Many principals and teachers find ICT integration a challenge and wonder where they might start in terms of identifying what knowledge and skills they possess and areas where they might develop their skills further. There are a growing number of self-assessment tools available to educators that allow one to assess your ‘level’ of digital literacy skills in your own time or as part of a school wide initiative. One such tool and one that has been recently developed is the Edtech-Assess tool-kit.
The Edtech-Assess contains three digital literacy tools:
It is interesting to take a few moments to complete the individual member of staff survey to a) see how you fare and b) see the kinds of activities they are suggesting you could be using with your learners.
The survey is divided into 4 sections:
- Personal Use of Technology in your Everyday Life
- Using Learning Technology in Teaching and Learning
- Using Learning Technology in Assessment
- My Own Personal and Professional Development
The survey consists of a series of a statements and you will be asked to self-evaluate your knowledge and skills under 4 headings – Early Stages/Novice in all aspects; Developing capability in all aspects; Good/Reasonably Capable in all aspects; and Proficient in all aspects.
Having completed the survey you will receive a report on your Digital Literacy Proficiency and this can be used to identify areas you may wish to engage in professional learning activities over time.
Word of Caution
This is not a measure of your digital literacy but you can use it to self-reflect on your use of digital technologies in your personal and professional lives. You can use the results to direct you to areas where you might decide to engage in further professional learning – in that way you can use the exercise for your own professional growth and ultimately don’t read too much into the results.