Tetrad for Smartphones as Formative Assessments

Smartphones in the classroom provide new ways of formative assessments in the classroom.  The Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) movement could make traditional classroom response systems obsolete.  Meanwhile, these different assessment applications available on most Smartphones rekindle the ease of Scantron tests by quickly scoring assessments and providing classroom data to discover trends.  In the future, as tablets become more and more available, these types of assessments will continue to grow to provide more information to educators.

For more information on BYOD, you may visit:
http://allthingsd.com/20130501/bring-your-own-device-evolving-from-trend-to-requirement/
http://www.k12blueprint.com/byod

Tablets Emerged in Education

Technology is continuously changing and transitioning the landscapes of our classrooms (Thornburg, 2009). Computer tablets are beginning to show up in schools across the world. The IDC predicts a total of 229.3 million global shipments of tablets in 2013. This is up 57.7% from 2012. When used correctly, this technology has the potential to provide meaningful, authentic learning experiences for students of all ages. Unfortunately, like many educational technologies, teachers don’t understand how to use them for new learning experiences. Instead, they are being used to basic word processing and/or viewing digital videos.

Tablets have the potential to put global learning in the hands of our students. Downloadable applications, that are often free, can be used in creative and innovative ways to maximize student growth that goes beyond basic knowledge acquisition. These skills are what will make our students competitive in the future job market. Tablets provide an equal learning platform that allows students of all abilities and backgrounds positive learning experiences. Meeting individual learning needs for students can be accomplished much easier through tablet computing.

The greatest downside to computer tablets is their incapability with each other. Apple devices such as the iPad run an iOS platform while other tablets may run on Windows or Android. Currently, there isn’t a way to sync information from one platform to another. With the strong competition between these different companies, I don’t foresee this problem being solved any time in the near future. Apple’s lack of compatibility with other devices has been a struggle for Mac users for decades. This issue is only enhanced in the tablet realm. However, despite the pitfalls of tablets in education, the benefits have yet to be fully identified.

For tips on how to use tablets in the classroom, visit TeachThought here.

Thornburg, D. D. (2009). Current trends in educational technology. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.