Technology Assessments

Technology has become a part of our everyday interactions and there is no way to return to the days where computer literacy was a special class. The 21st century students are a generation of technology natives which starts at infancy.  As infants, children are exposed to baby laptops, baby smart phones, baby DVD player systems and CDs - you name it. In my opinion, in order to ensure high levels of teacher competency, teachers need to self evaluate and assess their technology knowledge continually. In doing so, chances are greater that teachers with a basic understanding of current technology applications and hardware will engage their students in meaningful learning. I discovered that taking technology assessments help me to stay somewhat up to date with the newest developments.  Lead teachers and teachers that are working in computer labs need to stay current with technology on a 24 hour, seven days a week basis. These teachers have leading roles on their campuses and need to be knowledgeable in technology questions to support and assist their colleagues. I believe that ongoing staff development and staying current through content relevant media supersede assessments in their cases. Professional development not only informs about latest trends but also shows how to implement them into curriculum. High involvement ought to be the credo.

In my opinion, today’s students are over tested.  For technology, I believe that students should be assessed at the beginning and at the end of the school year. Since our students come from diverse backgrounds and have different skill levels, a beginning assessment will give teachers information necessary to develop instruction to meet student needs. At the end of the year, students should be assessed to determine improvement and areas that still need improvement.  From this end of school assessment, the teacher should self evaluate and make adjustments to improve her instruction program.