Evaluation Website

I will definitely use this website in my future teaching career. I often hesitate on using information I find from various sources, such as the internet because I worry about the value and accuracy of the information. Having a website that walks you through the steps of evaluating various teaching tools will assist me in feeling more confident in my technology choices. If I feel that I have found a high quality program, going through the evaluation checks will assist me in determining if the program will enrich the learning environment and enhance my teaching. The top links for the various criteria will be useful in a quick overview and evaluation of various tools in the classroom, but some of the links down below will be even more useful if I have the time to go in-depth into examining these tools further. Specifically I see myself using the Children’s Software Evaluation Instrument. Although I do not plan to teach young students, I need to keep in mind teaching high school special education students, many of their processing levels and mental abilities are that of younger children. The Children’s Software Evaluation Instrument has a clear layout of guidelines on a form to assess thoroughly tools and their value to the students. If all teachers used these evaluations on their tools they present to their classes, I believe that we would have higher standards of teaching. Many times I believe teachers use certain tools to fill the time or make the lesson easier for them to teach. After a review of the tools they plan to use with one of the criteria outlined on the site the teacher could reflect and reassess the need and actual value of the tools used and chosen. On a deeper level, I thought that the Questions to Ask About Your Technology Investment would be useful when I begin teaching to become a more reflective teacher. This evaluation method presents questions to determine the value of various tools but does not just force the teacher to classify and breeze through a list of criteria options. Having a tool that asks open ended questions leading to an evaluation of tools allows teachers to keep their current group of students’ learning styles and needs in mind while specifically addressing the value and evaluating the technology tools chosen.