Assessing Technology
I came across Unlocking the Toolkit in my earlier web searches for this course so when I saw it again this week, it made me realize the challenges I will face when I return to school at the end of the month. I am actually quite worried about being able to use any of the tools we’ve learned about because at my school downloads of any kind require an “administrative password” and well, you might as well be asking for classified documents at the White House. I can’t even download an update for Adobe Reader for crying out loud. But I digress…
How do we assess technology?
Usually I evaluate the technology in terms of:
How easy is it to use?
Will it contribute to my intelligence?
Does it make my experience with the computer more positive?
Does it save me time?
Does it enhance my learning?
I just don’t think my school has invested any time into evaluating the technology we have vs. what we need. I found this great article, Emerging from the Smog: Making Technology Assessment Work for Schools and realized that there are people out there thinking the same thoughts I have. We need to assess what technologies are working for us and which ones should be left behind because they do not improve learning in a significant way. Now I feel like I need to find the technology committee at our school (we must have one) and be a vocal member.
Happily for us, students are usually tech-savvy and will pick up a lesson on technology and be up and running by the end of the block. They are truly sponges and I believe they should be soaking up as much technology as they can. So we need to do a lot of advance planning and research in order to find out what is valuable to teach them. Seems fair, right?
This is a topic of discussion for which there are no conclusi0ns for me. I get more confused the more I think about it. Brain is cramping...must take a break.
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You do need to find out if you have a technology committee for your school. If you don't have one, you could start one. This gives a forum for discussion. You could share the exciting tools you have and get teachers fired up.
ReplyDeleteI have been a member of our technology committee for 2 years. Teachers had to fight to get You Tube unlocked. They wouldn't do it for the students, but they did for the teachers. Now I am going to fight to get it unblocked for the students. A committee that is committed to whats best for students can accomplish great things!
YOU CAN DO IT!