Digital Blog Post #K- Chapter 4

Concept 1- One of the topics discussed in this chapter is academic content. Academic content is the concepts, skills, ideas, and information taught to students by teachers. Technology plays an essential role in assisting teachers in answering the “what to teach” question. Digital content available on the internet includes a vast collection of curriculum resources and information. This can range from internet search engines to blogs. I believe that by using the resources that are available, teachers and students can gain access to new ways to research and retrieve information. This can be beneficial for students when they are doing research for a class project.  

Concept 2 – Another concept in this chapter discusses using electronic grading software. Which enables teachers to quickly calculate and record student grades on a computer. This allows students to have immediate access to their grades, and families are continually informed about a child’s progress in class. Which I believe is a good thing due to the fact that older students tend to lie about their grades. There are also concerns associated with electronic grading systems. Not all school activities, particularly at the elementary level, translate into a numerical score. So many feel that electronic grading systems don’t fully measure a young learner’s performance. I see both sides to whether electronic grading software is beneficial and I feel that it should be used in middle and high schools only because there grades are based on percentages for certain assignments and them finalized by a numerical grade. While in elementary school grades are focused on students’ academic growth and performance.

Concept 3- Another concept in this chapter discusses learning assessments. Learning assessments are methods and strategies used to evaluate student knowledge and performance before, during, and after a lesson is taught. I love that learning assessments provide insight on what students have gained from a lesson. This helps teachers understand if students are learning from what is being taught. In the classroom I would use learning assessments such as online surveys, electronic tests and quizzes, and class discussions to evaluate what students have learned before as while as after a lesson has been taught. 

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Maloy, R. (2011). Teaching Information and Digital Literacy. In Transforming learning with new technologies (Second ed.). Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.