3.6 Selecting and Evaluating Digital Tools & Resources
Candidates collaborate with teachers and administrators to select and evaluate digital tools and resources for accuracy, suitability, and compatibility with the school technology infrastructure. (PSC 3.6/ISTE 3f)
Artifact:
Evaluating Emerging Technologies Project
Reflection:
The Evaluating Emerging Technologies (EET) project is a PowerPoint presentation that reviews and evaluates a chosen digital tool to determine if it will be suitable and compatible with my school’s technology infrastructure. After analyzing the school’s current data, I selected a tool called Spiral to meet the need of English Language Arts (ELA) and Math support to increase student academic skills and scores on assessments such as the Georgia Milestones. The EET describes the digital tool, its general purpose, evaluates how it supports the school and districts vision for technology use, explains required equipment and develops a plan for implementation.
The Emerging Technologies artifact demonstrates my ability to collaborate with teachers and administrators to select and evaluate digital tools and resources. Working with the Literacy coach and my grade level team of teachers, I was able to receive feedback on what types of technology features would be suitable for my colleagues and their students’ needs. Using the criteria addressed with my colleagues enabled me to select and evaluate a digital tool that aligned closely to our goals. This artifact aligns with school goals determined by our administration, therefore, demonstrating my ability to collaborate with administrators to select digital tools and resources that assist with the learning objectives within the school.
The presentation explains how the digital tool meets the criteria for accuracy, suitability, and compatibility with the school technology infrastructure. In order to assess whether or not this program would work for our students and teachers, I conducted a few workshops that shared Spiral’s functions which included teacher-led activities, planning, student portfolios, grading, group projects, note taking, assignments, and formative assessments. I also tested Spiral out with my class to see how they would adapt to the digital tool. Implementing the tool gave me insight on the program’s accuracy. I found the program to be beneficial in encouraging students to practice ELA and math skills in a fun and active way by working individually (using Quickfire) and in teams (using Team Up) with some of the assignments. I loved how I was able to manipulate the different features to fit the learning styles of my students by including instructional video clips (using Clip) and setting up digital discussions (using Discuss). Having these features allowed me to make the assignments more authentic and meaningful for each of my students because they were able to participate in learning and showing what they know in a new digital way. The program gives a vast amount of choices for teachers to adjust the content to demonstrate suitability for their class, therefore, making the digital resource compatible with our school technology infrastructure.
While completing this project, I learned that it takes a lot of research when looking for new technology tools that would be a good fit for both staff and students. I also learned the importance of considering the school’s budget when looking for new items to implement into the classroom. Often times school funds are limited so it would be wise to invest in resources that are beneficial to supporting the school’s goals. One thing I would do differently is work with teachers from each grade level to get their viewpoint on ways to enhance student engagement and support with achieving academic goals using technology integration. Although there are a lot of engaging programs, it is vital to keep in mind your school’s specific needs in order to eliminate wasting money and time which could be very frustrating and discouraging to staff members.
This artifact impacted student learning and faculty development by introducing them to a flipped classroom setting and allowing them to learn more about a new technology tool that would support their learning experience. This artifact can be assessed by a survey of teachers who participated in implementing the new technology and evaluations of the assessments.
Reflection:
The Evaluating Emerging Technologies (EET) project is a PowerPoint presentation that reviews and evaluates a chosen digital tool to determine if it will be suitable and compatible with my school’s technology infrastructure. After analyzing the school’s current data, I selected a tool called Spiral to meet the need of English Language Arts (ELA) and Math support to increase student academic skills and scores on assessments such as the Georgia Milestones. The EET describes the digital tool, its general purpose, evaluates how it supports the school and districts vision for technology use, explains required equipment and develops a plan for implementation.
The Emerging Technologies artifact demonstrates my ability to collaborate with teachers and administrators to select and evaluate digital tools and resources. Working with the Literacy coach and my grade level team of teachers, I was able to receive feedback on what types of technology features would be suitable for my colleagues and their students’ needs. Using the criteria addressed with my colleagues enabled me to select and evaluate a digital tool that aligned closely to our goals. This artifact aligns with school goals determined by our administration, therefore, demonstrating my ability to collaborate with administrators to select digital tools and resources that assist with the learning objectives within the school.
The presentation explains how the digital tool meets the criteria for accuracy, suitability, and compatibility with the school technology infrastructure. In order to assess whether or not this program would work for our students and teachers, I conducted a few workshops that shared Spiral’s functions which included teacher-led activities, planning, student portfolios, grading, group projects, note taking, assignments, and formative assessments. I also tested Spiral out with my class to see how they would adapt to the digital tool. Implementing the tool gave me insight on the program’s accuracy. I found the program to be beneficial in encouraging students to practice ELA and math skills in a fun and active way by working individually (using Quickfire) and in teams (using Team Up) with some of the assignments. I loved how I was able to manipulate the different features to fit the learning styles of my students by including instructional video clips (using Clip) and setting up digital discussions (using Discuss). Having these features allowed me to make the assignments more authentic and meaningful for each of my students because they were able to participate in learning and showing what they know in a new digital way. The program gives a vast amount of choices for teachers to adjust the content to demonstrate suitability for their class, therefore, making the digital resource compatible with our school technology infrastructure.
While completing this project, I learned that it takes a lot of research when looking for new technology tools that would be a good fit for both staff and students. I also learned the importance of considering the school’s budget when looking for new items to implement into the classroom. Often times school funds are limited so it would be wise to invest in resources that are beneficial to supporting the school’s goals. One thing I would do differently is work with teachers from each grade level to get their viewpoint on ways to enhance student engagement and support with achieving academic goals using technology integration. Although there are a lot of engaging programs, it is vital to keep in mind your school’s specific needs in order to eliminate wasting money and time which could be very frustrating and discouraging to staff members.
This artifact impacted student learning and faculty development by introducing them to a flipped classroom setting and allowing them to learn more about a new technology tool that would support their learning experience. This artifact can be assessed by a survey of teachers who participated in implementing the new technology and evaluations of the assessments.