Kathy Dyer has researched and written many blog posts about formative assessment and using technology for formative assessment. In her blog post Evaluating Technology Tools for Formative Assessment Dyer discusses the importance of evaluating and assessing the effectiveness in using technology for assessment. Because technology is rapidly evolving and quickly becoming a part of our daily classroom routine, we need to take a critical approach to the effectiveness with which we use it. Is the technology helping us assess whether our students understand the objectives of the lessons? Does the technology help elicit evidence of student learning? Fellow education blogger Steve Peha discusses the importance of measuring the effectiveness of technology stating:

Of course, one thing technology can do is gather data on its own effectiveness. But to truly discover what works   and what doesn’t, we also have to know what’s up—that is, we need to know the “why” and the “how” of       technological advances in education, and we have to measure those advances against yardsticks other than those     provided by the creators of the technologies themselves (2013).

Teachers must search for the right technology to help enhance formative assessment.

Dyer’s blog post along with various other resources confirms that technology can indeed enhance formative assessment. Dyer states:

Research has shown that formative assessment can make a difference in the classroom and while technology tools will always need evaluating there are some good ones out there that can help make a difference. Think of technologies today as tools to enable student learning improvements, not tools to take over teaching, though who knows what the future holds (2013).

Research has proven that technology can have a strong role in formative assessment so long as teachers are willing to search for the right technology and the right use. While technology can enhance formative assessment it cannot replace a good teacher who has strong pedagogical practices in place. It would seem that teachers are the key to technology enhancing formative assessment.

Dyer, K. (2013, September 25). Evaluating Technology Tools for Formative Assessment. Retrieved from https://www.nwea.org/blog/2013/evaluating-technology-tools-for-formative-assessment/

Peha, S. (2013, September 16). What Works? What Doesn’t? What’s Up? Retrieved from http://gettingsmart.com/2013/09/works-doesnt-whats/