Evaluating Technology

     Understanding technology is an essential skill for 21st-century learners. Students in today’s world, thrive off technology, whereas many teachers are afraid of it! We owe it to our students to prepare them for the future. How teachers integrate technology into their classroom has been the topic of many heated debates. I believe that it is safe to say that technology is here to stay, however, the methodology in which teachers implement it should be a part of the evaluation process  (Whitehead, Jensen & Boschee, 2013). 

     When most administrators in Alabama evaluate teachers during the evaluation process, they have some sort of check sheet, or they are working from the Educate Alabama website. It always looks great when teachers are using technology in their lessons during an evaluation. Some districts that invest heavily in technology, have started evaluating the level that technology is affecting learning.

As we already know, schools are required to develop technology plans to ensure that technology will be used effectively to benefit student learning and achievement, but is this technology plan enough? The answer is no. Quality leadership is a key component in the success of any educational evaluation (Whitehead, Jensen & Boschee, 2013). Leadership should model clear expectations and convey their expectations how they want teachers to implement the technology.

     According to Whitehead, Jensen & Boschee (2013), the need to understand technology’s impact on improving student achievement is becoming even greater. School districts should use the data from their evaluations to determine where changes need to be made. “By using evaluation results, program administrators can better understand how their program is working and where it is headed (Gunuc, 2015)." With this new knowledge, schools are able to make better decisions that will improve the technology program in the long run. 

     According to Gunuc (2015), evaluators discuss two different types of evaluations, formative and summative.  A formative evaluation is usually conducted in the early stages of a program and typically examines process rather than the product. In the case of technology programs, a formative evaluation might ask if the equipment was received on time, if the expected number of teachers received professional development, what skills teachers learned from professional development, or if the equipment is being used in the classroom as planned (Gunuc, 2015). In terms of evaluating educational technology, a summative evaluation might ask if teacher technology skills improved as a result of a professional development activity, if teachers are using technology to a greater extent in their instruction, or if technology improved student motivation or performance (Gunuc, 2015).

     Technology should always enhance student achievement (Whitehead, Jensen & Boschee, 2013) and course curriculum. It has unlimited powers and holds the potential to bridge relationships between teachers and students, in turn, helping to bridge the gap between academic achievement.

References
Gunuc, S. (2015). Implementation and Evaluation of Technology Mentoring Program Developed for Teacher Educators: A 6MFramework. Qualitative Research in Education, 4(2), 164-191. doi:10.17583/qre.2015.1305

Whitehead, B., Jensen, D., & Boschee, F. (2013). Planning for Technology: A Guide for School Administrators, Technology Coordinators, and Curriculum Leaders. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin.