Lesson 8: Evaluation of Technology Learning

               Today, students are expected to be not only cognitive, but also flexible, analytical and creative. With the development of technology in the education process there are methods for the use of computer-based technologies as an integral supports to higher thinking skills and creativity. Assessment and evaluation as an important part of the teaching-learning process must also change in order to have reliable and valid results in this fast changing world. Assessment needs to conform not to the literacy of the past but the new literacy of the 21^st century. We must not only use the typical pen and paper form of assessment because this will not address digital learner’s performance and progress but instead digital tools must be consider in planning the assessment because this will prepare them to face a high-tech world.

               Teachers must adopt a new mindset both for instruction and evaluation. Evaluation must be geared to assessment of essential knowledge and skills so that learners can function effectively, productively, and creatively in a new world. It must use evaluative tools that measure the new basic skills of the 21^st century digital culture. The assessment and evaluation tools should also aim at bridging the gap between the traditional and modern way of assessing students. These changes refer to “mass amateurization” meaning the change in the evaluation process which implies a mass reach of student outputs.

               Computer-based assessment and evaluation is now being practiced and employed in different school. Example, during our Edtech-1, our instruction used the electronic exam to assess whether or not we have learned something. He came out of the traditional way of assessing which was through pen and paper and employed the modern way one. We were also being assessed through our computer outputs like the Photoshop, Electronic collage, and film festival, etc. With the kind of assessment method our instructor used, it did not only assess the cognitive domain but also the psychomotor and affective domain. It made us flexible, analytic and creative learners.

               As the teaching and learning activities changed because of technology, assessment and evaluation methods must also change to conform to the new way of learning which is technology-based. Which is very important to have a balance in the process, it will be ineffective and unproductive if the learning activities that we will use in the classroom are traditional one, then we will assess our learners through the modern way of assessment. There is no congruency in the process hence may lead to unreliable and invalid results which in turn may affect learners. If wrong learning assessment is used, this may demotivate and discourage learners in learning because wrong feedback and results are given to them.

               It is then very important that the learning activities and the assessment and evaluation method must complement with each other. As a future teacher, I must therefore consider these things because this will have a big part in the development of a student. One may not learn effectively if wrong assessment method will be used. And that, everything has changed, if a teacher will not cope and adjust to the changes brought by the technology he/she may not totally address the needs and interests of the students which can lead to the destruction of the learners. Teachers must therefore become flexible, creative and critical in planning all the activities and assessment methods to be used in the classroom.