Assessment is a reciprocal process between student and teacher. The teacher gains insight into the effectiveness of the learning process in which the student has engaged while offering necessary feedback for student success. Additionally, Bauer (2014) impressed the importance of feedback frequency; one instance of feedback cannot be expected to be enough to get students to their destination. Even if it works for one or two students, many students are still not being reached. Assessment typically comes in two forms: formative or summative. In regards to frequent feedback, formative assessment should be used most often. One colleague once told me that formative assessment is the watering and feeding of a plant, which should be done so often to assure the plant will grow. Summative assessment is the measuring of the plant to see if it is meeting expectations, which then can inform the watering and feeding process (maybe there are not enough feedings). I have never heard a better analogy.
Like many aspects of education, technology can assist teachers with the assessment process. One primary mode of assistance occurs in organization; for example, cloud-based storage and applications, like the Google G Suite, allow educators to create, organize and store grading documents (including rubrics, spreadsheets, and charts) that can be accessed on any device compatible with the service. Additionally, these services also allow easy sharing and collaboration between educators. A middle school band director may be collaborating with their high school band director on a performance rubric for lessons or concerts that are stored on a district Google Drive. Those who use Google may also be happy with the Google Forms app, which has now been updated to be used by educators for the development and scoring of quizzes; however, an educator may also use the same service as an informal survey to see how well students are grasping a specific concept. This could be useful in assessing understandings from music theory or aural skills.
Like many aspects of education, technology can assist teachers with the assessment process. One primary mode of assistance occurs in organization; for example, cloud-based storage and applications, like the Google G Suite, allow educators to create, organize and store grading documents (including rubrics, spreadsheets, and charts) that can be accessed on any device compatible with the service. Additionally, these services also allow easy sharing and collaboration between educators. A middle school band director may be collaborating with their high school band director on a performance rubric for lessons or concerts that are stored on a district Google Drive. Those who use Google may also be happy with the Google Forms app, which has now been updated to be used by educators for the development and scoring of quizzes; however, an educator may also use the same service as an informal survey to see how well students are grasping a specific concept. This could be useful in assessing understandings from music theory or aural skills.
While the organization and creation of assessment material are truly helpful, especially when the educator may be juggling a number of responsibilities, some technology does part of the organization, creation, and even feedback for you. Web-based platforms like Sight-Reading Factory, PracticeFirst and SmartMusic allow educators to organize pre-built performance assessments (SmartMusic still allows one to create their own) for which students perform (singing or with instruments) an assignment that the program records. Recordings can be previewed and then submitted to music teachers for further review. SmartMusic and PracticeFirst will actually provide immediate feedback in terms of red or green notes on the display, usually accompanied by a percentage. This may provide more motivation for students to do additional takes, attempting to put their best work forward. Furthermore, many of these programs allow educators to make their own settings and grading rubrics to be used in the course of student assessment. Because these programs are web-based they are easily accessible with any device that can access the internet.
Earlier, there was a brief discussion on technology helping with organization, specifically making connections to cloud-based storage. It can also be argued that this same connection assists educators in simply being more productive in their profession. In addition to cloud-based storage, there are other technology platforms that assist educators in keeping assignments and grade organized in one location, which can often be easily shared with administrators and parents alike. Infinite Campus, Schoology, Skyward, Blackboard, and Canvas are great examples of such platforms. Additionally, apps like Google Keep allow teachers a digital space to keep important notes and to-do lists in order to bolster productivity from day to day. Because the technology varies so widely, educators must choose what works best for them given task or goal to be met, whether it be in terms of instruction or productivity.
Bauer, W. I. (2014). Music learning today: Digital pedagogy for creating, performing, and responding to music. New York: Oxford University Press.
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