Introduction:

Utilizing software to support assessments is important because there are different

methods in order to assess students to figure out with the students are meeting the standards.
Using software to help teachers create fun and innovative was to assess the students will help the
students feel more excited than taking the normal test. Out of all the different types of software
there are, there are only three that stood out. Socrative, Moodle, and Poll Everywhere are great
example of why software is a great tool for assessing students. Since software plays such a huge
role in assessing students it is only right to make it fun and interactive for the students to keep
them interested.
Technology to Facilitate Ongoing Efforts to Assess Student Learning:
Teachers are able to utilize technology to facilitate the ongoing efforts to asses student
learning in the classroom by creating: games, tests, and quizzes, to figure out where the students
stand when it comes to the ISTE standards and state standards all by analyzing the result that are
given at the end of the activities. Socrative, Moodle, and Poll Everywhere are just a few example
of how teachers can create different summative assessments to observe where their students
stand. Using technology in assessing children is a great idea because teachers are able to get the
results a lot faster, therefore they will be able to change any lesson plan, if needed, to help a child
that is too afraid to ask questions or even to ask for help. Being able to take assessments on
laptops, tablets, and smartphones are a great convince for some students because some students
are always on the go.
Socrative: One of my favorite software programs that teachers use to help assess their students
are called Socrative. Believe it or not, Socrative lets teachers engage and assess their students
with educational activities on tablets, laptops and smartphones, (Mastery Connect). With these

activities teachers are able to use Socrative to see where they fall in the lesson standards and to
also see what each student needs to work on. Teachers are also able to create group activities for
the students so that they are able to work together to achieve one common goal and learn how to
work with others in group settings.
Moodle: Since Moodle is, available in over 100 languages, Moodle is trusted by
organizations and institutions, large and small, with millions of users all over the world, and
because of that Moodle is a great source for teachers to create tools and assessments to help
teachers in assessing their students (Moodle). Teachers who use Moodle will be able to assess
and help their students who do not clearly understand English as much as most students do.
Teachers are able to use tests, quizzes, and games to help assess the students to figure out where
they stand on the lesson plans at hand and to also see if they need to alter the lesson for any of
their students.
Poll Everywhere: Poll Everywhere, works instantly at incredibly affordable rates, that
also, replaces expensive proprietary audience response hardware with standard web
technology, and because of those reasons it makes it easier for students, parents, and teachers to
figure out, assess, and observe where the students are when it comes to the standards (Poll
Everywhere). Teachers are able to create poll with different scenarios which will help them
assess the students in order to compare the students to make sure that they are not being left
behind. Using Poll Everywhere will help the teachers connect with students and parents a lot
quicker than normal paper assessing, and also be able to analyze result in a faster time as well.
Formative and Summative Assessments:
Formative assessment, is to monitor student learning to provide ongoing feedback that
can be used by instructors to improve their teaching and by students to improve their learning,

which means to observe the students and see what we as teachers can do to help improve their
learning styles (Eberly Center). On the other hand summative assessment, is to evaluate student
learning at the end of an instructional unit by comparing it against some standard or benchmark,
which means that the teacher compare the students learning ability based off of the testing scores
(Eberly Center). Using the software listed above: Socrative, Moodle, and Poll Everywhere,
allows teachers to assess students in a summative format that will help the teachers see where the
students stand when it comes to the ISTE standards and lesson standards in order to verify that
no student is left behind.
Pros and Cons of using Technology to Facilitate Assessment:
There are pros and cons to everything that we encounter in life, sometimes more pros
than cons or even more cons that pros. No matter what, we as teachers always try our best to
make the most out of every situation and issue. Some possible pros that we as teachers might
encounter while using technology to facilitate assessment of student learns are: improves
authenticity and alignment with learning outcomes, helps to clarify with making criteria, spreads
the assessment load of staff and students, and improves student engagement and promotes deeper
learning, (University of Reading). To every pro there is a con, and the cons to using technology
to facilitate assessment of student learning are: finances and staff time, accessibility issue, largescale introduction requires a significant level of institutional buy in, and a sense of isolation,
(University of Reading). The best way to create an own opinion based off of a conflict that most
people, especially teachers, encounter is to try it for themselves and to create their own opinion
rather than going off of what others have to say. Since technology is always changing, it is true
that technology will fix the cons and turn them into pros, and always find its way to make a
good fit for everyone.

Should a teacher only use technology to assess student learning? Why or why not?
Using technology to assess student learning is a great method that should be used. It is
easy to keep track of the students scores and records, along with making sure that every student
does not get left behind. It would also be easier to adjust the lesson plan at hand knowing the
results of the assessment and being able to reflect on them when needed.
What is the importance of assessment technology in connection with the ISTE standards?
The importance of assessment technology in connection with the ISTE standards is by far
on the most important things that a teacher will have to do. Making sure that every students
meets the ISTE standards is crucial. ISTE standards: 1) Creativity and Innovation, and 3)
Research and Information Influency are two of many standards that technology helps meet on a
daily basis. Since technology has become a resource that we are all dependent on now, it is only
right that we rely on technology to help our students meet the standards.
Concluding Paragraph for Software to Support Assessment
Since technology plays such a huge role in our lives it is only suited that we use all the
tools that comes with it. Software is just as big of a blessing as technology because they both
work hand in hand. Creating different quizzes, games, and tests for students to take from using
the software Socrative, Moodle, or Poll Everything, will make assessing students a lot easier than
how it use to be. Being able to get the result faster will help the teachers change the lesson plans
faster if it is needed to help the students stay on top of the standards. Living by the golden rule
for teachers, no child left behind, is very important and being able to assess the students in
different methods will be able to help teacher achieve that overall goal of no child left behind.

References
What is the difference between formative and summative assessment? (n.d.). Retrieved May 11,
2015, from https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/basics/formative-summative.html
Pros and cons of using technology enhanced assessment. (n.d.). Retrieved May 15, 2015, from
http://www.reading.ac.uk/engageinassessment/using-technology/eia-pros-and-cons-ofusing-technology.aspx
ISTE Students Standards. (n.d.). Retrieved May 16, 2015, from
http://www.iste.org/standards/ISTE-standards/standards-for-students
Connect, M. (n.d.). Visualizing Student Understanding Has Never Been Clearer. Retrieved May
16, 2015, from http://www.socrative.com/
Powering Learning Environments Worldwide. (n.d.). Retrieved May 16, 2015, from
https://moodle.org/
Rock Your Audience. (n.d.). Retrieved May 16, 2015, from http://www.polleverywhere.com/