I am going to say something really crazy – I don’t necessarily know if technology can be used – at every grade – to do assessment. I struggle with the thought of trying to use online assessment tools in my third-grade classroom. I do not think that this form of an assessment would go well nor do I think it would be beneficial.
For me, I like to be able to show a rubric while students work on their assignments, or allowing them to assess themselves, or allowing them to demonstrate their understanding through an exit slip. I can take the time to write their comment in language they will be able to read, and it will be directly accessible for them (since it would be me having to show them their comments and feedback if it were online). I use Edsby for parents to see their child’s marks and make comments when necessary, but again they will normally get the comments on the original assessment, just like their child. And I know what you’re thinking – it’s grade 3! They should be able to access that information. Wrong. They cannot. Do I think the online assessments are fantastic for middle to high school? Absolutely! I think it is almost detrimental since they are able to access their work anywhere, and I know those kids. That is the age where they miss for sports or they are at home sick. They are able to access and get their work done anywhere, meaning comments are easily made for the student to see. Alonzo, Zin Oo, Wijarwadi, and Hannigan said in their article “Through this immediate feedback, students could monitor their learning progress and how they are meeting the learning outcomes (Espinoza-Celi and Pintado, 2020).” ( Alonzo, D., Zin Oo, C., Wijarwadi, W., Hannigan, C., 2022)
I think the use of internet and technology based assessment feeds the narrative that many have. That teachers are easily replaceable and that we can rely on robots to do the marking. I do think that the three assessment tools we talked about in class (ZipGrade, Socrative, and Eduaid.ai) have some great advantages – like the less paper and having access easily, but I also thing, again, that I will never use them because of the grade I teach. I think that is what it all comes down to. Similar to the prompt, “how can we ensure that these tools are used to support “good” assessment practices that support high levels of student learning and thinking “, I think it is important to really think about the many different factors before choosing to do electronic/technological assessments. I think the main things to keep in mind are: the age, the purpose, and the reason WHY you would choose it.
Alonzo D, Oo CZ, Wijarwadi W, Hannigan C. Using social media for assessment purposes: Practices and future directions. Front Psychol. 2023 Jan 18;13:1075818. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1075818. PMID: 36743613; PMCID: PMC9890052.
Kelsey Potoma 
Hey Kelsey!
It’s refreshing to hear your perspective on using technology for assessments, especially in younger grade levels like third grade. I agree that technology-based assessments may not always align with the developmental needs and capabilities of younger students, and it’s crucial to consider the purpose and rationale behind using such tools. Your emphasis on the age, purpose, and reasons for choosing electronic assessments resonates well with the broader discussion of ensuring that technology supports good assessment practices that promote student learning and critical thinking. Considering I have not taught in an elementary school, this was very helpful!
Thank you for sharing your insights!
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You make some good points here, Kelsey! I taught grade 3 and then grade 2/3 many moons ago, and I found the best place for assessment tech was at the beginning of a new lesson to assess where they are… or using something like a homework-style Kahoot to see where they are at going into a summative assessment.
I’m curious what you think about using tech for the more mundane grading? I’m interested to try it for something like spelling and grammar so I can focus more on the student’s bigger ideas in their writing.
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Honestly, I find that if I am using a technology to asses, and as bad as at may sound for someone who loves using technology in the class, I usually am only using it in math. I use mathletics as daily practices, and almost as an exit slip since I will assign the activity that is related to what we worked on.
In terms of spelling and grammar, I would normally just go ahead and show them the correction (in which they will go back and fix later). I get to meet one on one with them and go through it together. I know that technology can also mean paper, which I have given each of them their own personal “dictionary” where they can keep words in and use while writing, which has been a game changer for majority of my class this year.
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Kelsey I completely agree that to ensure the efficacy of any tools, itis important to keep in mind the dynamics. It is not one size fits all
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