Assessment tools - Directions: What to try next?

Four Choices:
Here are four basic choices, one of which will (I hope) guide you in a useful direction:

1. I probably need to do a survey or some other sort of formal study. What sort of study might help me, or us, understand whether our strategies for using technology are really helping students learn? What kinds of facts might help us make those uses of computers, video and/or networking even more effective? Follow this link to the heart of the tutorials on this web site, for help in doing a formal study. Because the outcomes of technology investments are dictated by how users choose to use it, we'll begin by discussing some of the most important educational activities that can be improved with technology.

2. I have a small class (20 or fewer students), no time or interest in doing a survey or creating something fancy. Can you give me some quick and dirty advice on how to gather information from my students that will help me help them use technology?

3. All I really need now is advice on how to assess students' understanding of what I've been trying to teach them. I don't need to know anything more about technology, just whether they're learning. I'd like to look at NISE's Field-tested Learning Assessment Guide (FLAG).

4. I'd like to know more about the study of educational uses of technology. Maybe the articles, case studies, and presentations on the Flashlight Resources Pages or information about Flashlight evaluation tools can help me.