Technology as Assessment

Something I ran across while looking at UWO's publication of using different instructional technology and its functions and was surprised to read the below about online testing: The article titled "Instructional Technology: Functions and Best Practices, Website Support for Teaching Large Classes, Turnitin.com: A New Plagiarism Checking Tool at Western"states that "If you ask students what feature they find most valuable on a course website, the consistent response is practice tests. Students like to test their knowledge of a chapter or module, both after they have read the chapter and when they are preparing for an exam". Like Bowen states in "Teaching Naked", "the simplest and most basic use of new communication technologies is to create more class time for engaged learning..(Bowen, 2012, p.104. For me, I think it is a great way of incorporating different instructional technologies together, especially in face to face courses, to add that social media element. By doing so, you are broadening your learners use of different instructional strategies as well as using something they are familiar with.I think this can be stretched out to include not just testing, but information about concepts and subject topics that can perhaps we discussed in class (if it is not a testable subject).Something like Bowen's suggestion of the program "Brainshark" can provide students with the opportunities to use technology as assessment from something as easy as their mobiles to complete pre-exam practice (Bowen, 2012). The link is http://www.uwo.ca/tsc/resources/publications/newsletter/selected_articles/instructional_technology_functions.html Text: Bowen, Jose A. "Teaching Naked: How Moving Technology out of Your College Classroom will Improve Student Learning". (2012) San Fransisco: John Wiley & Son.