Authentic Assessment Using Technology (Dragon Speak)

Using Dragon Speak as an alternate form of assessment.

"Dragon speech recognition software makes it easier for anyone to use a computer. You talk, and it types. Use your voice to create and edit documents"

Authentic assessment can sometimes prove challenging.  Much like scientific experiments and data gathering for statistics, it is important to isolate and remove any confounding variables.  One such confounding variable I have seen crop up is where the assessment tool is dependent upon a skill that is not being assessed.  This isn't always a problem, but in some cases it can skew the assessment results. 

Setting up an assessment station that has Dragon Speak (either on a computer or ipod touch) would help teachers assess students who have dificulty writing.  If you are assessing for content knowledge (not ability to write), then Dragon Speak enables a teacher to assess the knowledge gained as opposed to writing ability.  The program can email a transcript to the teacher, which in turn can produce a hard copy of that student's assessment.

I could see Dragon Speak (or similar programs) being integrated into the classroom to help various students, not only for assessment.  One could have a student speak their first draft, get a print out, and edit it.  To provide the student with the practice of writing, a teacher could print out the draft and have the student transcribe their words.  This practice will help build the fine motor skills and muscle memory that speaking lacks.