Home » Education & Career » Technology in Education » Assessing Technology Integration

Assessing Technology Integration

© Melissa Johnston

With the Spring semester well under way, and the end of the 2000-2001 school year in our sights, what better time to reflect on the use of technology in our classrooms. It's generally this time of year that I begin to get a bit restless in my work and find myself not only organizing and cleaning house, but evaluating the effectiveness of classroom management strategies, units of study, and of course, the use of technology.

How do you assess the effectiveness of technology integration in the curriculum? Current emphasis is on ensuring that technology is used effectively to promote student achievement and succes as well as providing new opportunities for learning. When evaluating how well technology is utilized in the classroom, teachers should be examining student achievement in areas such as better retention of content, test scores, attitude and enthusiasm, and involvement in the learning process. In President Bush's plan for education, No Child Left Behind, "The Administration believes schools should use technology as a tool to improve academic achievement, and that using the latest technology should not be an end unto itself." Part of this plan, "Enhancing Education Through Technology" outlines a summary of proposals and focuses on assessment in a way such that, "States will be encouraged to set performance goals to measure how federal technology funds are being used to improve student achievement."

Last month in Seattle, Washington, technology leaders met for a three-day conference sponsored by Microsoft, to examine and discuss the use of technology in the classroom and its effect on the educational process. Among the topics of discussion were "increasing student access to technology, expanding professional development opportunities for teachers, enabling parental involvement and driving school improvement" as noted in an article from the Microsoft in Education site. http://www.microsoft.com/education/defau... A keynote address from computer giant Bill Gates ended the summit. In his address, Gates told those in the audience that, "We are charting a new course for learning. Taking the power and adaptability of the PC, and fusing it with the leading thinking of educators, we can help transform the learning experience for every child."

It seems that everyone has an opinion on how to evaluate the effectiveness of technology use in education. From the introduction to "Learning for Life" report by Microsoft, "The effective integration of technology in education is an exciting opportunity that requires thoughtful blending of infrastructure, access, knowledge, and empowerment of students, educators, schools, and communities. It requires a complex balance between the best of traditional education and new insights about how people learn. It depends on the use of technology to promote and enrich collaboration and communication and to enable new levels of learning in the classroom and for life."

The copyright of the article Assessing Technology Integration in Technology in Education is owned by Melissa Johnston. Permission to republish Assessing Technology Integration in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.