Technology Literacy Assessment
Posted by psteffen on October 12, 2006
You completed the 20 questions that are a sample of the Technology Literacy Assessment that our 8th graders must pass to meet the NCLB requirement that 8th graders must be Technology Literate. The test has both multiple choice questions and performance task questions. In the performance tasks the student must do everything correctly to receive credit for the question including spelling file names correctly. Questions are based on the Arizona State Technology Standards.
Share what you think in terms of how prepared our students and teachers are to pass this test and what we need to do to meet the goal of preparing our students to be technologically literate by 8th grade.
wilsonmiddle said
I tried this test yesterday and was disappointed that it didn’t give me a grade, so I don’t know what questions I missed. As I was going through the test there were questions within Excel and other applications that I couldn’t answer off of the top of my head, but would have to use the HELP function within the software package. I know that would probably be the same with our students and am not sure how that will be accounted for in the grading.
As far as readiness for the test, I’m really not sure how well the students will do with some of the questions. I know teachers that would have a hard time with some of the questions. As a middle school science teacher, I am lucky to get my students into the computer lab 2 hours a quarter. Then we are concentrating on science content, not on how EXCEL or WORD works. Access to technology would go a long way in preparing them for the exam, but that isn’t a possibility always.
Betsy Wilkening
Jan said
I took the test over the week-end. Unfortunately, no results were given so I don’t know exactly how I did – I do know there were a few questions that I guessed at the answer. I thought I would be given results and wanted to see exactly where I need a little instruction.
I feel the test is hit or miss. It was asking questions in many areas but the student will only be able to answer in areas the teacher has taught them and teachers will only teach what they are comfortable with and have practiced. I do think our teachers are getting better at learning and teaching with technology. I also think that our district does a LOT to help in this area – much more than other districts. But… based on those questions, I think we all have lots to learn.
Having technology in the classrooms is a big help. Accountability is also important. Any change – no matter how long it takes to happen – is hard on most people. Many teachers are still looking at this as adding to an already busy and full schedule.
I also felt that some of the questions were quite technical and not really necessary for successful use of technology in middle school. I think the concentration for teaching/learning needs to be on programs that are necessary for all students to learn and feel successful using as they use this tool to help them with their work.
lcelaya said
I also took the assessment. Although no score was posted, I felt comfortable with the answers. What I didn’t like was that the test seemed to have a condensed view of the controls to perform an act. In other words, I may normally have to look through a long list of choices to find the one I want. On the test,where there should have been 6-8 choices, only 3 were shown. That may be confusing to students who are looking for the exact view they are familiar with seeing.
I agree that the technical end was higher level for middle school. Working within different programs should be the main focus and leave the hard drive questions to upper grades.
ASSET group said
One area that we feel our students need work is using spreadsheets. We also noticed the importance of knowing how to use pull-down menus and not just short-cuts. Then they will be better prepared for using different programs. The test may be too generic. We were able to complete the elementary version very easily as a group. We feel that many of our teachers would be intimidated by the test. All teachers should be exposed to the test so that they are aware what the students should be prepared to do.
sherman1 said
1. How prepared are our students to pass this test?
We think that students with a lot of access to computers will be well prepared, mostly because they are self-taught through their work at home, not at school. There is a divide based on socio-economic level. Those students who have access at home are more “computer literate” than their peers who do not have access.
2. How prepared are our teachers to help our students pass this test?
It depends somewhat on the computer experience of the teacher. Teachers who are comfortable with using technology are, in general, better prepared to help our students. Also, some teachers still see technology as a stand-alone subject, whereas other teachers see ways to integrate technology into their classes. The latter group of teachers tend to do a better job of preparing their students. Plus, teachers that are interested and willing get frustrated with outdated technology and a lack of resources.
3. What do we need to do to meet the goal of preparing our students to be technologically literate by 8th grade?
We need to help teachers become more comfortable using technology for their own uses first.
Work with special area teachers to get them involved.
Allow sub days for teachers to observe model lessons taught by other teachers.
Build capacity with the more experienced teachers – have them share thier successes.
Scheduling issues – students are not required to learn these skills, either in a “computer class”, or in the “regular” classroom.
Have full-time technology teachers to work with classroom teachers.
Have teachers earn technology tools by taking classes and developing lessons
lcelaya said
Our students and teachers are not ready for the 8th grade assessment.
We all discussed that the schools need to:
First- meet the Technology Standards
Second-be more accountable
Third-Have a Certified Computer Teacher in the lab as well as an actual Computer Class other than a classroom situation.
Fourth-Offer more time for Technology Inservices.
Our focus for the next meeting is to brainstorm and come up with ideas from our staff on 21st Century Communication Skills: and Creativity and intellectual curiosity.
Irene Barrantes
Facilitator
mwarrick said
I took the Technology Literacy Assessment and will go through it with two of my classes tomorrow as they have been selected to take the real thing (or at least the pilot) on Monday. Are they ready? Some who already use the computer competently at home will be ready. Others? No way.
I’m disappointed that it looks so much like Office products. There is an attempt to make it generic, but it really resembles Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. Microsoft dominates much of the market but that won’t last forever. very soon, stripped down word processors and spreadsheets witll be available online.
Katie Collins said
I had the teachers check out the Technology assessment. Most stated that they were not able to do a lot of the skills in Excel; therefore their students are not seeing these skills in action. I will be teaching them during grade level/individually and encouraging them to take the district course.
I have also been taking the time to teach the students the “correct” ways instead of the shortcuts to complete various tasks. I noticed that the test has only one “correct” way of completing a task. For example: having students click on the maximize button instead of having them double-click on the blue section of the screen.
All I can say is thank goodness their tech assessment doesn’t resemble the tech test that the Chinese children have to take. Want to see the task e-mail me (kkcollins@amphi.com) and I will send it to to.