THE ASSESSMENT OF ICT CAPABILITY

The Importance of Assessment

Assessment is closely linked to forward planning and so if you intend to plan for the progression of ICT capability with students, it is vital that you have an appreciation of where the children are, where they ought to be and where they might be heading next.

In order to help your students develop their ICT capability begin by determining their starting point followed by accurate directions that will enable them to plot a course for success.

The assessment of ICT capability is vital as it will allow you to track progress and to plan appropriately for students to achieve their capabilities. Proper assessment will provide you with real evidence and knowledge of where the students are up to. Without it any planning conducted would be worthless.

The Australasian Curriculum, Assessment and Certification Authorities (2017) principles of assessment include the following:

The main purpose assessment is to inform teaching and improve learning; • Assessment is underpinned by equity principles. It takes account of the diverse needs of students and contexts of education; • Assessment is aligned with curriculum, pedagogy and reporting. Quality assessment has curricular and instructional validity – what is taught informs what is assessed, and what is assessed informs what is reported; • Assessment alignment with curriculum, pedagogy and reporting includes assessment of deep knowledge of core concepts within and across the disciplines, problem-solving, collaboration, analysis, synthesis and critical thinking; • Assessment involves collecting evidence of expected learning as the basis of judgements about the achieved quality of that learning. Quality is judged with reference to fixed standards and is based on evidence; • Assessment evidence may come from a range of assessment activities. The assessment activity is selected because of its relevance to the knowledge, skills and understanding to be assessed, and the purpose of the assessment; • Information collected through assessment activities is sufficient and suitable to enable defensible judgements to be made. To show the depth and breadth of the student learning, evidence of the student learning is compiled over time. Standards are reviewed periodically and adjusted according to evidence to facilitate continuous improvement; • Approaches to assessment are consistent with and responsive to local and jurisdictional policies, priorities and contexts. It is important that schools have the freedom and support to develop quality assessment practices and programs that suit their particular circumstances and those of the students they are assessing; • Assessment practices and reporting are transparent. It is important that there is professional and public confidence in the processes used, the information obtained and decisions made.

Australian Curriculum

Like literacy and numeracy, the 21st century skill ICT capability is embedded throughout all Learning Areas of the Australian Curriculum as a General Capability. Teachers are required to teach and assess General Capabilities to the extent that they are included in the Learning Areas content.

Primary educators have a significant duty to ensure that they comply with the expectations imposed on them by the curriculum as Levels 1 to 4 of the ICT capability Learning Continuum lie within their realm. From Foundation Year to Year 6 student progression in ICT capability must be developed in primary education.

What am I assessing?

The use of ICT in subjects is often represented by printouts or finished products from students. As a result it creates a common misconception amongst teachers that this indicates the level of ICT capability a student has. Products created by students is really the final element of a much longer, more complex process. It is the actual process that truly gives you the opportunity to assessment ICT capability.

For example: “The printout of a document will not show whether the positioning of text has been achieved by the repeated use of the space bar, the use of tab marks, the inclusion of an invisible table or the use of alignment tools (e.g. left, centre or right align). Similarly, unless you know the origins of a piece of Internet-based text, you will be uncertain as to the extent a student has edited the text or how long and how extensively the student searched for and located relevant pieces of information and/or images.”

(Bennett et al., 2007, p58)

A finished product will only provide you with a limited and partial assessment of a student’s ICT capability. It is important to remember then that the key elements of ICT capability are mostly practical. ICT capability, however, is more than just the use of ICT techniques and skills. It also includes having conceptual understanding and making use of higher order skills. Having a proper mix of all of the elements (routines, concepts, techniques, processes and higher order skills) in an ICT activity will help you to ascertain the level of ICT capability of an individual student.

While it may be easier to assess the less important aspects of learning such as the way a printout looks because you can actually see it, you must avoid this temptation. More important things will be left out that will accurately measure a student’s capabilities.

What is the desired destination?

Now that you know what to assess it is just as important to understand what exactly you are hoping to achieve. In other words, what is the desired result? With many occupations now calling for knowledge workers who are fluent in the use of ICT your aim therefore needs be that. There are many terms that can be used to describe this – digital literate, ICT literate, computer literate, technology literate or ICT capable. The term which is most appropriate for yourself is entirely up to you. However, ICT capability is the general capability in the national curriculum and therefore, for this purpose your aim needs to be that your students are ICT capable. Regardless of which term you prefer to use they are all consistent with being associated with lifelong learning and contain values that strongly facilitate higher order skills.

Having links to lifelong learning, however, means that a person can never be fully ICT capable as learning and re-learning are implicitly coupled with ICT capability. Despite this, research (Crawford, 2011, pp. 6-7) has indicated that ICT capable students can be identified. For example, students found with high levels of ICT capability could:

• Use ICT to support their learning in all subjects; • Use common ICT tools;

• Take responsibility for their own learning, develop strategies to help them learn how to use unfamiliar

ICT tools and work collaboratively; • Use current ICT hardware and software and understand its potential and limitations and; • Understand that using ICT affects social processes.

What this proves is that students must have an understanding of the ICT potential of situations. They must be able to use ICT appropriately in learning, in their careers and everyday life. Students need to be able to solve increasingly sophisticated and abstract problems, construct an increasingly rich and viable conceptual framework with a developing sense in the use of a widening range of techniques (Kennewell et al., 2000).

ICT capability involves not only having technical knowledge and skills of a wide range of techniques and devices but also being aware of this knowledge base in order to make effective choices. These choices that students make is dependent on the “knowledge that has been acquired and on one’s awareness of that knowledge and realisation that its use would be appropriate” (Kennewell et al., 2000, p39). It is crucial that they have been given the opportunity to develop the knowledge of the power and limitations of software and hardware systems together with a prediction to seek ICT solutions to situations.

Students who are ICT capable should be able to confront new software with a positive attitude and a willingness to explore. As indicated earlier, high level ICT capability involves students being able to use concepts they have learnt from their experiences with other software and applying them in different contexts and with different software. In fact, ICT capable students would expect to be able to explore new systems in this way with little or no assistance from manuals or instructors.

In summary, to be ICT capable then is to have the “disposition to construct ICT solutions to problems which are appropriate to the context and are based on knowledge of the opportunities and limitations offered by the systems available” (Kennewell et al., 2000, p. 39). For you as a teacher, the issue then is not whether a student knows an ICT technique or skill, it is whether they know that they know it and are thus able to decide to use it.

Assessing existing capabilities: How do I determine a starting point?

Being able to determine the starting point of a student’s ICT capability is vital if you are to plan effectively for progression. Already we have discussed how planning and assessment are closely linked. When a new student comes into the classroom like literacy and numeracy their existing ICT capability needs to be determined. However, unlike other areas this may not be as straightforward as students rarely have a complete understanding but instead a series of connected ideas (Beauchamp, 2012).

As with pre-teaching assessment in Science (Summers et al., 1998 as cited in Beauchamp, 2012) a useful framework can be equally applied. When trying to establish an existing understanding with students you could look for:

• Preconceptions – either a misconception, that is, a technical incorrect idea, or a partially understood technical idea; • Missing – a technical idea for which there was no evidence of any knowledge or understanding; • Knows – a technical idea of which the child demonstrated knowledge and understanding.

An idea would be to use a range of practical activities with no ICT and identify the level of the student’s understanding using questioning, written tests or practical tasks. In addition, you may also be able to decide © ICTE Solutions Australia 2017

What are my own ICT needs?

It is vital to understand that there are significant links between the level of ICT capability that you may have and the development of ICT capability of students. Research (Kennewell, Parkinson, & Tanner, 2000) conducted to determine how ICT would support literacy and numeracy found that the effectiveness depended to a large extent on the teacher’s own personal ICT capability. Observations indicated that where the teacher’s knowledge and confidence in ICT were low there was often haphazard development of ICT skills. On the other hand, those who were confident about their ICT capabilities were the ones who were willing to allow students to experiment and help them progress further in their capabilities.

Despite this, there are ways of overcoming limitations in the ICT capability of teachers. According to the (UNESCO, 2017), a technically competent teacher is able to:

• Operate computers and use basic software for word processing, spreadsheets, email, etc.; • Evaluate and use computers and related ICT tools for instruction; • Apply current instructional principles, research, and appropriate assessment practices to the use of ICTs; • Evaluate educational software; • Create effective computer-based presentations; • Search the Internet for resources; • Integrate ICT tools into student activities across the curriculum; • Create multimedia content to support instruction; • Create hypertext documents to support instruction; • Demonstrate knowledge of ethics and equity issues related to technology and; • Keep up-to-date as far as educational technology is concerned.

As it can be seen above, the skill that mainly applies here is the third that emphasises the use of “appropriate assessment practices to ICTs”. However, we can also add the first point as it relates directly to the teacher’s knowledge of the resources.

It is impossible to know everything there is to know about software and hardware as there is so much of it. Yet if you don’t have to know everything. As with student ICT capability it is not just about acquiring skills but to do mainly with your ability to decide whether the ICT technique is appropriate. For this reason, it is often best never to give students the impression that you do and so you will be able to feel more comfortable knowing that you are a learner just like them.

Start by becoming familiar with one software and learning how to exploit it in the lesson. For example, in order to teach word processing skills effectively and efficiently ensure that you know the following techniques:

• Creating, opening, saving, closing, deleting and printing documents; • Selecting font, font size, colour, style (italic, bold), line spacing and justification; • Inserting, deleting, selecting, cutting, copying, pasting and undoing; • Utilising help; inserting bullet points, tables, clip art, borders, shading and columns; • Altering page orientation (landscape, portrait), background colour, page size and margins; • Forcing page breaks; • Utilising tabs and indents; • Utilising spelling- and grammar-checkers (including how to switch on and off), thesaurus, print preview, © ICTE Solutions Australia 2017

highlighter and talking facilities (including how to switch on and off) and find and replace; • Connecting alternative input devices (overlay keyboards, touch screens); • Constructing and utilising on-screen word banks; • Inserting page numbers; • Inserting text, graphics, tables and documents from other applications.

Becoming familiar with a program will allow you to identify when the students are ready to move onto a new technique, feature or to use the software for a more demanding purpose. In terms of assessing ICT capability it simply means that you have the ability to determine if a student has learnt a technique effectively by using it for the right reasons. It also means “reflecting on the processes it helps a student to carry out and the techniques with which particular effects can be achieved” (Kennewell, Parkinson, & Tanner, 2000).

It is far more beneficial for students if you are to become knowledgeable about one program than to have acquaintances with a large number. Don’t fear that this may limit their capabilities as it is better for them to progressively develop their skills with a small number of versatile programs. Develop their confidence through carefully structured activities.

How do I Plan for the Assessment of ICT Capability?

Assessments should always be planned and must be done so when planning your teaching. Ensure that you have clear outcomes established in you teaching plans. For example, what are you going to teach and what is going to be assessed? Another method is to break your learning objectives down into categories (Stanley & Tanner, 2003). By using the ‘SACK’ classification (Skills, Attitudes, Concepts, Knowledge) you can refine it to include the specific structure for the components of ICT capability. For example, Stanley and Tanner (2003, p117) provide the example of a PowerPoint activity, where the outcomes might look as followed:

• Can open the PowerPoint program (Technique or Routine – Skill); • Can work in pairs to produce a joint presentation (Process – Attitude); • Can understand why the amount of text on a PowerPoint slide should be limited (Concept); • Knows that PowerPoint is a presentation package (Terminology – Knowledge); • Knows that presentation packages are used in commercial organisations (Fact – Knowledge).

The ‘SACK’ method is an ideal way for you to ensure that you don’t just focus on one particular aspect of their ICT capability, mainly techniques and routines. Otherwise, your lessons will focus on low level skill development (new techniques and automatization of familiar ones) which will “constrain the students from undertaking higher order skill development and won’t be stretch the ability of your more able students” (Stanley & Tanner, 2003, p. 118).

Creating an Activity Planning Sheet

A great way to incorporate your assessment with your planning is through an activity planning sheet (Kennewell, Parkinson, & Tanner, 2000). As it can be seen in the example provide, it highlights what to look for in a student’s work and specifies the nature and the purpose of the activity. Other purposes of its use include:

• Being used by senior management and ICT coordinator in monitoring the implementation of ICT; • Can assist the teacher with future planning and; • Can inform the teacher of the next age group of what has been covered as well as informing supply teachers.

Subject: English/ICT/Literacy Topic:

Activity: Students will use MS Publisher to produce a book review. They will learn to scan their own illustrations and import them into their page. Students will add text and develop their word processing skills to present their review of the book according to the audience they choose – parents or children. They will save, retrieve, edit and print their work independently if possible.

Grouping: Pairs

Assessment: Effective choice and combination of images and text, use of font/style/colour of text to add clarity and emphasis for the audience they choose. Independent management of work.

Figure 3. Activity Planning Sheet (Adapted from Kennewell et al., 2000)

Ten tips to Remember

Here are ten tips that Higgins, Packard & Race (1999, pp. 80-81) suggests for using assessment to inform planning:

1. The time you spend on assessment should be proportional to the benefits you get from it; 2. Assess at the beginning; 3. Assess at the end to record what students have achieved; 4. Don’t invent new formats of recording assessment; 5. Use a computer to make lists and checklists; 6. Don’t overestimate the value of formal assessment for planning; 7. Keep you planning flexible; 8. Don’t be afraid to repeat assessments; 9. Keep skills planning separate from thematic work; 10. Tell students how (well) they have done.

Identifying Opportunities for Assessment

When planning for the progression of student ICT capability is it important identify any opportunity where you will be able to assess progress. You may remember this from my previous notes about how to Teach ICT Capability. With ICT being integrated throughout the curriculum on a regular basis by students, particularly when they do their activities and tasks, many opportunities for assessment exists. For example, the use of MS Word as a word processor to complete assignments and activities is the most common of all software used. As a teacher, you should pounce at the opportunity determine what they are capable of and to decide how you can plan to help them progress. You will automatically be assessing informally as you teach and be making systematic judgements.

Here are some ideas on how you might go about it (Higgins, Packard, & Race, 1999, pp. 76-77):

• Identify a specific focus in your short term planning. It may be an ICT related skill or a skill used in another subject where students need to use ICT. Short term planning will also allow you to assess the learning outcomes you recorded for the activities; • Identify a learning outcome in terms of what the students will actually do. This makes deciding on assessment criteria easier. When you identify what they have to do, you will also have identified goals for the activity. If they attain these goals, then you know they possess the relevant skills and understanding; • Identify different ways in which students can demonstrate their achievement of the learning outcomes. It may be something they write, draw, say or even teach to another student; • Cover different areas through your long-term planning. Your planning should indicate what ICT techniques and higher order skills will be taught and assessed; • Ask students questions and get students to ask each other questions. These should focus on assessing higher order skills and begin with ‘what else’, ‘why’, ‘how’, and ‘when’; • Only record some of this. This means to simply record one step at a time; • Assess some things from finished work. There may be some things to assess such as the product of an activity; • Involve the students. Self-assessments and peer assessments can be a useful tool for determining attainment of skills; • Formal assessment needs definite goals. If this is the case, then you need to identify exactly what the skills and responses you are looking for. If you are assessing ICT capability through a specific task, look at which skills and understanding that task will require; • Keep it simple! An important aim of assessment is to help you as a teacher. If it doesn’t, don’t do it.

How will I know if a student has progressed in their capabilities?

Progression in student ICT capability is mainly to do with being able to assess their strengths and weakness. In order to be able to accomplish this in your classroom, it is essential that you recognise the key aspects of progression.

Research indicates that progression in ICT capability demands that:

• Students develop greater autonomy and confidence in their selection and use of information sources and tools; • Students are expected to develop into discerning users of ICT, with an increasing awareness of the benefits and limitations of the systems they use; • Students become able to present their ideas in an increasing variety of ways with a developing sense of audience; • Students use ICT-based models of growing complexity for increasingly complex lines of enquiry involving progressively greater decision making and personal autonomy; • Student ability to evaluate their own work grows, and they become progressively more able to discuss and appreciate social, economic, political, legal and ethical issues.

(Kennewell et al., 2000, p37)

How should I use the Australian Curriculum level descriptors in the Learning Continuum?

The LC is not indicative of the other year levels and highlights gaps between the various years and the level of progression. Each level description is a ‘best fit’ description and not a tick box assessment. It will be up to you to decide the intermediate level of capability a student has between various levels. For this reason, it is vital that you accurately determine their current level of capabilities in ICT whether it be a new student or current student. For example, a student Year 3 may be approaching Level 3 capabilities or be struggling and may have just surpassed Level 2 capabilities in ICT.

It is for this reason, that the information pertained in the LC would be best suited as key data to pass onto other teachers as a student changes classes, moves up a year level or changes schools. However, the above paragraph highlights the significance of providing meaningful information to your colleagues. It would inappropriate of you to simply report that a student was functioning at Level 3, as this information is simply ‘best fit’ and the student might be functioning above or below that level in relation to one of the aspects. There would be a lot more information required. For example, you would need to know more than just that a student could Use ICT as a creative tool to generate simple solutions, modifications or data representations for personal or school purposes; you would need to know in which media they had experienced in doing this. Determine if it was with text as in a word processor, or with text and graphics like with a desktop publisher, and even with an image manipulation program (and if so, with a painting and/or drawing program). Know which program they had used (Potter & Darbyshire, 2005).

To give this type of information to parents would be meaningless and this also includes the level descriptions. More information would be needed and this is covered later.

Generate ideas, plans and processes

Generate solutions to challenges and learnings area tasks

Creating with ICT

Level 1 By the end of Foundation Year Level 2 By the end of Year 2 Level 3 By the end of Year 4 Level 4 By the end of Year 6

Use ICT to follow or contribute to a simple plan for a solution. Use ICT as a creative tool to generate simple solutions, modifications or data representations for personal or school purposes Use ICT to prepare simple plans to find solutions or answers to questions. Experiment with ICT as a creative tool to generate simple solutions, modifications or data representations for particular audiences or purposes. Use ICT to generate ideas and plan solutions.

Create and modify simple digital solutions, creative outputs or data representations/ transformation for particular purposes. Use ICT effectively to record ideas, represent thinking and plan solutions. Independently or collaboratively create and modify digital solutions, creative outputs particular audiences and purposes.

Table 1. Creating with ICT LC element in the Australian Curriculum (ACARA, 2017)

What are the issues associated with assessing ICT capability?

When assessing ICT capability there are a number of issues that you need to be made aware of. Although ICT capability can be taught without the use of ICT, much of it practical and therefore it can be hard to gather the appropriate evidence of a student’s progress in capabilities from tasks and activities. Some issues that you will need to consider include:

• Overcoming technical problems; • Avoiding putting students without computers at home at a disadvantage and; • Deciding what the student has done and what the computer has done for them.

How to avoid conflict between ICT objectives and subject learning

When teaching ICT capability in literacy lessons it is essential that the subject learning objectives overshadow the ICT objectives. The best way to achieve this when teaching ICT capability is to make the technology transparent. As a teacher, you should be able to help the students to focus on using ICT as a tool to achieve literacy outcomes in such a way that they are hardly noticing using the technology itself. It is crucial that you equip the students with sufficient experience to enable them to use ICT without having to stop and think.

In order to be able to achieve this, when it comes time to teaching students new ICT skills and techniques in lessons it is best to “create a need, and then to be on hand to show them what to do when they are engaged in the problem” (Bennett, 2007,p81). These techniques and skills will inevitably shift away from low-level skills and routines as they progress throughout primary school. So it will be significant for you to constantly monitor the way students are solving problems and doing tasks in order for you to be able to show them new and better ways of using ICT to achieve the learning outcomes.

It must remain your goal as a primary teacher for students to equip them with sufficient experience to enable them to use ICT without having to stop and think. According to Bennett et al. (2007, p. 71) the most “effective way of teaching children ICT skills and techniques is to create a need, and then to be on hand to show them what to do when they are engaged in the problem.”

Assessing individual students’ ICT capabiltiy when in group work

It is essential that the ICT practices that students use in the classroom replicate those that are occurring in society. Collaboration in group work with ICT needs to occur and this creates an issue when ensuring that everyone in the group has the opportunity to develop their capabilities in ICT. For example, unequal sharing may occur when there might be a technology enthusiastic student who will seldom allow another individual to access the computer and on the other hand, they may also be a student who prefers to sit back and let someone else do the work for them. Another reason could be that they lack the confidence or experience and may be afraid to expose their inadequacy to fellow students. These factors are dependent on the social climate of the school or classroom.

Unequal responsibility or effort may be more common than you think so it is essential that you employ strategies to ensure that all students have equal opportunity to contribute to the activity or task and develop their ICT capability. Here Bennett et al. (2007) emphasises some key strategies that may aide you in overcoming some difficulties of paired work:

• Give the students specific roles or tasks when engaged in an activity; • Signal changeovers regularly during a lesson to ensure that pairs get equal access to the keyboard; • Train the students in paired work and; • Prepare on-computer and off-computer tasks during a lesson.

How do I overcome technical problems?

Technology is not reliable at the best of times and so one of the problems that may occur is being unable to print out a student’s work once it has been completed. When this happens it is best to assess their work by using observations and what can be seen on the screen. What happens when a computer crashes? Or a

student has a corrupt file? To avoid students missing out on being assessed approach it by always assuming the worst and make it a practice of students to save their work as they progress. Microsoft Word has a feature that allows students to save their work at certain times such as 5 minutes or 10 minutes. The latter is usually the better option as if it is too low it may slow down the work of the student every time it saves. It is better too if students make it a habit themselves to save their work especially after they have created a large chunk of work.

Children with computers at home are at an advantage

It should never be discouraged to do ICT work for homework. To ensure everyone has the opportunity to continue their ICT activity outside the classroom schools need to compensate by running after-school computer labs. When it comes to assessing ICT capability you need to be mindful that if an activity is completed at home or elsewhere outside the classroom, which it may be done by a parent or older sibling. In this case, ask the student to demonstrate the ICT techniques she/he used to complete the activity.

How do I know if a student or computer has done the work?

The best way to assess a student’s ICT capability is by observation and you can couple this by talking or asking older students to write a reflective report about the ICT techniques they used to complete the task or activity. Self-assessment sheets are also ideal for this situation as they help students to reflect on just how far to which they developed their knowledge and skills.

Assessing ICT Capability in Early Childhood Education

When to use ICT in Early Childhood Education

Before we begin to assess a child’s ICT capability in this type of setting it is significant to determine when it is best to use it. When making your decisions they need to be based on exploiting the features of ICT to its fullest potential in order to achieve the desired learning outcome.

In the early childhood setting, there are three type of interactions with ICT that may be effective. These include:

1. Brief targeted moments – consists of activities that take 5-10 minutes to complete; 2. Spur-of-the-moment ideas – usually consist of child-initiated , spontaneous activities that can be accomplished with little prior planning and that make use of available materials; 3. Thematically linked activities – carefully planned, multi-layered activities that involve multiple opportunities to learn key concepts in various ways. (Price, 2009)

What is the specific ICT capability that children need to develop?

In early childhood education children need to just develop the basic ICT techniques that they will use throughout their schooling and adult career. Their understanding of ICT needs to be developed in the broadest form so that they become proficient users of ICT. The two areas that need to be developed include:

• Techniques that allow them to interact with the computer such as inputting information into the computer using keyboards and mouse effectively.

The learning goals for children are:

• Complete a simple program on a computer; • Use ICT to perform simple functions; © ICTE Solutions Australia 2017

Children use Information and Communication Technologies to access information, investigate ideas and represent their thinking.

This is evident, for example, when children:

• Identify the uses of technologies in everyday life and use real or imaginary technologies as props in their play; • Use Information and Communication Technologies to access images and information, explore diverse perspectives, and make sense of their world; • Engage with technology to make fun and to make meaning.

Educators promote this learning, for example, when they:

• Provide children with access to a range of technologies; • Integrate technologies into children’s play experiences and projects; • Teach skills and techniques and encourage children to use technologies to explore new information and represent their ideas; • Encourage collaborative learning about and through technologies between children, and children and educators. Table 2. Australian Early Learning Framework - Outcome 5

• Use a mouse and keyboard to interact with age appropriate software; • Find out about and identify the uses of everyday technology and use ICT to support learning.

Guidance on observation and assessment of ICT capability

The best way to measure the achievement of children in ICT capability is through your own personal observation. This can be coupled with well-thought out questions and listening and talking. Any assessment of ICT capability needs to be seen in this context.

When assessing it is not necessary to assess discrete skills as this will show through observation of whole tasks. For example, if they can use a paint program then you know that they can use a mouse well enough. As children interact with their peers, they will be able to demonstrate their ICT capability. You can make brief notes along with your observations to help you build a firm picture of their capabilities in ICT.

Assessing their Higher Order Skills

Higher order skills are essential in the foundations of ICT capability development in children. At this stage of learning, children demonstrate these when they:

• Decide when it is appropriate to use a particular ICT for specific purpose; • Plan what techniques, routines and processes are to be used; • Work independently to solve problems; • Evaluate their use of ICT and the outcome of an activity; • Explain and justify their choices and approaches and; • Reflect on their learning and explain how things could be done differently next time. (Morgan & Siraj-Blatchford, 2009, p. 16)

Many of the ICT resources have helped to capture, and hold X’s attention for increasing periods of time. He is not interacting very well with others in the class and is not keen to wait for his turn, which makes some of the other children less keen to include him in their play, particularly in the role play area.

3 November 2017

17 November 2017 X is now constantly pointing to technology.

The recent setting up of the interactive whiteboard (IWB) has helped X to develop some degree of patience, as he is now able to wait his turn to use it, when working in a group. This has been invaluable in boosting him with his peers. X is very good at recognising and adding numbers. When working with the whiteboard with number, for example, the size makes it possible for others to see how clever he is, which I am sure is helping with both his self-esteem and his standing, amongst his peers. It has also given him another avenue which to devote his seemingly endless energy. Looking back over my notes, it is also possible to see that X is collaborating more with his peers and is less demanding of my attention.

Table 3. Example of quality observations made in a reflective diary (Siraj-Blatchford, 2006)

Assessing Students with Special Education Needs

By assessing the ICT capability of students with SEN you will be able to determine your own strengths and weaknesses in your teaching practice. It will require you to stand back and to have a look closely at how students are dealing with the use of ICT.

The assessment of a student’s capabilities in ICT here are similar to that of more able students. Much of it will come from your own observations and conversations you have with students. However, as you may already know the language you use will need to be something that they can understand. While they may understand the ICT tool being used they may not understand the terminology or the carrier language – the language you may use as a teacher. So this needs to be carefully considered especially if you decide to set a summative test or an activity. You may also know by now that words can be interpreted literally by students with hearing impairment and language disorders. Avoid using analogies or at least be wary of them as they may not get the bigger picture.

As with able students, a popular way to get across objectives to students include using the following:

• WALTs – We Are Learning To…… • WILF – What I am Looking For……. • TIBs – This is because……

“We assumed large single press switches would be necessary for David to take photographs. We were wrong: David turned down the preferred switch and asked to have a go with the ordinary button on the camera. By setting the camera on a tripod at an accessible height, and with adult verbal support, David pressed the button with his forefinger.”

Name: Class: Date:

Topic: Graphics

Level 1 I can make marks using the mouse.

Level 2 I can open and change colours. I can change brush size, colour and texture. I can change painting/drawing tools. I can rub out mistakes. I can print work. I can save work.

Level 3 I can insert clip art into a piece of work. I can scan pictures into the computer. I can use a digital camera and import pictures into the computer.

Figure 4. Example of Self-Assessment sheet for SEN used by schools (North & McKeown, 2005)

The self-assessment sheet above is a great way for students to assess their own progress in ICT capability. However, it is best to have a checklist yourself handy to check against the work completed.

Using Inclusive Strategies

The Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA, 2017) has outlined a number of inclusive strategies for recording and gathering evidence. The majority of the strategies highlighted can be used effectively for that attainment of evidence towards a student’s ICT capability. Below is a summary of what I believe the best practices are based on their recommendations.

Can they remember work previously done? Can they remember sequences? Do they understand what they are doing? Can they apply old knowledge to new situations? Can they navigate confidently around desktop and folders? Can they save and retrieve work? Can they insert graphics and clip art? Can they make own decisions about when to use ICT? Do they use ICT out of school? Can they use the computer independently? Are they aware of the role of ICT in the wider world?

Table 4. Checklist for recording student progress in ICT Capability (North & McKeown, 2005)

Sources of evidence Assessment techniques Recording instruments

• computer-generated presentations; • design briefs and plans; • discussion with students; • ePortfolios; • journals; • observation of written work in progress; • production proposals • teacher intervening in the form of focusing questions; • short and extended written responses to stimuli; • sketches and drawings of design ideas and products; • structured whole- or small- group discussion; • student explanations of work in progress. Observation involves teachers observing students as they participate in planned activities. Teacher observation occurs continually as a natural part of the learning and teaching process and can be used to gather a broad range of information about students’ demonstrations of learning. Teacher observations can also be structured to gather particular kinds of information in relation to learning.

Peer and self-assessment involve students in using the above techniques to assess their own work and the work of their peers. Peer and self-assessment allow teachers to take account of students’ perceptions when gathering evidence. • anecdotal records • teacher/student journals • visual folios • checklists • anticipated evidence statements or criteria sheets • annotated work samples • audio (including video/DVD) recordings • photographs • worksheets • reflection sheets/diaries, scrapbooks • learning logs • observation notes • progress charts • feedback sheets • peer and self-assessment sheets • interview with student • self and peer reflective journals

Table 5. Ways of recording evidence in an inclusive environment (Adapted from QCAA, 2017)