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Making Assumptions and Checking for Gaps

It's funny to think about the assumptions we make regarding a learner's knowledge around using devices. Too often we give instructions for them to use specific specific symbols or buttons without considering if they know how to do that. Instead of jumping ahead and expecting them to know the basics can we find a way to check their skills?

Previously I have discussed using Google forms as a form of assessment so can we not use this to check for gaps in the basic knowledge a learner needs to be successful while using devices? While I was thinking about this I began to brainstorm what learners need to know to use technological tools. As well as the basics like knowing the location of letters and common symbols there is the need for other tools such as enter, space, shift, caps lock and their relationship with these. Then I began to think about other common tools like copy, cut, paste, download, opening a new document and changing the settings on these. The list seems to go on so we need to decide what can be checked and measured and what cannot and finally we need to think about what else the learners may want to know.

I took the time to begin to create a form for my learners for the start of the school year using my instructions from my previous blog post (check it out below) and although I have a lot of processing to go and changes to make the point is that I am no longer going to follow my assumptions and instead I am going to get to know my learners and what the do and don't know.

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