Technology Assessments

Now that we are in a 21^st century world and technology has become so invaluable in our everyday lives it is imperative we know where educators and students technology skills and knowledge lie. If technology planning teams are to assist in the learning and implementing of technology they have to know how skilled the educators are. It is equally important to understand where our students are in regards to technology skills and knowledge. How can you know what needs to be taught if you don’t assess for what is already known. This is true for all areas of learning why would it be different for technology.

I think the biggest problem with technology assessments is that educators do not take them seriously. They often feel it is just more paperwork. So they quickly rush through it without really thinking about the importance of it. I find a bit of humor in that thinking though as how many times have we had a student redo something because we know they rushed through it just to get it done. We knew it would not give us an accurate assessment of their knowledge. The same goes for educators taking technology assessments.  The information needed from these assessments is important to our future and ongoing learning. Perhaps if administrators took the time to explain why it’s needed and what the information is exactly used for, educators would take them more seriously.  There is also concern from educators that these assessments can affect their performance evaluations. These “digital immigrants” (Prensky, M., 2006) the older generation of educators who may be more willing to try out the technology if they were give opportunities for more training.

I think the overall advantage to these assessments if taken seriously and responses are genuine can make moving forward into the world of technology implementation easier. Knowing the knowledge and skills levels of educators can tell administrators who can possibly be a mentor or trainer. I know on my own campus many times when someone has a question about technology or something is not working properly form them they call on me. I am not an expert, by no means but had a little more technology background then others. This is also reinforced in the classroom when you have students who are technology savvy. They can assist you in teaching especially if it is something you, the teacher, are unsure of or not comfortable in using. These assessments are not just about the abilities of the educator or student. They can also have impact on improving what technology is available for use within the classroom. These assessments give insight to what equipment and software may be needed.  

The assessments in my opinion are a necessary thing to fully understand what our students know about technology. According to Mark Prensky, “The only way to move forward effectively is to combine what they know about technology with what we know and require about education.” (Prensky, M., 2006) We can do this if we don’t assess.

Reference:

Prensky, M., (2005), Adopt and Adapt: Shaping Tech for the Classroom