Abstract
The rapid development of information and communication technologies (ICT) has significantly changed the ways today’s children entertain, socialize, and learn. The digital society in the twenty-first century requires a complete suite of cognitive and psychological abilities and perspectives that enable the individual to intelligently consume and creatively develop digital products, and ethically participate and lead in a world that has become increasingly mediated by technology. How can today’s education help our students develop technological competencies that they will need to survive and thrive in the twenty-first century? In this chapter, we address this question by envisioning school assessments that focus on digital technology proficiencies. Our discussion centers on the question “What are the most critical skills students need to equip with in terms of digital technologies?” Specifically, this chapter reviews the role of digital technologies in the twenty-first century, examines what technology proficiency is necessary for students to fully participate in the society, discusses how the concept and standards of digital proficiency have evolved in the last a few decades, and then investigates how student digital technology proficiency has been assessed and discusses what schools need to do to prepare their students with proficient digital literacy.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
American Association of School Librarians and Association for Educational Communications and Technology. (1998). Information power: Building partnerships for learning. Chicago: American Library Association.
Anderson, J. Q., & Rainie, L. (2006). The future of the Internet II. Pew Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved November 15, 2006, from http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Future_of_Internet_2006.pdf
Associated Colleges of the South. (1999). Information fluency and information training for the 21st Century. Retrieved April 30, 2011, from www.colleges.org/techcenter/if/IF_full_proposal.pdf
Atomic Learning. (2011). Tech skills student assessment. Retrieved April 21, 2011, from http://www.atomiclearning.com/k12/assessment/
Bakia, M., Mitchell, K., & Yang, E. (2007). State strategies and practices for educational technology: Volume I—Examining the enhancing education through technology program (Policy and Program Studies Service, Trans.). Washington, DC: US Department of Education Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development.
Barlow, A., Duncan, P., Li, F., & Papagiannidis, S. (2007). New frontiers in e-business and e-government: Emerging opportunities and challenges. International Journal of Business Science and Applied Management, 2(1). Retrieved March 1, 2008, from http://www.business-and-management.org/download.php?file=2007/2_1--3-8,Barlow,Duncan,Li,Papagiannidis.pdf
Boone, K. (2009). Building technology literacy into the curriculum. Principal Leadership, 10(2), 68–70.
Campbell, R. J. (1998, January–February). Hyper-minds for hypertimes: The demise of rational, logical thoughts? Educational Technology, 38(1), 24–31.
Commission on Colleges, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). (1996). Criteria for accreditation (10th ed.). Atlanta: SACS.
comScore. (2011). The 2010 U.S. digital year in review. Retrieved April 20, 2011 from, http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Presentations_Whitepapers/2011/2010_US_Digital_Year_in_Review
Cornell University Digital Literacy Resources. (2009). Digital literacy. Retrieved April 20, 2011, from http://digitalliteracy.cornell.edu/
Cuban, L. (2001). Oversold and underused: Computers in the classroom. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Dhamija, R., Tygar, J. D., & Hearst, M. (2006). Why phishing works. Retrieved November 15, 2006, from http://people.deas.harvard.edu/~rachna/papers/why_phishing_works.pdf#search='Whypercent20phishing%20percent20works%E2%80%99
Eastin, M. S., Yang, M. S., & Nathanson, A. I. (2006). Children of the net: An empirical exploration into the evaluation of Internet content. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 50(2), 211–230.
Education Testing Services. (2002). Digital transformation: A framework for ICT literacy. Digital transformation. http://www.ets.org/Media/Research/pdf/ICTREPORT.pdf
Education Week. (2005). Technology counts 2005: Electronic transfer: Moving technology dollars to new directions. Retrieved May 2, 2013, from http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2005/05/05/35tracking.h24.html
Education Week. (2007). Technology counts 2007. Retrieved May 2, 2013, from http://www.edweek.org/media/ew/tc/2007/tc07_press_release.pdf
eSchool News. (2007, October 1). Survey: Parents talk to their kids about the web. Retrieved December 3, 2007, from http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/index.cfm?i=48786&CFID=1268225&CFTOKEN=29464627
Eshet-Alkalai, Y., & Amichai-Hamburger, Y. (2004). Experiments with digital literacy. Cyber Psychology, 7(4), 425–434.
Generation YES. (2011). TechYES—Project-based learning and authentic assessment. Retrieved April 21, 2011, from http://www.genyes.org/programs/techyes/assess
Goad, T. W. (2002). Information literacy and workplace performance. Westport: Green Wood.
Hecker, D. (2005). Occupational employment projections to 2014. Monthly Labor Review Online, 128(11). Retrieved April 4, 2008, from http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2005/11/art5full.pdf
Heverly, R. A. (2008). In M. P. Tara (Ed.), Growing up digital: Control and the pieces of a digital life. Digital youth, innovation, and the unexpected (The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur foundation series on digital media and learning, pp. 199–218). Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Hightower, A. (2009). Tracking U.S. trends: States earn B average for policies supporting ed. tech. use. Education Week, 28, 30–30, 31. Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/03/26/26tracking.h28.html
Hitlin, P., & Rainie, L. (2005). Teens, Technology & School. PEW Internet and American Life project data memo. Retrieved March 20, 2008, from http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Internet_and_schools_05.pdf
Hohlfeld, T. N., Ritzhaupt, A. D., & Barron, A. E. (2010). Development and validation of the student tool for technology literacy. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 42(4), 361.
Horrigan, J. B. (2008). Online shopping. Pew Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved March 11, 2008, from http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Online%20Shopping.pdf
InfoSource. (2011). SimpleK12. Retrieved April 21, 2011, from http://www.simplek12.com/content/student-technology-assessments-are-now-simple-finally
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (1998). National technology standards for students. http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS_for_Students_1998_Standards.sflb.ashx
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2007). National technology standards for students 2007. http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students/nets-student-standards-2007.aspx
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2011). National educational technology standards for students. Retrieved March 1, 2011, from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students.aspx
Irvine, M. (2006). Some rethink posting of private info. Retrieved December 25, 2006, from http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061229/ap_on_hi_te/self_editing_online
Jorgenson, D. (2005). Accounting for growth in the information age. In P. Aghion & S. Durlauf (Eds.), Handbook of Economic Growth (Vol. 1A, pp. 743–815). Amsterdam: Elsevier. Retrieved October 22, 2007, from http://hp.idefi.cnrs.fr/bruno/enseignements/croissanceiup/Jorgenson.pdf
Jorgenson, D., Ho, M. S., & Stiroh, K. J. (2005). Information technology and the American growth resurgence. Cambridge: The MIT Press.
Judson, E. (2010). Improving technology literacy: Does it open doors to traditional content? Educational Technology Research and Development, 58(3), 271–284.
Katz, I. R. (2007). Testing information literacy in digital environments: The ETS iSkills™ assessment. Information Technology and Libraries, 26(3), 3–12.
Keengwe, J., & Anyanwu, L. O. (2007). Computer technology-infused learning enhancement. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 16(5), 387–393.
Lamb, P. (2006). Have Yourspace call Myspace. Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved March 11, 2008, from http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1108/p09s02-coop.html
Learning.com. (2011). Tech literacy assessment. Retrieved April 21, 2011, from http://www.learning.com/techliteracy-assessment/
LeClaire, J. (2006). Predicting the top security threats for 2007. Retrieved May 2, 2013, from http://www.ecommercetimes.com/rsstory/54924.html
Levin, D., & Arafeh, S. (2002). The digital disconnect: The widening gap between internet-savvy students and their schools. Pew Internet & American Life Project. Retrieved March 21, 2007, from http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Schools_Internet_Report.pdf
Livingstone, D. E., & Kemp, J. E. (2006, August 18–20). Proceedings of the Second Life Education Workshop, Part of the Second Life Community Convention 1st, San Francisco, 2006.
Livingstone, S. (2008). Internet literacy: Young people’s negotiation of new online opportunities. In M. P. Tara (Ed.), Digital youth, innovation, and the unexpected (The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur foundation series on digital media and learning, pp. 101–122). Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Marks, P. (2006). Introverted IT students more inclined to cyber-crime. Retrieved May 2, 2013, from http://cyberforensics.purdue.edu/DNN/Portals/0/IntrovertedIT-Rogers.pdf
McAfee Avert Labs. (2006). McAfee virtual criminology report 2007 organized crime and the internet. Retrieved month day, year, from http://www.mcafee.com/us/threat_center/white_paper.html
McCoy, C. (2010). Perceived self-efficacy and technology proficiency in undergraduate college students. Computers & Education, 55(4), 1614–1617.
Morahan-Martin, J., & Schumacher, P. (2007). Attitudinal and experiential predictors of technological expertise. Computers in Human Behavior, 23(5), 2230–2239.
National Academy of Engineering, & National Research Council. (2006). Tech tally: Approaches to assessing technological literacy (E. Garmire & G. Pearson, Eds.). Retrieved from http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=11691&page=1
National Forum on Information Literacy. (n.d.). Definitions. Retrieved April 20, 2011, from http://infolit.org/definitions/
Plotnick, E. (1999). Information literacy (ERIC digest). Syracuse: ERIC Clearinghouse of Information and Technology. Retrieved May 7, 2013, from http://www.ericdigests.org/1999-4/information.htm
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1–2.
Prensky, M. (2005). Listen to the natives. Educational leadership, 63(4), 8–13.
Presidential Committee on Information Literacy. (1989). Final report (1989). Chicago: American Library Association. Retrieved October 16, 2012, from http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/publications/whitepapers/presidential.cfm
Project Tomorrow. (2007). Congressional briefing. Retrieved April 29, 2006, from http://www.tomorrow.org/docs/Press%20Release%20032107.pdf
Rideout, V. J., Foehr, U. G., & Roberts, D. F. (2005). Generation M: Media in the Lives of 8–18 Year-olds. Washington, DC: A Kaiser Family Foundation Report. Retrieved May 2, 2013, from http://www.kff.org/entmedia/index.cfm
Roland, J. (2006). Measuring up: Online technology assessment tools ease the teacher’s burden and help students learn. Learning & Leading with Technology, 34(2), 12–17.
Salaway, G., Caruso, J. B., Nelson, M. R., & Ellison, N. B. (2008). The ECAR study of undergraduate students and information technology, 2008 (Vol. 8). Retrieved from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERS0808/RS/ERS0808w.pdf
SchoolKit. (2011). TechSteps. Retrieved April 21, 2011, from http://www.edvation.com/techsteps-home/
Shapiro, J. J., & Hughes, S. K. (1996). Information technology as a liberal art: Enlightenment proposals for a new curriculum. Educom Review, 31(2), 31–35.
Stead, G. (2006). Mobile technologies: Transforming the future of learning. In Becta ICT Research Emerging Technologies for Learning. Retrieved April 12, 2007, from http://www.becta.org.uk/corporate/publications/documents/Emerging_Technologies.pdf.
Steele, M., & Stewart, M. (1998). Enabling access: Implementing library and information skills. Education Libraries Journal, 41(20), 5–12.
Tannenbaum, R. J., & Kartz, I. R. (2008, February). Setting standards on the core and advanced iSkills TM assessments [Research Memorandum]. Princeton: Educational Testing Services.
Tapscott, D. (1998). Growing up digital. The rise of the net generation. New York: McGraw Hill.
The National Commission on Excellence in Education. (1983). Nation at risk: The imperative for educational reform (A report to the Nation and the Secretary of Education). U.S. Department of Education.
Tullis, P. (2010). An “A” in abstractions. THE Journal, 37(3), 26–32. Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/articles/2010/03/01/an-a-in-abstractions.aspx?sc_lang=en
U.S. Department of Education. (1996). Getting America’s students ready for the 21st century: Meeting the technology literacy challenge. Washington, DC.
U.S. Department of Education. (2000). E-learning: Putting a world-class education at the fingertips of all children. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
U.S. Department of Education. (2004). Toward a new golden age in American education: How the internet, the law and today’s students are revolutionizing expectations. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
U.S. Department of Education. (2011). National educational technology plan—Assessment: Measure what matters. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from http://www.ed.gov/technology/netp-2010/assessment-measure-what-matters
United National Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). (2008). INFORMATION ECONOMY REPORT 2007–2008 Science and technology for development: the new paradigm of ICT. Retrieved April 9, 2008, from http://topics.developmentgateway.org/ict/rc/ItemDetail.do?intcmp=3007&itemId=1140431
Urban-Lurain, M., & Zhao, Y. (2004). Freedom to learn evaluation report: 2003 project implementation. Retrieved June 2005, from www.hflcsd.org/ftlsummary.pdf
Wolak, J., Mitchell, K., & Finkelhor, D. (2006). Online Victimization of youth: Five years later, Retrieved May 2, 2013, from http://www.missingkids.com/en_US/publications/NC167.pdf
Yannie, M. (2000). Technology is us: Do we have time to learn? TechTrends, 44(4), 42–43.
Zhao, Y. (2009). Catching up or leading the Way: American education in the age of globalization. Alexandria: ASCD.
Zhao, Y., & Lei, J. (2009). New technology. In D. Plank, G. Sykes, & B. Schneider (Eds.), AERA handbook on educational policy research (pp. 671–693). New York: Routledge.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Lei, J., Shen, J., Johnson, L. (2014). Digital Technologies and Assessment in the Twenty-First-Century Schooling. In: Mueller, M., Tippins, D., Stewart, A. (eds) Assessing Schools for Generation R (Responsibility). Contemporary Trends and Issues in Science Education, vol 41. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2748-9_13
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2748-9_13
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-2747-2
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-2748-9
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawEducation (R0)