Final Exam Question

A question from my Teaching With Technology final exam, and my response.

"Traditionally teachers have used quizzes, paper and pencil tests, and written assignments to find out what students have learned. How can technology be used to provide new options for assessing student learning? Please give specific examples."

There are so many options! Students could turn in wiki articles instead of written reports, blogs instead of papers; students can record their discussions via podcast, video, or forum; students can create movies through xtranormal, presentations using Google Docs. Quizzes themselves take on more meaning when the students have encountered content through a multimedia WebQuest compared to a textbook (not to say textbooks shouldn’t be used – but I think giving students more options to work with would keep them more engaged). Consider two scenarios: one student is asked to write five reports using MS Word, while another student is asked to present the same reports using MS Word, PowerPoint, Wikispaces, Xtranormal, and Inspiration. Which student would you want to be? Heck – which teacher would you want to be? Gosh, it makes me want to start writing grants this very minute!