Supporting materials for presentation given by Dina Strasser, middle school English teacher and award-winning blogger, during THV's Summer Institute, Place & The Digital Native: Using Technology and Social Media to Teach the Hudson Valley.

1. Assessing Your Technology: A Rubric/Checklist
Place and the Digital Native: Teaching the Hudson Valley Conference, July 2011
Many thanks go to the participants of the “Taking It Deeper” workshop, whose creativity and critical thinking are summarized here.
Tool: Learning Goal:
Considerations 1 2 3 4 5
(negative (positive
effect) effect)
Support of Learning Goal
• Does the tech fully support the learning goal?
• Does the tech provide real world, authentic skills?
• Are competing goals emphasized when switching from certain activities to the use of this technology?
Interface
• What is the cost of time in using the technology?
• Does it encourage group interaction, or is it best used individually?
• What is the potential for distractions?
• Is the interface teacher/student friendly?
Learning Curve
• Is the learning curve for this technology steep (time/energy) for me?
• Is the learning curve for this technology steep (time/energy) for my students?
• Will the learning curve be educative in and of itself?
• Will the pace of the development of this tech render learning it obsolete?
Plan B
• In what ways can the tech fail?
• Is an effective Plan B in place, or can I develop one?
Interest/Gratification
• Is it age appropriate?
• Does it foster creativity?
• Is it appropriately engaging?
Other
• What is the financial cost?
• What is the environmental impact?
• Is the tech supported by the infrastructure of my workplace? (Is is accessible when I need it?)
• Can I or my students access the tech at home?
Hybrid Mind
• Does the tool contribute to the development of a hybrid mind?

2. If I have scored the technology as negative in any of these categories, can I make arrangements so that those disadvantages are offset or addressed in my classroom or workplace?