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Technology for Testing

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CLOSE

Teachers realize an effective way to reach kids is to meet them on their own digital turf.

DES MOINES - Put the pencils down.

In a growing number of Iowa's classrooms, teens are going online to study for - and even take - semester exams.

The change reflects an increasing use of technology in classrooms. Want students to study for and ultimately ace their finals? Then meet them in the digital land where they live, educators say.
STORY: Can mix of teachers, computers lead to pupil success?
"It's our job as teachers to find the best ways to get information to the kids," said Graham Lundt, a Gilbert High School health teacher, who provides online study guides and tests. "For my students, this works."

American youths between the ages of 8 and 18 on average spend more than twice as much time with high-tech screens each year as they spend in school, according to national research.

Some teachers worry that as more learning moves online, students will be less inclined to take notes - a study habit that helps a person retain information, research shows.

"It's our job as teachers to find the best ways to get information to the kids. For my students, this works."
Graham Lundt, Gilbert High School health teacher
Proponents say such issues are growing pains - concerns to be sorted out, but not a reason to abandon online tests or course content.

Iowa is one of 22 governing states in the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, a group that is developing a set of online tests that could eventually be used nationwide.
Half of all students have smartphones
If the tests are adopted in Iowa, student progress would no longer be tracked using Iowa Assessment bubble sheets. Instead, a computer program would adjust the difficulty of questions throughout the online assessment based on each student's individual responses.

Nearly half of Iowa's 346 K-12 school districts now assign students laptop or tablet computers for use at home and in the classroom. Results of a national survey released last year show that 51% of all high school students have smartphones.

"If you have a smartphone, it's like you always have a study buddy," said William Wiborg, 14, an East High School ninth-grader. "You can pull it out and do whatever you need to do."

Des Moines East High students Grant Smith, left, and Kenny Dodds work on their French I projects on iPads. Even though they may take pencil-and-paper exams, students use tablets and mobile phones to prepare for them. (Photo: Bryon Houlgrave, The Des Moines Register)

Students in French teacher Angela Palmersheim's classes at East High School take pencil-and-paper final exams.

But most of the teens used iPads and mobile phones last week to prepare for the test.

Palmersheim created online flashcards including French verbs and their English translations. The digital study guide is available 24 hours a day and includes audio files to help students.

"Since it speaks the word to you, it helps you with how to pronounce it," said Vivian Ordaz, 15, an East High ninth-grader.

"If you have a smartphone, it's like you always have a study buddy. "
William Wiborg, 14, an East High School ninth-grader
Palmersheim, a first-year teacher, also has used technology to assess student speaking skills. Earlier this month, teens in her beginning class used mobile devices to film themselves talking in French.

Students posted their work online via Instagram, a popular mobile app that allows users to share photos and short videos with their followers.
Online exams more efficient, some say
"When we use Instagram, they try harder, knowing that their friends can see what they're doing in class," said Palmersheim. "In a traditional language class, for speaking assessments, they come up to the desk and talk to you, and the kids don't have a lot invested in it. But when their friends can see it, they put in a lot more effort."

Simply putting technology into the hands of students won't improve learning, experts say.

Quality instruction must come first. And even youngsters who have grown up immersed in the digital world need to be taught how to make the most of their time online, said Tracy Gray, a managing director with the Washington, D.C.-based American Institutes for Research.

"If teachers don't know how to use it, if they don't know how to integrate it into their instructional practice, then it's just like bringing a piano into the classroom and expecting all of the students to become Chopin," she said.

When it comes to tests, online exams are efficient, allowing instructors to spend more time helping students and less time correcting papers, advocates say.

Students also benefit: Although essay questions are graded by hand, students get immediate feedback about their performance on multiple-choice items.

Gray predicts that more teachers will use the Web to assess students in the future.

"As we have a significant number of teachers retiring over the next five years and being replaced by younger teachers who are digital natives, I think we are going to see an even greater shift," she said. "The teacher's role is changing."

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More teens using technology to study for, take tests

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CLOSE Teachers realize an effective way to reach kids is to meet them on their own digital turf. DES MOINES - Put the pencils down. In a growing number of Iowa's classrooms, teens are going online to study for - and even take - semester exams. The change reflects an increasing use of technology in classrooms. Want students to study for and ultimately ace their finals?

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Take notes to support your argument about the use of technology in students?

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Back to lesson plans archive

Lesson plan: Are teens addicted to technology?
What roles do social media and technology play in teens' lives? Is it possible that teens are addicted to their phones? In this lesson plan, students will respond to PBS NewsHour's Brief but Spectacular episode, "Teens on Tech."
Subjects

Social studies, history, government

Estimated Time

One 50-minute class

Grade Level

Activity:

As a warm-up, use this interactive Kahoot survey to gauge the role of technology in students' everyday lives. The teacher should go on his or her computer and select the "Player vs. Player" mode. Each student will require a smartphone, laptop or computer and should go to the website and enter the Game PIN that will appear on the teacher's screen. It is the teacher's responsibility to click to the next question once each student has answered. Kahoot

Watch the following PBS NewsHour video story about the documentary 'Screenagers' which explores the complex lives teenagers have with their phones as well as their friends. Ask your students what part of the clip resonated with them? Were there parts they agreed with? Disagreed with?

Watch the PBS NewsHour's Brief but Spectacular episode "Teens on Tech" below. One student said that she "could not imagine a world without technology." Do you agree or disagree? Why? Discuss as a class.

1. Click here to read a PBS NewsHour Teachers' Lounge article entitled 'Students are addicted to their cellphones, and they need our help.' The author stated that "cellphones have become the modern security blanket." Do you agree or disagree? How, if at all, does the generational gap between the teacher and his students play a role in his assessment of their technology use? Discuss as a class.

2. Using evidence from the Brief but Spectacular video and the Teachers' Lounge article, write a short paragraph answering the following questions: Are students addicted to their cell phones? If so, is that a problem?

Extension Activities

Students should create their own Brief but Spectacular video interviewing their peers about technology use. Do their peers' views differ from those in the video linked above?

Have students download the app, which tracks cell phone usage, and use their phone normally for several days. Are students surprised by the amount of time that they actually spend on their phones? Why? Will this information change their future behavior? Discuss as a class.

Read the following New York Times article: 'Addicted to Distraction.' How has technology affected users' concentration and productivity? Is a "technology detox" feasible in today's society? Would you be willing to try one? Discuss as a class.

Amanda Wilcox is a senior at T.C. Williams High School. She will attend Wake Forest University in the fall.

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Lesson plan: Are teens addicted to technology? | Lesson Plan | PBS NewsHour Extra

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Back to lesson plans archive What roles do social media and technology play in teens' lives? Is it possible that teens are addicted to their phones? In this lesson plan, students will respond to PBS NewsHour's Brief but Spectacular episode, "Teens on Tech."

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10 Reasons Today's Students NEED Technology in the Classroom

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Technology is everywhere--entwined in almost every part of our culture. It affects how we live, work, play, and most importantly learn. With mobile and other wireless devices like the IoT becoming an increasing requirement across every industry today, it only makes sense that our schools are also effectively deploying mobile technology in the classroom.

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Benefits of Technology in the Classroom - TeachHUB

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Technology has become an everyday part of our lives, and that’s true for schools, too. Learn more about the benefits of technology in the classroom.