Why Use Web 2.0 Tools in Assessment?

            Assessing 21^st century students does not necessarily mean we must use only Web 2.0 to do so, but it does mean that we must not ignore the fact that our students will need the skills to be able to participate in our increasingly technological and global world. We must also consider what is engaging to students and what will allow them to use higher-order thinking skills. Students are so often forced to express their learning in an outdated, inaccurate, boring written test that requires mostly recall. Why not use Web 2.0 tools that so many students are familiar with to truly assess meaningful learning? Educators can find any excuse to not use these type tools to teach and assess students: not knowledgeable about the tools, not enough access to technology, too complicated, hard to grade, and so on. Let us find some reasons we should use these tools in instruction and assessment.

In college, I had some experience with presentation software and e-portfolios. These forms of assessment were actually fun! I was able to do my own research as well as take what I had learned from class and experience and create something that I could be proud to show to my professors and fellow students. Now, in my masters courses, I am using a blog to showcase what I am learning. Our students are fully capable of using these tools and should be given the opportunity to do so. Learning should not be an uninspiring, tedious process. We as educators are responsible for developing life-long learners who enjoy the learning process. After all, our world is changing so fast that our students must be able to keep up.

Formative assessment is a great way for teachers to monitor learning and check for comprehension of content at intervals. If a student is not grasping a concept, we msut intervene to ensure mastery of knowledge and skills. Blogs are a great way to do this. A teacher could require that students post a weekly blog about what they are learning. The teacher could give certain criteria that must be met in the blog, and the students could have the freedom to express what they have learned in their own words. This type of formative assessment is appropriate for college students all the way down to kindergarten (as I mentioned in my previous  post).

                Summative assessment is critical in order to assess what content students have retained and their overall gain from instruction and experiences. Collaborative wikis are a great way to assess learning at the end of a unit. E-portfolios, such as the one I created at the end of my college career, are a great way to assess learning at the end of a semester or year.

I have attached some links that I found interesting in relation to this topic.

This link shows a great example of how younger students can use blogging and e-portfolios.

This link offers definitions and helpful tips for formative and summative assessment.

To view an example of an e-portfolio I created at the end of my college career, go to this link and type in this pass code: CB1531D8  Then click “Visitor Pass Entry” and click “Beth Graham Professional Portfolio”. You can view each section under “Table of Contents" to the left of the page.