Mathematics assessment document linked to this post was created using the sheets application of Google Docs. As illustrated, the format of the spreadsheet created was very similar to spreadsheets created using Microsoft Excel.  For teachers familiar with using this traditional office application, the transition to using Google’s online version of spreadsheets will be quite smooth, as this web-based tool offers similar tool buttons, and functions.  The biggest perk of this online software, besides to being free, is that once documents are created information can easily be shared via a link as above, or via email to a select few. In an educational setting this can be extremely useful, because it allows teachers a platform to view, share, collaborate, and analyze the data collected from one or more classes on one spreadsheet from virtually anywhere, at anytime.  In addition, the ability to color code particular data segments can reveal learning trends and gaps that are occurring within a class or grade level that may have previously been overlooked simply by looking at scores or percentages alone generated from tests taken.  Finally Google Docs also allows teachers the ability to download and save completed spreadsheets to their computers for later reference.

            Another option available for collecting data in a school setting is ZoHo Creator. ZoHo Creator, unlike Google Docs is a web-based application that requires a paid membership to use after a fifteen-day free trial. The greatest difference between ZoHo Creator and the Google Docs application described above is that the tools and functions contained within this application are quite different and somewhat complex from other spreadsheet applications. In a school setting this could pose a problem for teachers who are just learning to use technology or struggle to learn new applications, and thus may require additional training and practice before being fully implemented and used for data collection.

             “The job of the teacher is to be faithful to authentic student learning experiences” (Alber, 2011, December). Therefore, when it comes to assessing the performance level of their students it is important that the data they collect from assessments is current, ongoing, and used to actively drive the instruction they provide to students on a daily basis.  Adding teachers in achieving this goal are web-based tools like Google Docs, and ZoHo creator that are paving the way to easing how data is viewed and analyzed both in school and out.    

References

Alber, R. (2011, December). Three ways student data can inform your teaching. Edutopia. Retrieved December 15, 2014 from: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/using-student-data- inform-teaching rebecca-alber.

Google, Inc. (2014). Google Docs [Website] Retrieved December 18, 2014 from:   https://docs.google.com

Guskey, T.R. (2003, February). How classroom assessments improve learning. Educational Leadership. 60, 6-11. Retrieved December 19, 2014 from:http://www.ascd.org/publications/

educational-leadership/feb03/vol60/num05/How-Classroom-Assessments-ImproveLearning.aspx&sa=U&ei=vqCVVJFSwp028ueDmAo&ved=0CCAQFjAA&usg   =AFQjCNGiLKmr98NsFHBnVlPTcy0NIJW5Zw

Logan, L. (2014). 5 ways to use data to improve your teaching. Amplify. (/). Retrieved December 16, 2014 from: http://www.amplify.com/viewpoints/5-ways-to-use-data-to improve-your-teaching.

Southern New Hampshire University (2014). EDU 641 data assessment guidelines and rubric.      Retrieved December 15, 2014 from: https://www.snhu.edu/webdocs.        EDU_641_Data_Assessment_Rubric(1)-1.doc

ZoHo Corporation Pvt. Ltd. (2014). ZoHo Creator [Web Application]. Retrieved December 18. 2014 from: http://www.zoho.com

Presentation - Teacher Training

Link to presentation

Adding the "I.T." Factor: Technologies Role in Improving Student Learning

 

Teacher Questionnaire on Technology Integration

Dear Colleagues,

             The questionnaire you are about to participate in was designed to gather information about your understanding of technology and your experiences using it to support instruction and the needs of your students. The information gathered will help assess the effectiveness of technology currently in place in our schools general curriculum classrooms, and how these tools are being used to support and enrich the learning of our students. To gain an accurate understanding of these experiences, it is critical that I hear from both teachers who are actively using technology and those who are not currently using technology in your classrooms.  The knowledge I gain from your responses will help me to provide additional support where needed and develop professional development opportunities that will enhance the work that is already being done.

                All information you provide will be kept strictly confidential.  Participation in this project is voluntary and you are free stop at any time.  However, your professional experiences and opinions are crucial to helping me understand teaching from a general curriculum educator’s point of view and, in particular what technology resources are needed to best help you accomplish your objectives with students. I greatly appreciate you taking the time to complete this questionnaire.

If you would like to obtain a copy of the findings generated from this questionnaire, please contact me in the comment box available on my blog.

Thank you for your participation


To view the Teacher Questionnaire please click on the link below.

Teacher Questionnaire on Technology Integration

Teaching with the TPACK

            “Teaching is not simply a process of picking up a few instructional techniques and applying them, it is in fact a complex multifaceted process that emerges over time and requires the transformation of content knowledge in ways that make it intellectually accessible to students” (Mishra & Koehler, 2009).  Being an educator therefore, not only requires flexibility, creativity, and a dedication to the craft of teaching, but also requires an interweaving of many kinds of specialized knowledge, including the knowledge of student thinking and learning, knowledge of subject matter and increasingly today the knowledge of technology.

            In 1989, Lee Shulman, who was at the times a Professor at the University of Michigan, identified this specialized form of knowledge as the pedagogical content knowledge or PCK. It is this pedagogical content knowledge that Shulman suggests, “sets teachers apart from all other professions” because it requires the “development a complex set of skills necessary to deliver information effectively within different content areas” (Mishra & Koehler, 2009).

            Today, rapid changes in technology and its role in the classroom has added yet another kind of knowledge to the mix. As a direct result of technologies impact on education, the construct of Shulman’s original, pedagogical content knowledge has evolved further to become the framework for teacher knowledge known today as the technological pedagogical content knowledge, or TPACK.  The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), describes “how teachers understanding of educational technologies and PCK interact with one another to produce effective teaching with technology” (Koehler & Mishra, 2009). In addition the TPACK also, “attempts to capture some of the essential qualities of knowledge required by teachers for technology integration in their teaching” (Mishra & Koehler, 2013, April). What sets the TPACK apart from Shulman’s original PCK is that in addition to content knowledge (CK) and pedagogical knowledge (PK), today’s educators must also possess technological knowledge (TK). “True technology integration therefore, is understanding and negotiating the relationships between these three key components as they play out in specific learning contexts” (Mishra & Koehler, 2013, April). (See Diagram of TPACK model).   

             In addition, teachers who wish to effectively integrate technology into their classrooms using the TPACK must also develop a sensitivity towards the “dynamic, transactional, relationship between all three knowledge components” (Mishra & Koehler, 2013, April). In doing so allows them to see that “there is no single technological solution that applies for every learning activity, content area, or every view of teaching” but rather, opens their eyes to a wide assortment of learning possibilities (Mishra & Koehler, 2013, April).  

            As teachers have begun to recognize and acknowledge the complexity of specialized knowledge required for effective technology integration, researchers have supported their efforts by develop key methods that will further the development of the TPACK in schools. Two of the most popular methods used to implement TPACK in the classroom today are Learning Technology by Design and Activity Types.  

            The Learning Technology by Design, method, mostly used at the collegiate level is implemented by allowing students to work collaboratively in groups or teams to design “authentic technology artifacts such as web pages, blogs, wikis, movies, etc, that will act as solutions to current  ill-structured instructional problems,” (Koehler, Mishra, et al., 2013). Using this method educators serve as facilitators or guides on the side, overseeing the learning development of students understanding through the use of technology.

            The other and more popular method used by teachers to support the TPACK is "Activity types". Activity types are “domain driven learning activities that students do everyday in their classrooms” (Koehler, Mishra, et al., 2013) Using this method teachers begin by first selecting the learning goals they hope students will achieve, followed by the selection of activity types that will employ to meet these specific goals, and concludes the process by finally selecting specific technologies based on the choice of activity types.  What makes this method most conducive for learning is that it allows teachers of all abilities the flexibility to seamlessly integrate technology into any grade level, and with any content area.  More importantly the use of the Activity types method supports the development of the TPACK because the process begins with teachers "incorporating relatively familiar technologies" into classroom activities they are already comfortable using with students, which over time allows them "the ability to gradually progress to to using tools that are more advanced" (Koehler, Mishra, et al., 2013).  

      Examples of this method are clearly illustrated in Judi Harris and Mark Holfer's, 2009,  Instructional Planning Activity Types as Vehicles for Curriculum-Based TPACK Development, which provides readers with a plethora of Activity types and possible technologies that can be used to support these activity types use in the classroom. The examples provided clearly reveal that even the most routine of classroom activities like answering questions, writing reports, and designing models can be dramatically transformed and enriched through the use of web-based applications and tools .  

         Therefore, Teaching with the TPACK therefore is very similar to the actions of a composer, writing a complex symphony, as it's provides a framework from which to organize and manage the complex  nature of teaching and complexities associated with ever changing technology based instruments. More importantly teaching with the TPACK allows educators a framework from to build and achieve meaningful and authentic learning activities that efficiently integrate the use use of technology into their classrooms, instead of creating activities that are centered around the technology tools themselves.

References

Harris J., & Hofer, M. (2009). Instructional planning activity types as vehicles for curriculum- based TPACK development. In C.D. Maddux, (Ed.). Research highlights in technology and teacher education 2009 (pp. 99-108). Chesapeake, V.A: Society for Information Technology in Teacher Education (Site). Retrieved December 1, 2014 from: http://activitytypes.wmwikis.net/file/view/HarrisHofer-TPACKActivityTypes.pdf

Koehler, M. J., & Mishra, P. (2009). What is technological pedagogical content knowledge?         Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 9(1), 60-70. Retrieved  December 4, 2014 from: http://www.citejournal.org/articles/v9i1general1.pdf

Koehler, M.J., Mishra, P. Akcaoglu, M. & Rosenberg, J.M. (2013). The technological pedagogical content knowledge framework for teachers and teacher educators. Retrieved December 1, 2014 from: http://cemca.org.in/ckfinder/userfiles/files/ICT%20teacher%20education%20Module%201%20Final_May%2020.pdf

Mishra, P., & Koehler, M.J. (2009). Too cool for school? No way! Using the TPACK framework: you can have your hot tools and teach with them, too. Learning & Leading  with Technology, 36(7), 14-18. Retrieved December 3, 2014 from: http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ839143.pdf

Mishra, P., & Koehler, M.J. (2013, April). Introducing TPACK, technological pedagogical           content knowledge. Retrieved December 4, 2014 from: http://www.nbexcellence.org/cms_files/resources/Mishra-TPACK-Handout.pdf

The Many Hats of Technology Integration Specialists in Education

            One fact that is undeniable in the 21st century is that “technology is a powerful resource” that when used effectively can enhance almost every aspect of our lives today (Egbert, 2009). Over the last decade, our lives have been radically transformed as “society has embraced computer technology and allowed it to reinvent the ways in which we create, find, exchange, and even think about information” (Pierson, 2001, Okojie, et al, 2014).  It is not surprising then that the use of and how technology is perceived would also change the face of education, transforming how classrooms look and function, the way educators instruct and assess, and most importantly how our students learn.

            The use of technology in education like most new pedagogical practices however does not happen overnight and often requires, the leadership, guidance, and the experience of key individuals before reaching full implementation. In schools today this responsibility falls in large part on the shoulders of a Technology Integration Specialist.  The role of a Technology Integration Specialist is complex, varied, and ever changing, and as such often requires this well versed educator to wear many different hats and work with a wide variety of people in the school community to successfully complete the varying facets of their job.

            Technology integration in K-12 classrooms no longer involves just learning how to use a specific piece of computer related hardware or software; “it now requires an understanding of pedagogical principles that are specific to the use of technology in an instructional setting” (Diaz & Bontembal, 2000, Okojie, et al, 2014).  A Technology Integration Specialist’s primary role therefore, is to serve as a teacher, mentor, and guide on the side, responsible for educating the students, teachers, administration, support staff, and other school personnel not only in how to use the technology devices, and software they have at their disposal effectively but also in how to “recognize and identify the learning processes that technology makes possible: the collection, organization, presenting, and communication of information in today’s informational society” (Morehead & LaBeau, 2005).  One way that a Technology Integration Specialist’s can accomplish this goal is by designing professional development workshops that are not solely focused on the learning the bells and whistles of a specific device or application, which can easily frustrate and overwhelm teachers, but instead develop workshops that model responsible integration practices and show educators how to align their existing curriculum units and lessons to include 21st century skills and tools. In doing so will not only empower them it will allow them to “recognize technology as an instrument in their tool chest for teaching and learning” (Morehead & LaBeau, 2005).  

            Second, a Tcchnology Integration Specialist must serve as a technician. All to often teachers claim they could not use the technology as part of their instruction because their computers would not turn on, the software is out of date, or a virus has corrupted the system limiting what students can accomplish. Therefore, the Technology Integration Specialist’s job as technician involves not only the managing and coordinating the available instructional aids and resources in order to facilitate learning but also in assuring that all technology devices present in classrooms, media centers, and labs are in good working order and assessable for use by students, as “technology sitting idle on tables and stored in closets is not helping instruction” (Melzer, 2012).

            For many educators living in today’s tech driven world, the thought of implementing technology into their classrooms still elicits anxiety and fear. This fear for some stems from inexperience using the constantly evolving devices either personally or with students, while for others the apprehension derives from wanting to protect their students from the dangers present yet hidden on the Internet. Therefore, the third aspect of a Technology Integration Specialist’s job often is to serve as counselor and therapist to the teachers, administration, and staff at a school, offering them insight, advice, and on going support, that will allow them to overcome the emotional hurdles and challenges that come with implementing something new into their classroom practices.

            Finally a successful Technology Integration Specialist must also serve as a researcher. Technology is ever changing, and as such requires continuous training to stay up to date with the latest trends, devices, and applications. To serve a school well the Technology Integration must put allot a percentage of their time on the job to researching and partaking in conferences and trainings that will allow them to continually grow their knowledge of technology, and be able to in turn share what they have learned with their community.

            When it comes to learning about its many facets and using it, technology can benefit everyone in some way (Egbert, 2009). However, with technology the benefits technology provides also comes with an equal amount of challenges that must be overcome. The role of a Technology Integration Specialist therefore is a multifaceted one, that requires an individual that is dedicated, versatile, quick thinking, patient, supportive, and a natural born leader.  More importantly a Technology Integration Specialist is an innovation superhero who primary mission is to reveal the world of possibilities that technology can provide to their students and colleagues, now and long into the future.

References

Diaz, D.P. & Bontenbal, K.F. (2000). Pedagogy-based technology training. In P. Hoffman & D. Lemke (eds.). Teaching and Learning in a Network World. Pp. 50-54. Amsterdam, Netherlands: 105 Press.

Egbert, J. (2009). Understanding classroom learning and technology use. In J. W. Johnson (Ed.) Supporting Learning with Technology: Essentials of Classroom Practice. (pp. 3-34) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Meltzer, S. T. (2012).  Step-by-step professional development in technology.  Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.

Morehead, P. & LaBeau, B. (2005, April). The continuing challenges of technology integration for teachers. Retrieved from: http://www.usca.edu/essays/vol152005/moreheadrev.pdf

Okojie, M., Olimzock, A., & Okojie-Boulder, T. (2014). The pedagogy of technology integration. The Journal of Technology Studies.  Retrieved from: http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JOTS/v32/v32n2/okojie.html

Pierson, M. (2001). Technology integration practice as a function of pedagogical experts. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 33(5).