Ethics in the Classroom Essay

Assessments have been in existences for many years; however schools have implemented various technology programs due to changes which have occurred in the educational system. Technology has become an innovative way to document, record, and to expand student’s learning. Teachers have access to software and hardware which is used to teach students required information as well as prepare them for the world outside the confines of a classroom. This plan will explain how software is used to support assessment in the classroom, such as formative and summative assessment and how technology may be used to support these two assessments. The plan will take a glimpse into the pros and cons of using technology and the teachers’ use of technology in the classroom. Although this plan is not intended to be a required plan for any teacher, it offers a suggestive approach to the use of technology based assessment in the school system. Teachers use assessments throughout their teaching careers to help evaluate a student’s learning process. Assessments also help to gather information for others to view such as; information pertaining to the schools in their school district, the students serviced (demographics) and test results. In a recent article online, Formative and Summative Assessments in the Classroom, Ehringhaus &Garrison state â€Å"Assessment is a huge topic that encompasses everything from statewide accountability tests to district benchmarks or interim test to everyday classroom tests† (2012, p2). The two types of assessments teachers used are formative and summative, which â€Å"being creative with formative and summative assessment can seem a daunting task, but technology can assist with this and give students accessible ways to widen both ideas about assessment and kinds of assessments that students took†(Senate Office on Assessment, 2012,p1). Formative assessment is used to gather information that can be used to improve the teaching and learning of students. The main difference amongst formative and summative assessment would be how the information would be used. â€Å"When it comes to improving instruction and learning, it’s not the quantity of the data that counts, but how information is used† (Harris, Lewis, Muoneke & Times, 2010, p. 1). Although formative assessments can be done daily, weekly, or when needed, the information may be used to create a lesson plan which meets the needs of the students in his/her classroom. The summative assessments are done at the end of a course or semester; however they may contain other information such as age, race or gender and may cover general information taught over the course of a school year. The use of assessments in technology can also be challenging for some teachers and students. Therefore, educators should compare the pros and cons of using technology in the classroom and assessment of students. Technology has increased in the classroom, and with the change in technology there is a change in the way assessments are done. Usage of technology to help assess students can benefit in many ways, it can enhance the learning process of students by â€Å"help(ing) students visualize problems they may encounter and reach students with different learning styles, including visual, auditory, and experiential learners† (Teaching with Technology, 2012, pg. 3). On the other spectrum of technology it can be costly to school district depending if the schools request wired or wireless hardware. Regardless of the use of technology in the classroom or for assessments, teachers must assess their students to help understand and implement the needs of the students. Software to Support Assessment Assessments have been in existences for many years; however schools have implemented various technology programs due to changes which have occurred in the educational system. Technology has become an innovative way to document, record, and to expand student’s learning. Teachers have access to software and hardware which is used to teach students required information as well as prepare them for the world outside the confines of a classroom. This plan will explain how software is used to support assessment in the classroom, such as formative and summative assessment and how technology may be used to support these two assessments. The plan will take a glimpse into the pros and cons of using technology and the teachers’ use of technology in the classroom. Although this plan is not intended to be a required plan for any teacher, it offers a suggestive approach to the use of technology based assessment in the school system. Teachers use assessments throughout their eaching careers to help evaluate a student’s learning process. Assessments also help to gather information for others to view such as; information pertaining to the schools in their school district, the students serviced (demographics) and test results. In a recent article online, Formative and Summative Assessments in the Classroom, Ehringhaus &Garrison state â€Å"Assessment is a huge topic that encompasses everything from statewide accountability tests to district benchmarks or interim test to everyday classroom tests† (2012, p2). The two types of assessments teachers used are formative and summative, which â€Å"being creative with formative and summative assessment can seem a daunting task, but technology can assist with this and give students accessible ways to widen both ideas about assessment and kinds of assessments that students took†(Senate Office on Assessment, 2012,p1). Formative assessment is used to gather information that can be used to improve the teaching and learning of students. The main difference amongst formative and summative assessment would be how the information would be used. â€Å"When it comes to improving instruction and learning, it’s not the quantity of the data that counts, but how information is used† (Harris, Lewis, Muoneke & Times, 2010, p. 1). Although formative assessments can be done daily, weekly, or when needed, the information may be used to create a lesson plan which meets the needs of the students in his/her classroom. The summative assessments are done at the end of a course or semester; however they may contain other information such as age, race or gender and may cover general information taught over the course of a school year. The use of assessments in technology can also be challenging for some teachers and students. Therefore, educators should compare the pros and cons of using technology in the classroom and assessment of students. Technology has increased in the classroom, and with the change in technology there is a change in the way assessments are done. Usage of technology to help assess students can benefit in many ways, it can enhance the learning process of students by â€Å"help(ing) students visualize problems they may encounter and reach students with different learning styles, including visual, auditory, and experiential learners† (Teaching with Technology, 2012, pg. 3). On the other spectrum of technology it can be costly to school district depending if the schools request wired or wireless hardware. Regardless of the use of technology in the classroom or for assessments, teachers must assess their students to help understand and implement the needs of the students. To help facilitate the ongoing assessment of student’s learning; teachers may require students to do assignments outside of school. This could include visiting educational sites to help support the content taught in class. Teachers may also allow students to do presentations, such as writing papers, finding information on the web and also interactive sites. Also to help parents stay informed about their child’s learning process; parent sites are also available to view their student’s grades and testing scores. Assessments can help to oversee the progression of students, and incorporating the use of technology to help with assessment can help to relieve the stress of keeping up with many forms and paperwork, but over usage can become mundane for students. However, â€Å"as good as technology-based assessment and data systems might be, educators need support in learning how to use them. (U. S. Department of Education, 2012, p1). Information on proper use of technology should be administered to teachers before they can teach the information to their students. The introduction of hardware such as Promethean boards allows the professional development department to develop courses which have become a requirement of the teachers’ certification process. This ensures teachers have received instruction on how to implement te chnology in the classroom and the use of software to support assessment. Teachers should not rely solely on the use of technology as a form of assessment due to inaccuracy of data information. Sometimes human errors may cause problems with a students? grades or information. Over usage of technology can also obscure the information with students who may learn in a different manner. Technology can help assess students using formative and summative assessments, which can increase the learning process of students by continuing ongoing assessments to help facilitate the learning process.