How Students Can Demonstrate Their Knowledge Using Digital Platforms

1. "Failure to integrate technology into students educational experience may leave them ill-served when they join the job market". (Digital Marketing Institute) Because technology is such a huge factor in today's world, it is crucial we provide students with opportunities to utilize technology and learn how to discover information. Technology is also useful for showing students how they can express what they know, and for motivation!

1.1. How to use technology to gather information: blogs, news sites, YouTube, online articles, up to date statistics and new findings.

1.2. How to use technology to express writing: Online mind maps, comic strips, shared google docs or presentations, Prezis, and other creative outlets.

1.3. How to use technology to motivate: online collaboration, interactive learning games, creativity to express information and written expression.

2. References: Read "How People Learn II: Learners, Contexts, and Cultures" at NAP.edu

3. Assistive Technology for writing is a hug part of the classroom and an effective aid for students with disabilities and those who need some extra help when it comes to writing. "Technology can be a huge boost for adults and kids who struggle with writing. A keyboard, for example, can help people who have trouble using a pen or pencil. Assistive technology (AT) tools like this can make the physical act of writing easier. AT can also help with spelling and grammar, and with organizing and expressing thoughts in writing." (Understood).

3.1. Keyboards: Helpful to quicken writing and provide assistance to those who do not have good handwriting.

3.2. Dictation (Speech to text): for students who have the ideas but cannot spell, or write fluently but can speak well and express ideas orally.

3.3. Spell Check and Grammar Check: for students who need aid with spelling and formation of sentences, punctuation and other grammatical errors.

4. Further Questions

4.1. This is important because of the way our world is turning. Those who have skills that help them find information, express information and create digital work, have the better ability to get jobs and further their careers.

4.2. I will apply this to my teaching life by always being on the lookout for ways to help students become better learners, and be able to better write through the use of technological advances.

4.3. I have questions on how to balance both technology and all online based productivity and written, physical work that students do in class and at home.

4.4. I will create lessons to integrate all types of learners and all types of work whether it be technology based or physical written work based. I must have work for all learners, even the kinesthetic onnes who do better with work done with their hands.

5. Students can benefit from the ability to save and redo or edit work effectively. It also allows for teacher feedback to be quicker, easier and more effective. "The technology (or teacher) gives feedback to the learner on the quality of the learner’s performance, sometimes including how the quality could be improved."

5.1. Feedback: "The feedback can range from a short message that a learner’s input or response was correct or incorrect to an explanation of why the input was correct or incorrect. Task-relevant feedback can range from responses to short-term events that last a few seconds to long-term performance extending over (for instance) a school semester." (National Academic of Sciences Engineering and Medicine)

5.2. With technology, students can save work, access it from another point or location, and work on it wherever they have access to a computer. This also means that students cannot forget homework at home, or lose work physically. Students can also edit written work easily with tools such as cut and paste, and going back into paragraphs to add more content. Digital work also helps students make corrections on grammar, spelling and punctuation.

6. References: How to Use Digital Technologies to Teach Students

7. Reference: Assistive Technology for Writing