The Teacher’s Guide to Tech
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For this activity, choose one tool of your choice fromThe Teacher’s Guide to Techthat piques your interest. Click on the Toolstab, click on a category that interests you, and then scroll down to find a list of tools to choose from. You may need to create an account or download the tool to evaluate it fully. Once you have, you’ll fill out the evaluation form provided. Be sure to complete all of the items noted in red.
Please note that you must choose a single tool. The Software Evaluation tool is designed to evaluate a single tool, not a category. For example, if you want to review an educational game, choose a single game of the many presented inThe Teacher’s Guide to Tech. An evaluation of an entire chapter or entire category of tools will not be accepted.
Open up the Software Evaluation Tool document and pick ratings for each of the items/questions provided. You will choose from the following choices for each item in each category: Always, Some Extent, Never, Not Averaged.
So, here’s an example result for the first category I completed. Notice that I chose from Always, Some Extent, Never, and Not Averaged for each of the 15 items.
I. Ease of Use
1 A The skills needed to operate the program are reasonable and easy to pick up.
2 A People can use the program independently after the first use.
3 SE Accessing key menus is straightforward.
4 N There are no prerequisites to using the program.
5 A Graphics make sense to the intended user.
6 N Printing routines are simple.
7 SE It is easy to get in or out of any activity at any point.
8 N Getting to the first menu is quick and easy.
9 A Controls are responsive to the touch.
10 A Written materials are helpful.
11 N Instructions can be reviewed on the screen if necessary.
12 SE Icons are large and easy to select with a moving cursor.
13 A The installation procedure is straightforward.
14 NA The tool has accessibility features for persons with disabilities.
15 NA Students can use the tool independently.
RATING FOR 1. EASE OF USE: 7.5/13 = 0.58
To obtain each category’s rating, as I did above, add up all of the categories and get an average rating.
Always (A) = 1 point, Some Extent (SE) = .5 points, Never (N) = 0 points, and N.A. = Not Averaged
As you can see, my sample added up to 7.5, and that was out of 15 categories. Two of the categories were not included in the average (NA), so I divided 7.5/13.
Finally, at the end of the form, add up all the 5 categories, and you get a rating out of “5 stars”, which I rounded off. Here are my example results from all 5 categories:
OVERALL RATING: 0.58+0.64+0.75+0.67+0.95 = 3.59
3 ½ OUT OF 5 STARS!
There is a 6th category that is separate from the other 5 that you must also complete. For category VI, you will subjectively choose how much value the tool provides on a 1-10 scale.
Once you obtain your 5-star rating, you just need to add a 3-4 sentence justification for each of the 6 categories in the assignment. You would pick some of the notable answers and describe them, tying at least two of them back to the readings you completed in this or the previous modules. Here’s an example justification:
“This category earned a 0.50. While a person can easily use this game, certain things are not readily accessible. Some options, such as the main menu, are unavailable. There is also a requirement to read the content; without it, it might be hard to understand what must be done in the game. But, the easy directions take a load off a teacher’s shoulders. The article, Gaming Redefines Interactivity for Learning, mentions that teachers are pressed for time in typical classroom settings, and students can be easily distracted. “ While it is a game, and it is fun, a properly designed video game creates a common ground between distracted students and time-starved teachers. This ground becomes fertile territory for teaching the way it was meant to be — with full and active participation of motivated students” (DeKanter, 29). Because the directions on the site are quite easy to follow, students can easily lead themselves to the game while teachers focus on other things. Additionally, since the game’s features explain all of the parts of the cell, the need for lecturing the same material over and over may not be as necessary.”
2025-08-13