Assessment and E-Portfolio

1. Why do you use assessment activities? How do you use assessment activities as a way to generate feedback that can improve learner performance?
As teachers, we use assessment activities to monitor a student's progress and to determine how effective we are. We can use assessment activities such as electronic quizzes and paper quizzes to gauge the student's knowledge and understanding of the lessons that we are teaching. The NCLB act mandates that we assess the skills and knowledge of students yearly from 3rd grade forward. This assesses whether or not the students are performing on grade level or below. All students and schools must be proficient with grade level TEKS on the TAKS test by 2013-2014. We use assessments to ensure that we are teaching the students the material that they need in order to be proficient. If they are not proficient, then we must learn how to teach them more effictively.

2. What is e-portfolio? How does it help teachers and students? What are computer based tests?
Does the use of computer based tests impact validity and reliability?
An e-portfolio is an electronic portfolio of a student's assignments for a particular time period or class subject. The e-portfolio is helpful because is allows the teacher to have easy access to the student's assignments in order to assess the student more efficiently. It is a great tool that allows parents and future teachers of the student to view their progress in one easy location.
I feel that computer based tests are effective because they allow a computer based system to do all of the grading. Computerized testing eliminates the chances of human error on grading or of filling in the wrong bubble on the scantron form. A great thing about computer based testing is that it is easier for a teacher to mix up a question bank to ensure that students all have different questions and answers. This will help curb cheating and create a more reliable assessment score.

3. Conclusion

As our generation has become more and more technology driven, we are using more and more electronic methods of assessment and monitoring of student's progress. I am really excited about all of the new technology that is available to us now. I created a very elaborate portfolio of all of my writing in High School, and it was wonderful at the time. However, now I look back and I wish that I had more than just a paper copies of all of those memories. I will definately use computerized testing and e-portfolios with my students. We should make use of all of the available technology in order to ensure that our students are given the best possible chance of learning and remembering the materials. With all of the video games and other technology that they students are exposed to outside of school we have a challenge to make learning fun and exciting for student's. If we do not stimulate them with technology they will become bored and not pay attention at all.

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