Roseann-Elizabeth Daniels

April 16, 2016

EDU-225
Biba John

Part 1: Assessment Technology

Poll Everywhere: https://www.polleverywhere.com/

Poll everywhere is a real time poll that teachers can use to get their students feelings or
knowledge about the topic they are covering. The students can answer the multiple choice
question with their smart phones, tablets and computers. Teachers can then show the real time
answers of their students on a computer or tablet. This is a fun way of getting the students to
participate in class, using tools they already have. Teachers can have multiple polls ready to use
throughout the class time and have students answer. Some teachers can also attach the poll to
their roll and have students take a poll first thing in the class as a means of taking roll. Poll
everywhere is a simple tool that has a lot of potential for teachers and students.
http://mselizabethushistoryclass.weebly.com/homework.html
I built a quiz from scratch and used World War II as the topic. I took the idea from GCU
quizzes. It is not very long only about ten questions with a short answer as one of the questions. I
think my future students would be happy with quizzes like this as it is a combination of multiple
choice, true and false and a lone short answer question. Grading for this is simple as each
question is worth ten points for a total of hundred points.
Part 2 Blog Post-

Teachers have been trying to find better ways of assessing their students in class. Most if not
all teachers use essays, quizzes and tests to see what their students have learned. Today most
students are glued to their smart phones, tablets and computers, which make teachers wonder
how they can better assess the students. Thanks to websites Socrative and Poll Everywhere and
others like them, teachers can now get an instant assessment of their students. Teachers are
utilizing the current technology in order to easily see what their students know and how they feel
about the content that is being taught. Teachers can now use technology to see where a student
needs to improve, to provide help to struggling students and to show parents where the teacher
can improve.
Microsoft Excel
Teachers are now being able to with a click of a mouse or a touch of a finger use technology
to see where their students stand in comprehending the content being taught. They can use
Microsoft Excel to build graphs to show the students where they are strong and what they need
to work on. Teachers can also use online sites to instantly show the class where they are
struggling (Invest In Tech, 2016). These graphics can also be used in parent conferences in order
to show parents not only where their child is struggling but where their child is excelling. By
showing parents by sides of their childs academic highs and lows, parents can have the best
grasp on what their child needs the most help on. From these graphics, educators can also find
the specifics of what a student understand or does not, and at what point comprehension dropped
off. This can give students the best possibility for assistance but also the best opportunity to see
where they are having success.
UniFi Controller Software

In order to use most of these forms of technology a reliable internet source is a must. It can
be difficult to have reliable sources that work in all corners of the campus. This is where
technology like UniFi Wireless Platform comes into play. The UniFi Controller software
enables access points to be automatically discovered, configured and upgraded for fast and easy
deployments. The controller can be deployed on-site or in a private or public cloud. A single
controller can centrally administer multiple sites, such as school campuses and buildings
(Cunningham, 2013). By giving students this reliable internet access any student can work
seamlessly from room to room or building to building without losing access to their wifi
connection. This central wifi access on a single controller can also put a blanket ban on any
unsavory material that students should not be accessing. This provides teachers with the best
connection as well to communicate with each other but to also communicate with their students.
Formative and Summative Assessments
Formative assessment tools like Socrative can give teachers an immediate look at where their
students are in learning the topic (Davis, 2015). Formative assessments allow the teacher to
immediately see what students are struggling and gives them more time to master the lesson. It
also allows the teachers to see where the students are strong in. Teachers also use the formative
assessments to see where they themselves need to improve based on their students results. On
the other hand, the summative assessments give the teacher the opportunity to see what the
students retained during the semester. In Florida their test Florida Standards Test is a computer
based summative assessment that is given to students in the fifth and eighth grades (Florida
Department of Education, 2016). This test is given so that the government, teachers, students and
parents know what the students actually retained during their schooling. Both assessments have

their reasons to be used, but it seems the summative assessment means a little more since it can
be the difference between passing and failing.
Pros and Cons to using technology to assess students
Now using computers and other technology to assess students may not be that a big a deal.
Pros are teachers do not waste time trying to grade hundreds of tests. They can focus on teaching
and getting their students to learn. Cons are if the technology has a hiccup and loses the student
information. If the teacher is using a computer for a summative assessment and the website
crashes, it loses the student data. It happened in Florida last year. The students could not login to
take the Florida Standard Assessment and were forced to go home for that day so the website
servers could be fixed (Travis & Yi, 2015).
ISTE importance with assessments
Regardless of which assessment is used, the ISTE requirements are fulfilled. It is especially
fulfilled when using the technology to test students as it is a form of communication that the
students must learn to use (ISTE, 2015). The main standard that is reached and used is the digital
age which both students and teachers reach (ISTE, 2015). Students reach it by using their smart
phones, tablets and computers to take tests and teachers reach it by using the computers or tablets
to grade the tests.
Conclusion
No matter how the teacher chooses to use technology in their classroom, their students will be
the ones who benefit. Students are always on their smart phones, tablets and computers, so the
teachers take advantage of it and have the students work on technology they are familiar with.
Allowing the students to use those means to take assessments prepares the students for life after

school where they will need to apply for college and jobs online with assessments as part of the
job application.

References
Cunningham, J. (2013). Tech in the Classroom: UniFi Wireless Platform. Retrieved from
Education World: http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech-in-theclassroom/unifi.shtml
Davis, V. (2015, January 15). 5 Fantastic, Fast, Formative Assessment Tools. Retrieved from
edtopia: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/5-fast-formative-assessment-tools-vicki-davis
Florida Department of Education. (2016). Computer Based Testing. Retrieved from Florida
Department of Education: http://www.fldoe.org/accountability/assessments/k-12-studentassessment/computer-based-testing.stml
Invest In Tech. (2016). Teaching With Technology: Using Microsoft Excel In The Classroom.
Retrieved from InvestInTech.com: http://www.investintech.com/content/excelclassroom/
ISTE. (2015). ISTE Standards for Students. Retrieved from ISTE:
https://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20-14_ISTE_Standards-S_PDF.pdf
Travis, S., & Yi, K. (2015, April 20). FSA testing to resume Tuesday after delay caused by
computer problems, schools say. Retrieved from Sun Sentinel: http://www.sunsentinel.com/news/education/fl-assessment-test-suspended-20150420-story.html