Tricia Kelleher, a principal in the United Kingdom, is also part of The Guardian's teacher network and is sharing with fellow educators why she thinks technology is exactly what homework needs to be a successful predictor of student achievement in the 21st century.

"Digital learning can...create a seamless feedback loop between teachers and students. In a non-digital environment, students complete their homework, hand it in and get it back a few days later, marked with comments that the teacher hopes they will read and absorb," Kelleher said.

In this non-digital environment, teachers frequently find out too late that their students have had difficulty mastering the skills, potentially when the class has already moved on to the next subject.

With digital learning, on the other hand, feedback becomes a more timely and constructive process through which the student can actually learn and improve where needed, she says.

Kelleher specifically references Google Classroom, where students can receive deadlines for drafts of various assignments and receive continuous feedback throughout the process.

"By being able to see which students are having problems and what those problems are, the teacher can clear up misunderstandings, provide extra scaffolding or even alter the parameters of the task," she said.

Kelleher said that in order for homework to become an "authentic extension of learning," teachers should begin taking more advantage of digital resources.

"Homework no longer needs to be a solitary activity; it can be interactive and social. Without the constraint of location, homework can be collaborative; not only with other members of the class and teachers, but with students in any part of the world."

Read the full article here and comment with your thoughts below.

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

07/28/2015