Standard 2.7: Analyst
From the ISTE website (2024):
Educators understand and use data to drive their instruction and support students in achieving their learning goals.
a. Provide alternative ways for students to demonstrate competency and reflect on their learning using technology.
b. Use technology to design and implement a variety of formative and summative assessments that accommodate learner needs, provide timely feedback to students and inform instruction.
c. Use assessment data to guide progress and communicate with students, parents and education stakeholders to build student self-direction.
Reflection:
Technology has enabled us to capture vast quantities of data. Identifying the useful information in that data and taking action based on it is more difficult. Standard 2.7 seeks to improve our skills in this area. Much of the attention gets placed on state test data, but there are limitations to what that once-per-year assessment of a student's test-taking ability in two subjects can actually tell us. Often the more useful data is in the learning platforms students are using throughout the school year. Most of these websites can report on student progress in real-time, so teachers can gather formative assessment data as a unit is being taught. This can make it much more useful for adjusting lessons and knowing which students need help with what content. When making decisions about online learning platforms, schools should evaluate the capabilities and ease-of-use of the reporting tools.
Featured Artifact:
Technology-powered learning platforms can be used to provide instruction and assessment on a variety of topics. These platforms often provide useful data that can be analyzed to evaluate student learning. I use many of these tools throughout my curriculum. As my artifact for Standard 2.7, I share this list of online learning platforms that I use. The name of each platform is a link that will take you to that website.
EduTyping - This learning platform teaches students touch-keyboarding. While this skill is no longer as major a focus of technology classes as it once was, I maintain that it is still a worthwhile skill for students to learn. Typing effectively and safely is necessary for assignments across the curriculum along with state testing. I mainly use EduTyping as a do-now activity to begin classes. This platform does a good job of collecting data which I can then view in reports. I can analyze how long students spent typing, which lessons they have completed, and how fast and accurate they are with the keyboard.
Code Studio - Code Studio is a catalog of block-based computer programming courses developed by code.org. I have used it with middle school for many years, and have recently expanded its use to the primary grades. The courses have a logical progression from basic code blocks to more advanced ones. Using my teacher account, I can monitor student progress through the lessons. This platform advances students at their own pace, so those who are capable can move more quickly to challenging content, while other students can take the time they need to master the basics.
CodeHS - I use this website for Python coding with 8th grade. It can be used by students individually like Code Studio, but I usually keep the group together when we work on it. We typically watch the videos together and start working on the examples as a class, and then the students do the practice activities more independently. I am able to access all of the work students complete and get a sense of how well they are mastering the topics.
EverFi - This online learning platform contains a number of free mini-courses for students. I use two of them: the Digital Citizenship course in 7th grade and the Financial Literacy course in 8th grade. The courses are engaging and cover topics that I previously taught using direct instruction. I am able to monitor student progress through the courses. Students also take quizzes at the end of each lesson, and I am able to see the results. They can go back and re-take the quizzes if they don't get a high enough score, and I work with them to correct their answers if needed.
TinkerCAD - This web-based tool is for 3D design, and we use it to create objects for 3D printing. I have students join my TinkerCAD class, and then I am able to access the items they design. I can fix any issues with their design, and then download it for printing. I can track student progress, and analyze what 3D design skills they may need help with.
Secondary Artifact:
Detailed project plan based around the U.N. sustainability goal to end poverty, developed for EDTC 645: STEM Foundations. In addition to the lesson plan, it includes an analysis of the project's UDL design: multiple means of engagement, representation, and action/expression. The project plan also analyzes possible behavior management issues that could arise, and lists recommendations for responding to them.
Source:
International Society for Technology in Education. (2024). ISTE standards: For educators. https://iste.org/standards/educators