Exams in English class often consist of a great deal of writing. This is painful for the teacher, who has to decode students' frantic scribblings, and for the students, who must nurse aching wrists. I feel that laptops (Chromebooks, perhaps?) would be a great help in this situation. Many students nowadays can type faster than they write, and typing produces much more legible essays. If Google Chrome were used, sharing the essay with the teacher after the test would be a snap. No more file folders full of papers that will only eventually be thrown away.
Now, would cheating be a concern? Well, cheating is always a concern. But I would argue that it is no more a danger with a computer than with paper and pen. If students try to write the answers beforehand (which isn't even a problem if the teacher doesn't share the questions, which they often do not), then Google Drive has an Activity log that will show when a document was created. It can be found by clicking the i in the circle at the upper right hand corner. This will not show when shared documents were created, but if there is any doubt, then a student's activity log can be checked.
What if students look at other documents or go on the internet during the test? First off, there are apps that can be used (StayFocusd comes to mind) to block certain sites, although Ashland has its own firewall which is very effective. Chromebooks provided through the school could be set with limitations as to what sites can be visited. Also, the upright position of a computer screen is surely easier for a teacher to scan for cheating than the papers that the students are bent over. This will allow them to see if the students are suffering from wandering mouses.
It may take a bit of work to integrate laptops into the classroom and into tests, but in the case of English, it may very well be worth it.
Now, would cheating be a concern? Well, cheating is always a concern. But I would argue that it is no more a danger with a computer than with paper and pen. If students try to write the answers beforehand (which isn't even a problem if the teacher doesn't share the questions, which they often do not), then Google Drive has an Activity log that will show when a document was created. It can be found by clicking the i in the circle at the upper right hand corner. This will not show when shared documents were created, but if there is any doubt, then a student's activity log can be checked.
What if students look at other documents or go on the internet during the test? First off, there are apps that can be used (StayFocusd comes to mind) to block certain sites, although Ashland has its own firewall which is very effective. Chromebooks provided through the school could be set with limitations as to what sites can be visited. Also, the upright position of a computer screen is surely easier for a teacher to scan for cheating than the papers that the students are bent over. This will allow them to see if the students are suffering from wandering mouses.
It may take a bit of work to integrate laptops into the classroom and into tests, but in the case of English, it may very well be worth it.
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