Technology Essentials in Education Episode 41:
Bridging Technology, Instruction, and Assessment

Hello there, my name is Monica Burns and welcome to this episode of Technology Essentials in education.

I'm very excited to chat with Dr. Eric Carbaugh today. He is a fellow ASCD author, he teaches at the Department of Middle, Secondary, and Math Education at James Madison University in Virginia, and we talk about the intersection of technology, instruction, and assessment in today's episode.

As I mentioned, he's an ASCD author currently working on a book about AI and assessment, so I asked him some AI questions as well. His perspective is really a generalist perspective across pre-service educators, in-service, and the work that he does working with educators in the field.

He really is a fantastic person to help us think about how all of these components connect. So we're going to chat about technology, instruction, assessment, and curriculum in today's episode.

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Welcome to the podcast. I am very excited to chat with you today about bridging technology, instruction, and assessment.

But before we get into all of that, can you share a bit with listeners about what your role in education is and what your day-to-day looks like?

My role in education, my day job is I like to tell people I teach in the Department of Middle, Secondary, and Math Education at James Madison University down here in Virginia.

I teach undergraduate and graduate courses in assessment, action research for educators, student teaching seminar, amongst some other coursework.

Also, I do some work on the side with school districts and in schools on a variety of instructional practices, curriculum, assessment, and differentiation.

My background is pretty general when it comes to all of that content.

That's really one of the reasons why I wanted to bring you on today because you have a wide range of perspective. You have that kind of generalist piece of the work that you do, kind of seeing the intersection of all of these components.

You wear a lot of hats in education. You're an author as well.

How has that shaped all the things that you see in these different roles and the different school districts that you support?

How has that shaped how you think about the relationship between technology and curriculum and assessment?

Foundationally for me, it all comes back to what the research says about how kids learn.

Starting with that as a jumping off point, technology can really enable a lot of things, particularly now with AI, things we couldn't do before.

Ways we can assess kids uniquely that we wouldn't have had the capabilities to do prior.

There's a lot of really cool things we can do with technology, but foundationally, if we're not using that to help kids learn, then what's the point?

They're kind of just tools at that point.

I always fall back on this intersection of assessment, curriculum, instruction, and technology, really falling back on how kids learn.

From that, how can we rethink what we do in the classroom to employ these technology tools to support learners?

If we're doing those things, then I think we're in a good place.

Just that idea of all of those components working together is so crucial.

Sometimes they're put into their own silos or the professional development support or the faculty meeting theme really focuses on just one of those areas, not how they come together.

When you think about the connection between the tech and the curriculum, the assessment, and the instruction piece, what do you wish more educators understood?

I think the biggest thing is there's always this drive to want to learn new tools and test them out, and someone show me how to do this or use this.

That's certainly great, but my suggestion for educators is always to pick the few things that you like, that do the things you want them to do, that help learners in your classroom and fit your situation, and go with that.

Even with my college students, we talk about integrating technology all the time, and one of my messages is always don't overwhelm yourself.

The ed tech world is enormous and getting more so with the boom of AI.

It really comes back to finding those things that are going to help you be successful, whether it's improving your workflow, supporting the diverse needs of kids in your classroom, thinking about curriculum in a new way, or assessing kids in a new way.

Just having that very clear tool belt is important.

The AI of it all has really changed some of the options educators have.

It can feel overwhelming that there are a lot of tools, many of which seem to do very similar things.

For some of the new pre-service teachers you support, it must feel particularly overwhelming, where a veteran teacher might have three or four things they come back to, and now they can pick and choose from new things.

For someone planning a unit of study, whether a pre-service teacher or someone in the field, what's a good way to think about technology integration alongside their curriculum and assessment goals from the very beginning?

Foundationally, it's starting with the end in mind. What are the outcomes you want students to achieve?

Think about how these tools can help students get there or help you help students get there.

If you're working from the end in mind and thinking about foundational outcomes, perhaps you want students to communicate their mathematical reasoning.

Is there a tool that can engage students to do that in an authentic and real-world way, like creating infographics or producing a podcast?

We can take these learning goals from the beginning and rethink what student work looks like.

Begin with the end in mind: what are the knowledge, skills, transfer goals, big ideas, and conceptual understandings you want students to achieve?

Using that as an anchor opens up possibilities for integrating technology into that work.

Thinking about what the outcome is for students, what they are making or creating, and where authenticity is present is key to making sure all these pieces come together.

Can you share an example of what it looks like when the tech, curriculum, and assessment are really working in alignment in a classroom?

It comes back to those goals. If everybody is pulling the rope in the same direction, starting with a transfer goal like communicating mathematical reasoning or evaluating sources for bias.

Then think about how technology helps students understand how that tool gets them to where they want to be.

Instructionally, there may be modeling to help students understand what the tool can do and how to use it.

Assessment should mirror that as well. Instruction and assessment should line up, starting with learning goals and evaluating mastery.

Technology can play several parts during assessment and instruction, creating synergy among those things in a cyclical way.

Technology can help us understand where students are, provide feedback, check in with them, and think about their individual learning trajectories.

These components are interdependent and work together, but ultimately we go back to where we want students to end up.

If the technology tool doesn't help get students there, then it doesn't need to be used.

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Are you seeing teachers leverage AI-powered or AI-fueled tools or platforms to help support that integration?

Is the AI component feeling siloed in your work, or are educators able to leverage tools to thread those pieces together?

AI comes from two perspectives: educators partnering with AI to be more efficient and rethink classroom work, and preparing students to partner with AI tools as their way of work will likely include that.

Technology is moving fast, and much is unknown. Teachers need to figure out how AI changes their work and help students understand that too.

We do workshops with teachers on AI, and I'm working on a book on AI and assessment.

In a few years, AI will be like Google or the World Wide Web, just part of assessment again.

There's no real choice but to think about what this means.

Some school divisions have cut back on technology use, like LA Unified, which is understandable, especially for younger kids with screen time concerns.

It's about the quality of time versus quantity of time, not just cutting down screen time but how we use it.

We have to be purposeful and thoughtful about when students use devices and AI for learning.

We must be purposeful with how we use technology, how we ask students to use it, and have them think through its impact on their learning.

Students need to understand the impacts of AI on their learning and become partners with it ethically and effectively, rather than just cognitively offloading or shortcutting learning.

There are many related issues with AI use and where we're headed, but being purposeful must drive all the work we do.

That level of intention, choosing moments, and focusing on quality versus quantity in student interactions is crucial.

It's tempting to put a number on minutes students can interact with devices, but experiences vary greatly across learning environments.

Assessment is part of this, where students might use a device to complete a quiz or create a podcast capturing their learning.

What role do assessments play in deciding which tech tools to bring into a lesson?

How can educators use assessment data to inform their choices for students?

AI tools can be great for engaging with student information, not big data, but synthesizing student responses to guide next steps.

For example, after an exit ticket, instead of spending hours reviewing responses, a teacher can use a tool to quickly analyze and plan for the next day.

The human in the loop is important; teachers still need to spend time with student information and not offload everything to AI.

Summative assessments and grading practices are also shifting with AI, raising questions about how to assess learning authentically.

If essays are offloaded to AI, what do we do instead? How do we rethink assessment and grading?

These interrelated issues cause us to question if traditional practices are still effective or need change.

Educators with routines that worked in the past face many variables that have shifted quickly, even if goals remain the same.

Instructional coaches and school leaders support teachers in making intentional connections between curriculum, assessment, and technology across a building or district.

Support should focus on student learning and how to provide support for teachers so kids are supported.

Using that as a North Star helps guide how technology can help teachers and students get to learning goals.

We have to start small and not expect an overnight overhaul, tying technology to research-based best practices for teaching, learning, and assessment.

Coaches and administrators can model and guide educators to understand shifts in teaching and student learning with technology integration.

For example, homework practices need rethinking, as traditional homework may no longer work effectively with AI and student needs.

We must identify practices that need change and provide structured guidance to teachers looking for help.

Massive shifts are not sustainable; anchoring changes in existing commitments and missions helps connect new tools like AI to current goals.

This conversation is helpful for educators looking at the intersection of technology, curriculum, and assessment, all centered on student learning.

For those who want to learn more about Dr. Eric Carbaugh's work, where can people connect with you?

I'm in the process of submitting a book on AI and assessment titled Leveraging AI to Create a Learner-Centered System of Assessment, expected spring or early summer 2027.

I'll be presenting at the ASCD conference at the end of June and beginning of July.

I'm on LinkedIn and Twitter at EMC7x and love connecting with folks and hearing about their work.

Two and a half years ago, I was a learner too, trying to navigate and figure it out, so leaning on each other is important as nobody has all the answers.

Hearing about others' implementations and successes helps everyone.

Thank you so much, Eric, for your time today. It was a lot of fun chatting with you.

I'm going to finish up with a few key points from our conversation.

First, anchor every technology decision in what research says about how kids learn.

Start with the end in mind by identifying your learning outcomes before choosing any tech tools.

Pick a few tools that fit your situation rather than chasing every new platform.

Keep the human in the loop when reviewing student information rather than fully offloading that task to AI.

Remember to connect with Dr. Eric Carbaugh on all the platforms he mentioned. You can find his books through ASCD by searching his name on their website.

As you continue exploring the intersection of these areas, come back to this conversation and the tips and strategies shared.

A big thank you to Jotform, the presenter of today's episode.

To learn more about Jotform and how educational institutions can get a 30% discount on Jotform Enterprise, head to Jotform.com slash enterprise slash education.