Key Steps to Successfully Evaluating Educational Technology

 By

Erwina Tri Astuti

1507042028

A powerful tool in improving learning outcomes of students is educational technology. It can help educators widen the horizons of students and suggest them to explore the boundaries of their freedom. It can add value to each teacher's lesson and give greater depth to each school's curriculum. However, in order to utilize educational technology to make maximum potential, educators must take steps to evaluate the value of educational technology in their schools. Below is a step-by-step guideline by which schools can evaluate the value of educational technology as used in their institutions of learning.

Steps to Evaluate the Value of Educational Technology  :

1.                   1.        Setting Goals

2.      Prepare to contrast information from before and after the use of technology

3.      Collect and Analyze the Data

4.      More Help On Evaluating Educational Technology

The first important thing that educators must do is set goals for each program. What do you intend to achieve by using of a certain technology? Do you plan to increase the literacy rates of your students or are you aiming for greater inter-class participation? Are you using of this technology to reach a wider number of students or are you aiming for specific, targeted approach to groups of students? Once you decide what your goal as an educator is, you begin to formulate specific targets by which you will measure the effectiveness of the technology being implemented. You identify and develop metrics which will be pertinent in evaluating the effectiveness of certain technologies. You set a number of criteria and standards by which you will grade the performance of your students.

You must have a baseline by which you can compare your results. Establishing a baseline from which you can gauge whether there was improvement or not is important. The baseline can be a mean average or a specific number. It all depends on the type of data you will be comparing. If the data is more subjective than objective, find a way to make the data objective. For example, if you are trying to compare student behaviors before and after, it might be better to target observable and quantifiable student behaviors, such as number of times they miss school, or number of organizations they have joined.

McManis & Parks 2011 on Hatch Early Learning created The Early Childhood Educational Technology Evaluation Toolkit  as the result of a review of the literature on elements to consider when evaluating educational technology for early learners. The toolkit addresses aspects of current practices and capabilities that newer technologies can support, such as progress-monitoring features. Additionally, it focuses on the context in which the educational technology will be used, such as the ages of the children, type of learners (for example, children who have special needs or children who are dual language learners), type of device (more traditional along with newer technologies), and factors that affect integration, such as professional development to support teachers’ technology skills. The toolkit includes a worksheet and accompanying explanations and examples. It can be accessed at www.hatchearlychildhood.com/toolkit. While individual teachers can use the toolkit, one intent of its use is to bring together a team of invested parties in an early childhood education program. This could be any combination of members—teachers, administrators, parents, technology coaches, curriculum directors, IT personnel, and so on—that makes sense and works for your program. They can use the toolkit to evaluate existing educational technology and for future selections. The toolkit is a support for gathering information in a systematic and thoughtful manner to facilitate dialogue about options.

 While the literature establishes the use of educational technology and positive outcomes for children (reviews by Glaubke 2007; McCarrick & Li 2007; Penuel et al. 2009), it also indicates that technology needs to (1) be developmentally appropriate for children,  (2) include tools to help teachers implement the technology successfully, and (3) be integrated into the classroom and curriculum (see Clements & Sarama 2003; Glaubke 2007; NAEYC & Fred Rogers Center 2012). In this article, we will discuss these criteria and provide a practical

plan, examples, and a tool for evaluating, using, and integrating educational technology in early childhood programs.

Teachers have been using technology of one type or another with children for decades, but the development of new technologies and their presence in classrooms is increasing rapidly. Interactive single-touch—and now multitouch— screens in a variety of sizes, from interactive whiteboards to tablets, have changed the way children engage with technology. Alongside these is the explosion in learning content, particularly for mobile devices.

Whether traditional or newer, educational technology plays an important role in children’s learning when it is based on research, child development theory, and developmentally appropriate practices, and when it aligns with curriculum goals.

References

 Lilla Dale McManis and Susan B. Gunnewig (2012). New Tools and Strategies for Teachers  and Learners   by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

            ( See Permissions and Reprints online at www.naeyc.org/yc/permissions)

International Society for Technology in Education. 2008. “National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers.” Washington, DC: Author. www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx.

McManis, L.D., & J. Parks. 2011. “Evaluating Technology for Early Learners.” E-book and toolkit. Winston-Salem, NC: Hatch Early Learning.

            www.hatchearlychildhood.com/toolkit.