The Edutopia Poll
by Sara Ring
Should tests assess what students know, or what they can access through technology? A school in Sydney, Australia, is letting students in an English class use iPods, cell phones, and the Internet to acquire information during exams. Officials at the school assert that the effective use of digital devices, not rote memorization, is the more importation skill in today's world. And it's true that in the twenty-first century, workers often need to gather new information rather than recall what they already know. But does using technology during an exam simply amount to cheating? In the United States, many schools have banned iPods and cell phones to discourage students from accessing them during tests. The schools prefer that students rely on their own knowledge and problem-solving skills. Are such bans outdated, or appropriate? Tell us what you think!
Real-world
Submitted by Mark DeSalvo (not verified) on October 2, 2008 - 15:21.
If the exams are a reflection of real-world processes and applications, then the appropriate tools should be made available and used to their fullest ability. If we bottle up all that we believe is important and dwindle it down to a test measuring something related to god-knows-what, and expect that this end result is what everyone should know and be able to do, then forget technology, not even quality instruction is necessary because teaching to the test gets you there faster.
The tools they are using now don't compare to what is coming in 5 years and many adults don't even know how to use the full extent of their cell phones now! Technology is what makes us jump in generations. The reason we are stalled is that "conservative types" cling on to what they consider is the tried and true, back to basics. Nothing wrong with the chisel and stone for publications either, but I sure am glad I'm not a stone mason with today's information!
Embrace the technology so it becomes as useful and inexpensive as the disposable pen. I can just hear those berry growers and turkey quill pullers now!
Not sure I have anything new
Submitted by Barbara (not verified) on October 2, 2008 - 14:48.
Not sure I have anything new to add but I have to add my support to the above comments on several levels
1. it is more important to me how they use the quadratic equation than if the memorized it
2. We do have to redefine what we are testing...factual knowledge or critical thinking, problem solving and application- I f we are striving to move to the highest level of Blooms then by all means use technology.
3. We need to be diligent and proactive in seeking digital equity for all students...we need to assure ubiquitous access not limiting its use.
What Is It That We Are Testing?
Submitted by John C. Holoduek (not verified) on October 2, 2008 - 05:09.
Are we testing "technology use" and applying various research skills? If not...then the answer is "NO!" Might it be worthwhile to test those skills? In the beginning of the 21st Century, "YES!" The basic skills we are generally testing are generally basic skills. We need to assess those as real skills, still necessary in the 21st Century. We don't need to know if a student's sister knows the end of the story and that his friend knows the quadratic equation. Is access to various forms of technology an issue? "MAYBE...!" That will probably be the topic of another survey....
It seems to me that
Submitted by Donald M Drozynski (not verified) on October 2, 2008 - 03:18.
It seems to me that technology is more useful for the teacher and not allowable for the student on the lower levels of learning in Blooms taxonomy, and technology is more useful for the student and not as useful for the teacher in the higher levels of learning in Blooms taxonomy. I think that students use of technology during tests depends on the level of learning to be assessed.
Engineering & Technology
Submitted by Don Morgan (not verified) on October 2, 2008 - 03:11.
First , we must define "technology". Are we talking informational technology; i.e. computers,IPods, cells,etc? Technology started way before any of these and is far broader. If a student is performing a skills test on a CNC mill, for example, obviously the "technology" (CNC mill and operating software) is necessary.Or if a student has to demonstrate the power multiplication of simple machines, that, too, is a use of "technology". To many people(educators included) believe that technology was invented by IBM, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs,etal!
Resource Sharing
Submitted by Micaela (not verified) on October 1, 2008 - 15:16.
Another thing to consider is that students with limited financial resources might be disadvantaged (even further) because they lack experience and/or familiarity with the technology. On the other hand, that might push schools to make technology education a bigger priority.
Web Design
Submitted by Bernice Glenn (not verified) on October 1, 2008 - 13:19.
The questions really do not define the type of testing that is being done. If it is to see what students have learned in language arts for example, using technology is inappropiate. If the test is "open book" technology is certainly part of the deal. If you are trying to determine your students' technology skills then technology access is needed, It really depends on what you are testing for. It most certainly is not an either/or decision.
technology-aided testing
Submitted by shafeen charania (not verified) on September 30, 2008 - 16:08.
I think your choices are wrong. The choice I would have picked is: do we need to rethink the concept of learning (and testing) and bias towards deeper analytic skills, problem determination, analysis and solving skills, cause and effect, etc., etc., vs. rote memorization.
Having been a part of the post-school world for a few years now, I can tell you that in my experience, knowing memorized facts does little or nothing for me or my ability to more effectively to work/contribute to society/etc.
Learning vs. testing
Submitted by David Greenberg (not verified) on October 3, 2008 - 07:53.
I agree completely with Shafeen. Knowledge is not about memorizing facts, which are so easy to find quickly these days it's almost absurd. As educators, many of us realize that learning is not about quantity, but rather quality. Not only would I let students use whatever resources they had available, I would allow them to re-submit, actually, require them to re-submit their work until it was near-perfect and I felt that they had really learned and understood something that they knew little about before.
technology k-8
Submitted by Angela Hugenschmidt (not verified) on October 2, 2008 - 05:15.
Because some students are disadvantaged based on their home situation, it is our duty to teach the students how to efficiently access specific information via technology, and this should be practiced and tested. Allowing students to access technology tools in a test has its time and place but certainly will not eliminate the traditional tests without the use of technology.
I think that students can learn from each other and should have opportunities to search for information as a team. Placing such an internet search for specific information in a test situation will focus the students. Whether this will show the students' knowledge about English language related issues depends on the teacher's way of formulating the test question.
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