The incorporation of technology in the classroom requires teachers to regularly evaluate how they are using technology for educational purposes. This allows teachers to assess the impact of technology on teaching and learning and to identify potential areas for improvement, as well as technical difficulties and other challenges.
There are two types of
evaluations that teachers should perform when evaluating the use of traditional
and cutting-edge technologies in the classroom.
Formative Evaluation
A formative evaluation is usually performed during the early implementation stages of technology. It asks questions about the process of planning and implementation.
- Is the technology easy to use?
- Does it require training?
- Which skills are needed to use the technology?
- Did teachers and students receive training
on using the technology?
- Was the technology incorporated into the
classroom?
- How was the
technology incorporated and what were the teacher’s
goals?
Summative Evaluation
A summative evaluation is performed to assess the impact of technology on teachers' and students' performance outcomes. Although some information in summative evaluations is collected during the early implementation stages of technology (e.g., baseline data and test scores), most of the information is collected after technology has been implemented for a period of time. A summative evaluation asks questions related to performance outcomes:
- Are teachers and students readily able to
use the technology?
- Have teachers increased their use of the
technology in the classroom?
- Has the technology improved teachers'
instructional delivery?
- Has the technology increased students'
motivation?
- Has the technology increased student
engagement?
- Does the technology allow students to learn
at their own pace and from different sources?
- Does the technology allow students to
interact with the content?
- Does the technology allow students to
create and share content with peers and the instructor?
- Has the technology improved academic performance?
Maloy, R., Verock-O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Park Woolf, B. (2017). Transforming learning with new technologies (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson.
Information from this post may be used provided credit is given to Dominique Charlotteaux
