Technology and Assessment

A few weeks ago I attended a workshop put on by Rick Stiggin's the Assessment Training Institute. It was extremely enlightening. I am currently using many of the strategies that I learned in the workshop in my classroom and though the school year is not yet two weeks old, I can say that they have had a positive influence on my teaching and the climate of my classroom.

From the beginning of the workshop to this very second, I have rarely stopped thinking (when I'm working, that is) about how easily the tools that I discuss on my Web site fit into this system of assessment. An explanation is needed:

--This system of assessment is based on the principle that assessment should be used for learning; therefore it is known as assessment "for" learning (AFL). This principle asserts that frequent assessments should be used to guide the learning of students. The data gathered from these assessments should be used to make adjustments to classroom instruction, provide intervention for struggling students, or enrichment for advanced students. This is contrary to assessment "of" learning, which consists of assessing student learning for the purpose of grouping them into distinct academic levels.

This year, technology will play a mojor role in how I implement assessment for learning in my classroom. In future posts, I will discuss how I use blogs, forums, digital cameras, and spreadsheets to assess learning.