Study Guide

Field 223: Technology Specialist 
Sample Multiple-Choice Questions

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Each multiple-choice question has four answer choices. Read each question and its answer choices carefully and choose the ONE best answer.

During the test you should try to answer all questions. Even if you are unsure of an answer, it is better to guess than not to answer a question at all. You will NOT be penalized for choosing an incorrect response.

Objective 0001 
Understand concepts and skills relevant to digital-age learning environments, tools, and resources that maximize the learning of all students.

1. A high school wants to take advantage of distance learning courses offered at a local community college. However, the video being displayed at the high school is halting, and the video and audio are out of sync. Which of the following factors is most likely causing the problem?

  1. resolution of the display
  2. quality of the video camera used at the college
  3. amount of available bandwidth at the high school
  4. computer platform incompatibility between the two locations
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
Bandwidth is the amount of data that can be transferred across a network per second. If bandwidth is insufficient, the computer will buffer streaming video data and will only begin playback when there is enough data for it to play smoothly, causing a halt during buffering. When bandwidth is insufficient, the audio track, which is smaller and requires less bandwidth, will play but the video track can lag, causing the two tracks to get out of sync.

Objective 0001 
Understand concepts and skills relevant to digital-age learning environments, tools, and resources that maximize the learning of all students.

2. Which of the following scenarios best illustrates the concept of interoperability?

  1. Teachers can easily communicate with students and parents/guardians online.
  2. Several users can simultaneously access the same cloud-based application.
  3. Group members can add information to a class wiki and edit one another's work.
  4. Students can access content from multiple online sources with a single log-in.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
Interoperability refers to the seamless sharing of content and services among systems or applications. Single-sign-on (SSO) solutions allow students to use one username and password to access a variety of online content tools and services, either from a single provider or from multiple, integrated providers.

Objective 0002 
Understand social, ethical, legal, and security issues related to the use of technology in education.

3. A teacher is configuring a computer so that when using the keyboard, combinations of keys can be entered one key at a time rather than by pressing two or more keys simultaneously. This feature is most likely to benefit a student who:

  1. lacks confidence when using a keyboard.
  2. is only able to use one hand when entering data with a keyboard.
  3. needs to use the mouse rather than the keyboard for all tasks.
  4. uses an oversized keyboard because of a visual impairment.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
Keyboard shortcuts are keystrokes used to perform tasks in a software application. Keyboard shortcuts typically require one or more keys to be pressed simultaneously, posing difficulties for computer users who have the use of only one hand. Many computers can be configured so that the shortcut keys can be pressed sequentially, allowing users with the use of just one hand to issue commands from the keyboard.

Objective 0002 
Understand social, ethical, legal, and security issues related to the use of technology in education.

4. An elementary school has purchased educational software with a limited number of single-user licenses. Which of the following situations best describes a violation of copyright law with regard to the software's use?

  1. The school monitors the number of software installations.
  2. The school makes a copy of the software for each teacher.
  3. The technology specialist installs one copy of the software on the school's file server.
  4. The teachers share the software, so as not to exceed the allowed number of installations.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
A single-user license is a traditional licensing model that allows a software application to be installed on a single computer. The number of computers on which the software application can be installed cannot legally exceed the number of single-user licenses purchased.

Objective 0003 
Understand educational and technology-related research, the psychology of learning, and instructional design principles that guide use of computers and technology in education.

5. In a constructivist learning environment, the focus of student learning is primarily on the:

  1. technology tools the student is using.
  2. assessments given at the end of the instructional unit.
  3. issue or problem the student is trying to solve.
  4. instructional materials that are accessible outside of the classroom.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
The theory of constructivist learning suggests that students construct knowledge and meaning from their experiences. A constructivist learning environment creates learner-centered environments and focuses on students' gaining knowledge through creating solutions to real-world problems.

Objective 0004 
Understand how to install, manage, and maintain the infrastructure of educational technology.

6. When scanning a removable storage device for viruses, it is most important to check files having which of the following extensions?

  1. .jpg
  2. .pdf
  3. .wav
  4. .exe
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
Files with the .exe extension are files that execute program code when the file is opened. Viruses integrate themselves into legitimate programs that must run in order for the virus to propagate or to be effective. Viruses cannot propagate when integrated into a file that does not execute program code.

Objective 0004 
Understand how to install, manage, and maintain the infrastructure of educational technology.

7. A computer's operating system is primarily responsible for performing which of the following tasks?

  1. securing information
  2. compressing data files
  3. defragmenting the hard drive
  4. managing resources
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
A computer's operating system is responsible for a number of tasks. It provides a user interface and services for software applications. A computer's operating system also manages computer resources, such as memory, disk drives, the central processing unit, and peripheral devices.

Objective 0005 
Understand types, uses, and selection of technologies in both classroom and administrative environments.

8. A committee of middle school teachers is meeting to begin the process of finding a software program to improve students' presentation skills. Which of the following steps should the committee take first in this process?

  1. downloading a trial version of the most popular software for evaluation
  2. defining the objectives the committee would like the software to meet
  3. conducting a survey to determine the students' comfort and skills levels
  4. deciding what type of user interface would be most appropriate
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
For the integration of technology into the classroom to be successful, the technology must support the learning objectives of the curriculum. Identifying and defining the objectives the committee would like the software to meet ensures that the only software applications selected for evaluation will be those that align with the curricular objectives.

Objective 0005 
Understand types, uses, and selection of technologies in both classroom and administrative environments.

9. A school district is switching from computer-based applications to a cloud-based subscription service for software applications. The district can expect to see which of the following benefits?

  1. reduced time spent on network administration
  2. fewer troubleshooting issues with classroom computers
  3. more efficient tracking of standardized test scores
  4. an increase in students' ability to access software outside of school
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
Cloud-based subscription services for software applications are software services that can be logged into from any device and from any location. These services provide students with access to the software being used in the classroom, regardless of whether or not the software is installed on the students' home computers.

Objective 0006 
Understand concepts and skills related to implementing, promoting, and supporting technology literacy across the curriculum.

10. A middle school social science teacher assigns students an instructional video to watch for homework as an introduction to activities they will be doing the following day at school. To promote students' engagement with the video's content, it would likely be most effective for the teacher to:

  1. inform students that they will have a quiz on the video at the beginning of class.
  2. ask students to explain the main ideas of the video to a family member.
  3. have students identify two things from the video they want to know more about.
  4. provide students with a list of Web sites that elaborate on the video's topic.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
Asking students to identify two things in the video that they would like to know more about helps them watch the video with a purpose and activates their curiosity. This strategy engages the students by helping them to actively view rather than passively consume the video's content.

Objective 0006 
Understand concepts and skills related to implementing, promoting, and supporting technology literacy across the curriculum.

11. An effective strategy for helping fifth-grade students reinforce their own learning and fostering a supportive classroom community would be for the teacher to:

  1. ask students to share their technology expertise with classmates who have less experience.
  2. pair students together to work on gathering specific pieces of information from the Web.
  3. have students volunteer to evaluate digital materials and give their findings to the teacher.
  4. assign students to distribute digital tools when they are needed and to gather and store them when done.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
When students are asked to share their technology expertise with their classmates, they have the opportunity to reinforce and extend what they already know while learning skills related to problem solving and communication. By asking students to share what they know, the teacher encourages the students to work together and learn from one another, creating a cooperative and supportive classroom environment and providing the "expert" with a sense of mastery.

Objective 0007 
Understand concepts and skills related to instructional design and product development.

12. Students in a music class are using audio recording software with a microphone to record live music performances as .wav files. When the students play back their first recording, they find that the sound quality is very poor. Which of the following actions is most likely to solve this problem?

  1. increasing the digital sampling rate
  2. saving the file to the computer in the MP3 file format
  3. rerecording using MIDI devices
  4. playing the recording through the computer's internal speakers
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
Sampling rate is the number of samples of audio carried per second. If the sample rate is too low, information is lost and the audio can sound "choppy." Increasing the sample rate means that more information is retained, which would improve the sound quality of the recording.

Objective 0007 
Understand concepts and skills related to instructional design and product development.

13. Administrators in a middle school want to foster an environment conducive to the comprehensive integration of technology into the educational setting. To achieve this goal, it is most important for the administrators to focus on:

  1. cultivating a culture of responsible risk-taking and supporting innovation in the use of technology.
  2. establishing strict guidelines and requirements for technology use within the curriculum.
  3. showcasing teachers who are actively incorporating technology into their classrooms.
  4. promoting a culture of acceptance where teachers infuse technology into the curriculum at their own pace.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
Technology integration in the classroom is an ever-evolving process. For comprehensive integration to occur, teachers need to feel safe and supported in exploring and experimenting with new technology and new applications of existing technology. When this perspective is encouraged and supported by the technology specialist and administration, teachers are more likely to have a growth mindset related to technology integration and to model and encourage this mindset to their students.

Objective 0008 
Understand how to coach teachers in using technology effectively for assessing student learning, differentiating instruction, and providing rigorous, relevant, and engaging learning experiences for all students.

14. A sixth-grade classroom teacher has asked the technology specialist for assistance in integrating some of the school's multimedia resources into an upcoming unit on the continents. It would be most appropriate for the technology specialist to explain to the teacher that the use of technology should be determined primarily by the:

  1. teacher's level of comfort with classroom technology.
  2. educational objectives of the unit being presented.
  3. ability of the resources and presentation to entertain students.
  4. amount of in-class time that will be devoted to the unit.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
Within the classroom, learning objectives, instructional strategies, and assessments should all align to the educational objectives of the unit being taught. Technology alone does not improve learning but should be one of many instructional strategies used to meet the learning objectives.

Objective 0009 
Understand how to contribute to the development, communication, and implementation of a shared vision for the comprehensive integration of technology to support a digital-age education for all students.

15. Significant and long-lasting changes related to technology integration in a school are most likely to occur when which of the following conditions are met?

  1. The parents/guardians and community stakeholders are included in the planning process.
  2. The school's administration relies on teachers' recommendations for implementation.
  3. The school's policies, culture, and funding are all supportive of the initiative.
  4. The curriculum is designed so that students can use their own devices in the classroom.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
When a school's policies, culture, and funding are all supportive of technology initiatives, the school community knows that technology integration is a priority and that there are plans to encourage it and move it forward. Support for technology integration by the administration also tends to create a culture of curiosity and exploration for the entire school community, which is more likely to lead to transformative learning experiences.

Objective 0009 
Understand how to contribute to the development, communication, and implementation of a shared vision for the comprehensive integration of technology to support a digital-age education for all students.

16. In which of the following situations is a grant proposal most likely to be successful?

  1. The applicant has been awarded funding by the same funding source in prior years.
  2. The application is submitted to the funding source well before the application deadline.
  3. A detailed budget is sent to the funding source for review prior to submission.
  4. The proposed initiative is aligned with the funding source's priorities.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
A grant proposal is most likely to be successful when the proposed initiative clearly shows an understanding of and alignment with the funding sources' specific interests, priorities, and requirements. The chances of a grant proposal being successful are increased if the proposed initiative clearly states how it will meet the funding source's priorities.

Objective 0010 
Understand issues related to facilities and resource management.

17. When planning for the successful management of technology systems at the school level, it is most important to create:

  1. a plan that takes into consideration the total cost of ownership.
  2. guidelines for access to technology by teachers, students, and staff.
  3. a schedule for the replacement of outdated or malfunctioning technology equipment.
  4. a plan that utilizes the expertise of teachers and students to minimize maintenance costs.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
Total cost of ownership includes the original cost of purchasing the equipment, along with costs for installing, maintaining, and upgrading the equipment; updating the existing infrastructure; and training teachers and administrators in the use of the technology. All of these costs must be taken into consideration when creating an accurate and successful technology plan.

Objective 0010 
Understand issues related to facilities and resource management.

18. E-Rate is the discount schools receive for telecommunication services and Internet access. Under this federal program, schools may also be eligible for discounts on:

  1. the internal network wiring and connections.
  2. computers for teachers and students.
  3. professional development for technology staff.
  4. educational software packages.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
The universal service Schools and Libraries Program, commonly known as "E-Rate," is intended to ensure that schools and libraries have access to affordable telecommunications and information services. Funding is available in five areas: telecommunications, telecommunications services, Internet access, internal connections, and basic maintenance of internal connections.

Objective 0011 
Understand staff development activities to support professional growth in learning technologies.

19. A teacher interested in obtaining technology standards for students could most likely obtain the information from which of the following sources?

  1. Information Systems Security Association (ISSA)
  2. International Society for Technology in Education (I S T E)
  3. Journal of Information Technology Education
  4. Educational Research Service (ERS)
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
The International Society for Technology in Education (I S T E) has developed standards for students and educators. The I S T E Standards for Students describe the skills and knowledge students need in an interconnected, digital world, while the I S T E Standards for Educators describe the skills and insights educators need to meet the technology needs of students.

Objective 0012 
Understand how to deepen professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions in content, pedagogical, and technological areas as well as adult learning and leadership.

20. When modeling the use of technology-enhanced learning experiences for school personnel, the technology specialist should make sure to emphasize that he or she is:

  1. available to provide performance evaluations.
  2. an expert in the field.
  3. able to perform tasks quickly.
  4. also a continual learner.
Answer and Rationale. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
The world of technology is constantly changing, therefore teachers need to understand that the integration of technology into the classroom will be a constantly evolving process. By emphasizing that the technology specialist is also a continual learner, the specialist models appropriate expectations and lets the teachers know that the specialist and the teachers are in the learning process together.