While educators are long accustomed to developing curriculum around core subjects like reading, writing, math, and science, digital literacy is now also coming to the forefront as an area that must be addressed. With data and information available everywhere online, digital literacy is needed to circulate through conflicting and confusing data to find the right information to infer from.
Before choosing an assessment tool, it is important to figure out your goals. Consider the following for determining your assessment needs:
How comprehensive should the tool be? Do you want a tool that’s diagnostic, actionable, a simple checklist, or a template for the creation of your own tool?
Is computational thinking important?
Do you want to not only assesses knowledge but also determine the student (or faculty) ability to solve tech problems, think critically, and maybe even code?
Do you need a Scope and Sequence?
Do you want an assessment that determines shortfalls and then provides a roadmap on how to get from here to there or a one-and-done report?
Below are some assessment tools you could consider using in your digital literacy assessments.
This assessment is both diagnostic and actionable. It provides practical insight into how well students comprehend digital literacy skills in relation to the 2016 ISTE Standards for Students. It is easy to set up and administer (no training required), provides teachers with a dashboard to track student progress and needs, and is compatible with all desktop and mobile devices.
Northstar’s digital literacy assessment starts by defining the basic skills needed to use a computer and the internet in daily life, employment, and higher education. Then, online, self-guided modules assess the ability of the user to perform these tasks.
This free tool is designed for teachers, to collect data on their use of technology, their access to tech professional development, and their facility with basic skills including hardware and infrastructure.
How does your school assess digital literacy?
Resources:
https://www.taotesting.com/blog/what-is-digital-literacy-and-how-can-it-be-assessed/https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/how-assess-digital-literacy-students-and-educators
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