That's the exhausting side of "progress." There is a bright side, however, and that's the time technology can save you, your school's staff and faculty, and even your students.
Some Baltimore County teachers involved in a test group this year can verify the amount of time a new test-taking device, iRespond, has saved them.
iRespond is a hand-held device that has been designed to both engage students, and reduce workload for teachers—allowing more time for classroom activities, and less time for grading papers. An example of one iRespond's student engagement features is, a program that displays a graph showing a breakdown of the answers chosen for, say, a multiple-choice question. The concept is, students will self-assess thier academic standing within their class, and teachers will be able to know immediately if they need to review a concept.
Feedback thus far has been positive. Mandi Dietrich, Director of Special Projects, said, "These units can expedite testing, which of course leaves more time for other instructional activities."
Bianca Salemi, a pre-algebra and algebra teacher, said she was excited about using the iResponds system beyond assessments. "Any time you can get technology in the classroom, it engages the students more," she said.
