assessment and technology

Do we need to get rid of hand written maths tests?

Seriously? - with technology aren't they are bit outdated? We've got all the technology in the world to make tests online- lecturers do it all the time.. why aren't we doing it in our classrooms?

This article  provides some maths online test resources and also says 'it's so easy' - but is it?

for the students?

I also want to ask the question... why are we still using maths tests at the end of term? all the time?
In my experience with a test, they only really examine students understanding, memory, and maybe a little application. Depending on the question, it can ask students to analyse and evaluate - but this doesn't happen a lot in maths in tests. And tests certainly don't help students create. Of course, I'm referring to Bloom's taxonomy (the version of Bloom's that I use comes from Frangenheim (2012).

Back to testing online. I know that when I'm testing students on maths, I want them to show me that they can do the working out, which shows that they understand and can apply the laws, processes and formulae that they need to. With online testing, this is not necessarily the case. Also, in terms of validity and reliability of assessment, students can also cheat with assessment, unless there are some blocking of sites set up through the schools wifi- magic.

At the same time, for formative assessment, I can understand using online tests as a tool, but then again, the teacher may be restricted on the amount of feedback that can be provided.

I've seen students through one of my tutoring groups that I have at my old school struggle to answer questions to online maths quizzes because they weren't 'able' to do the working out. They thought that they had to just 'get' the answer straight away, but I mentioned that it may take a few steps to work out on pen and paper, you may not be able to figure it out straight away. I think the website they were using was http://www.mathsonline.com.au/

If you watched my online artefact you might be like 'hang on a minute alice, you've just gone against everything you said when you said you would use geddit as an online tool". Well, you have a point. However, in the context I mentioned that I would be using it for physics to check students understanding but ALSO to build self regulation - which geddit does. Geddit also lets the teacher provide feedback, and as a formative assessment tool, the teacher can identify what the students really aren't getting. And, I would tell the students to use pen and paper to do their working out, because if they can do complicated physics calculations in their heads, they should be at university and not school. Also, Geddit allows your to put multiple choice, short answer and long answer questions, so I would probably use a combination of these in the classroom. Different context and purpose.

So in answer to my first question, no. We don't need to get rid of hand written maths tests, if anything we need more maths assessment that allows for more higher order thinking. In this case and context, I argue that less technology is actually better.