To be honest, after reading the article about whether or not students should be able to use the internet while testing, I am torn between both view points. I can see where each side is coming from and both sides make valid points.
I agree with James Cash in that tests that require you to memorize facts, dates, figures, and such could "lack any assessment of students' ability to effectively criticize a treaty or judge the quality of a historical document." Yes, I believe that a lot of the time we force our students to memorize things and stress them out with information overload for the general purpose of being able to know your facts. As a student, I remember clearly those endless nights of stress because I had to memorize vocabulary and theories. As Ann Michealsen says it, "students should no longer be required to regurgitate facts and figures...instead emphasis should be on their ability to sit through and analyze information." I believe that they are arguing that we should step outside the box and enter into a time where we can utilize our resources to it's full advantage.
I also agree with Jeffrey Starr when he says that internet during testing can "create an irresistible temptation to students to merely look for the answers rather than coming up with the answers on their own." I know that when I take an online test and I have the internet and my textbook readily available, I use all of these resources to my advantage. I quickly find the right answer then move on. Do I retain the information I on the test as I look it up online? No. It's simply an easy way to get a quick answer. In this new technological age, I see most of our youth become reliant on their devices. Keishia Ceasar-Jones mentions that, "there has to be a foundation of knowledge...many students depend on technology instead of leveraging it to elevate their game." I agree with her in that we tend to use technology because of it's convenience and efficiency, which is something I appreciate about it. However, I don't think we should allow it to consume the consumers.
I believe that we should be able to teach our students the foundations of learning and test taking first. Allow them to critically think as they are studying and learning the material rather than during a test. Give the students the opportunity to engage in technology based projects during the school year so that they can be more active in their education. When it comes to test days, develop a set of questions that pertain to the technological project that they did earlier in the school year. This way students will be able to recall the research they did on the internet and apply this knowledge to their tests, rather than using the internet while taking the test. I am not completely against technology in the classroom, however I would like to be able to regulate it's usage and not solely rely on it as a tool for teaching.
Cash, J., & Starr, J. (2013). Should students use the internet while taking tests? Learning & Leading with Technology (40)5, 6-7. Retrieved from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/201302?pg=5#pg8
I, too, am conflicted to some degree on this topic; it is certainly not a black-and-white issue. After reading your journal, it appears that you would choose to prohibit use of the Internet during examinations. Would you consider allowing the use of the Internet for, say, a math test? Would it be permissible to let students use the Internet to compute simple arithmetic in lieu of a handheld calculator? Or perhaps to graph solutions to certain equations? What about letting students look up examples to certain types of problems during a test?
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