I truly believe the company or companies that get gaming right in the classroom will be the winner in education. I have no idea what it will be or what it may look like, but it is going to be huge. All kids are gamers, and most of the teachers under 40 are too. We must lose the stigma that games are a waste of time, they are not. We must also accept that games can deliver material effectively and that is a good thing. Check out this cool info-graphic.
So we are taking a standardized test that is used by many schools in Iowa and many other states. The test claims to have over 10,000 questions in its bank and they are leveled for the children. The test will get adjust to the the previous response of the student. The test usually consists of 50-60 questions.
The number varies based on the answers given.
A teacher sent me this question that appeared on the test.
How would you determine the speed of the water at the surface?
Now I have taught physics for 22 years and I like the concept of the question. The problem I have is that there is no reasonable answer. Most 9th graders have been taught (or better yet discovered) that speed is the distance traveled divided by the time it takes. S = D/T
Now none of the answers (A-D) have a statement that could be correct. The last answer (E) is probably the most reasonable providing you were driving the car the same speed as something floating in the water. Unfortunately that is not described in the answer.
The problem I have is that on a 50 question test, one of them being impossible could have a fairly significant affect on the results. Imagine if there was some ludicrous policy, like the ability to take higher level courses, tied to this score. I know this does occur.
How frustrating is this to the student? In just confidence alone, this could negatively impact scores. Recently a young lady from New York made her own test and I think it was very clever.
I am firm believer that the only objective part of most standardized tests is scoring, when done by an accurately programmed machine. Deciding what items to include on the test, how questions are worded, which answers are scored as “correct,” how the test is administered, and the uses of exam results are all made by subjective human beings.
Unfortunately this question takes away the only advantage I can see.
