d.
Assessing Learning
As
with any form of teaching, when the work is done it is essential
that accurate and valid forms of assessment take place. When you
are using ICT in teaching, several dangers arise that are not
otherwise so obvious. They stem from the easy availability and
the ease of manipulation of information and ideas, and it is best
to be clear about them in any case study.
- You
need to be confident that the information received and used
by pupils has been arrived at 'deliberately' - that is as a
function of their acquisition of experimental skills.
- You
need to be confident that the ideas they develop as they work
are the pupils' own, or that new ideas presented to them through
the technology have been assimilated in a way that is appropriate.
-
You need to be happy that both you and the pupils appreciate
the differences between presentation and content, and that the
pupil is not merely using the technology to make better-looking
work of the same standard as before.
-
The key measure of success is in the pupil's ability to explain
the key points you have been teaching and to apply the ideas
to new situations which they are given. This may be assessed
by means of the exam-style questions set during the unit of
work.
- Individual
and shared progress and achievement - often the technology will
have been used by pairs and groups, as well as by individuals.
Here you need to have a method of ensuring that credit goes
to the right pupil of pair/group for the work done or learning
achieved.
-
ICT use and opportunities to assess learning. Throughout the
time you are using ICT to develop pupils' learning it is crucial
to keep an eye on where ICT allows you to intervene with an
assessment, or whether the ICT has provided you with an assessment
opportunity that you had not foreseen.
Question
for Consideration
- How
many of the points made above have you seen in the course of
your work developing the case study, and are there any others
you expect to come across?
Keep
a short record of your responses to these questions for discussion
with your mentor.
 Part
3: Evaluating the Use of ICT in Teaching and Learning
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