Sample Learning Activity

Effectively integrating technology into education demands that educators integrate technology into the standards and curricular resources that guide instructional design. For example, this sample learning activity integrates both the Standards for Educators and Standards for Students as established by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).

With regards to ISTE Standards, students are empowered learners, prompted to self-direct their own learning experiences by choosing their own content for analysis while further developing relevant skills in creative communication, where students create original works and publish or present content. Students also develop skills to ISTE standards for global collaboration, using "collaborative technologies to work with others" and "contribute constructively to project teams" (ISTE Standards for Students, 2019, Creative communicator & global collaborator sections, para. 1).

ISTE Standards for Educators (2019) further guides the instructional design for this sample learning activity, as the teacher acts as both a designer and facilitator, using "technology to create, adapt, and personalize learning experiences that foster independent learning and accommodate learner differences and needs," and "model and nurture creativity and creative expression to communicate ideas, knowledge or connections" (Designer & facilitator sections, paras. 1).

It should be noted that it's necessary to integrate formative assessment into this technology used during the sample learning activity. Fortunately, the online video discussion platform Flipgrid allows users to "respond to questions, topics, and reflect using video," effectively sufficing as a technology resource to supplement traditional face-to-face formative assessment (Bell, 2018, Flipgrid section, para. 1). By reviewing student posts and assessing for learning, educators can ensure that students are involved with ongoing self-assessment and are dedicated to making progress with their learning.

The summative assessment for this sample learning activity is all performance-based. As students are tasked with collaboratively creating a video or audio performative presentation, they "must become attuned to to time and task management" while also applying "the curricular goals and objectives to the summative assessment," building a thematic and symbolic performance piece to record and upload to the class website for online viewing and discussion (Gallavan, 2016, Four reasons to conduct summative assessments section, para 2). Furthermore, Gallavan (2016) ensures that when learners are given this level of autonomy over a "captivating [summative assessment], your students actually will be excited and motivated to take charge and apply their own expertise, creativity, and perspective" (Four reasons to conduct summative assessments section, para 2).

It's generally inconclusive whether students prefer online or paper tests; however, implementing technology in assessment practices yields student performance data more immediately, thereby inherently supporting formative assessment methods. "With data readily available and neatly presented, educators can know immediately which topics are difficult to grasp and can adjust their focus on the topic or individual" in a proven method of increasing student learning more than pure summative assessments (Miller, 2019, Immediate feedback supports formative assessment method section, para. 1). And with regards to summative assessments, Miller (2019) also acknowledges that technology allows students to incorporate multimedia "such as videos or recordings in the examination itself," which is known to increase student engagement with learning, likely improving their overall learning outcomes compared to a paper assessment with "long strings of words and sentences page after page, which strains the brain" (Fun and interactive with the use of multimedia, simulations section, para. 1).