 Technology: What the Research Says
By Ria Mastromatteo, Educational Technology Consultant ()
As the school year starts, you're faced with new technology standards and an administration that is telling you to use technology in your classroom. Do you say to yourself, "I have too much to do already! Why should I use technology?" Maybe this will encourage you to give technology a try.
Volumes of research have been written on the value of technology to students. According to John Cradler (et. al.) in his article, "How Does Technology Influence Student Learning?" (Learning and Leading with Technology 29 (8), 2002), three primary areas of student growth are greatly affected by the use of technology: "content achievement, thinking skills and preparation for work and the world beyond the classroom."
Content Achievement: A great deal of evidence shows that student achievement, as measured by standardized tests, is improved when there is a direct link between curriculum and instruction and the use of technology. The use of "open-ended software" such as PowerPoint, Inspiration, Excel, etc., encourages students to become independent learners and to be more responsible for their learning. Students appear to be more motivated to learn when using technology. It follows, then, that academic performance will improve.
Thinking Skills: Research indicates that when students use simulations, graphic organizers and problem-based scenarios, they develop the skill of "knowing how to learn." When these types of activities are tackled by students, higher-order thinking skills develop and content knowledge improves. This same improvement is not recorded for students using "drill and practice" software.
The World Beyond the Classroom: Technology fluency and the ability to adapt to new and ever-changing technologies is essential in the workplace today. (Boy, don't we know that!) Research shows that students who use word processors, databases, and spreadsheet and presentation software in completing real tasks that match content standards will better be able to meet the technology challenges of the workplace.
If you want the hard data that supports these findings, go to the Center for Applied Research in Educational Technology at http://caret.iste.org. A search option allows you to locate information on your area of interest. If you want lesson plans that link the standards with technology, the number of useful sites is growing daily. Try these:
Ohio Resource Center If you want "juried" lessons to fit the standards, select Instruction and browse this great site: http://www.ohiorc.org.
ODE Instructional Management System Find lesson plans and assessments for language arts and mathematics at http://ims.ode.state.oh.us/ode/ims/Default.asp?bhcp=1.
Marco Polo This excellent site links topics to the standards. Go to http://www.marcopolo-education.com.
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