How can technology be used most effectively to support and assess student learning?

I think that technology can be used in many different ways to support and assess student learning. It can be used in the classroom to support a lesson. Images and video clips can be used to show examples, introduce a lesson, make a point, challenge students, etc. Teachers can assign projects that utilize tools found online that are easy to use and are free. This helps students present their ideas in other ways that are not written by hand or typed on a computer. Technology can challenge students to think critically and be creative. Online games and quizzes can be used as a fun way to reinforce student knowledge. They can help students practice a newly learned skill, reinforce a previous skill, or challenge them beyond what they know. Technology can also be used to assess what a student should know at the end of a unit. There are many tools available out on the world wide web for all content areas. For example, if a student has just finished learning all six elements of design - line, shape/form, color, value, texture, and space/perspective - the teacher should be able to assess their knowledge by having the student present what they learned using a technology tool (presentation, reflective blog, wiki, newsletter, etc.).