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Common Standards |
Can you imagine if someone with a Yahoo email address couldn’t send a message to someone who used Gmail? It may sound crazy, but that is often the case when teachers try to implement new instructional technology. When new, improved, and more efficient products come out that better meet state and district needs, teachers struggle to take advantage of those innovations without losing access to past information and tools. A common set of standards can help guide teachers in instruction, professional development, assessment, performance, etc. It makes sense that a common set of standards for adopting or implementing technology would be available, but is it?
For this discussion, explore the suggested checklists for evaluating technology below. Then, use the Ashford University Library to locate additional sources concerning evaluating technology. Analyze what the sources have to offer, consider your own needs, and determine your own criteria for evaluating technology, applications, software, tools, or hardware for the purposes of learning and teaching. Suggested checklists:
- Checklist for Evaluating Tech Tools, Apps, Software, and Hardware (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
- Standards for Professional Learning: Resources (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
- Perceived Educational Technology Needs Survey (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
- Resources for Technology Planning and Evaluation (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
- Evaluating the Impact of Technology on Teaching and Learning (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
- Digital Directions from Education Week (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
- Fostering the Use of Educational Technology: Elements of a National Strategy (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
In your post, include the following:
- A reflection on the process of searching for a set of standards for evaluating technology.
- A reflection on the suggested checklists, including the pros and cons of each.
- Your own checklist for evaluating instructional technology.
- An explanation of items selected for your checklist.
