Impact of Technology Essay Example for Free

Impact of Technology EssayStudents in the early alumnuss, from pre-K to grade 3, and in the middle tame grades appear to benefit almost from DES applications for statement instruction, as do pupils with finicky reading ineluctably. In a 2000 drive commissi hotshotd by the Softw atomic number 18 and Information Industry Association, Sivin-Kachala and Bialo (2000) reviewed 311 question studies on the forceiveness of applied science on educatee feat.Their findings revealed positive and consistent patterns when disciples were engaged in applied science-rich environments, including signifi toilett gains and achievement in all in all subject atomic number 18as, increased achievement in pre tutor done postgraduate indoctrinate for both regular and special needs students, and meliorated attitudes toward training and increased self-esteem. ODwyer, Russell, Bebell, and Tucker-Seeley (2005) found that, while controlling for both prior achievement and socio scotch s tatus, fourth-grade students who reported greater frequency of engine room accustom at school to edit papers were likely to mystify higher total English/language arts test scores and higher constitution scores on fourth grade test scores on the Massach utilisationtts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) English/Language Arts test.Michigans exemption to Learn (FTL) initiative, an effort to provide middle school students and teachers with addition to wireless(prenominal) laptop ready reck mavinrs, has been credited with improving grades, motivation and discipline in schoolrooms across the state, with one exemplary school seeing reading proficiency scores on the Michigan knowledge Assessment Program (MEAP) test, administered in January 2005, reportedly increasing from 29 percent to 41 percent for seventh graders and from 31 to 63 percent for eighth graders (eSchool News, 2005).In examining large-scale state and content studies, as well as some innovative smaller studies on bare-asseder cultivational technologies, Schacter (1999) found that students with vex to any of a number of technologies (such as computer assisted instruction, integrated information systems, simulations and software that teaches higher order sen meternt, collaborative net weeed technologies, or design and programming technologies) show positive gains in achievement on researcher constructed tests, standardized tests, and national tests.Cavanaughs synthesis (2001) of 19 experimental and quasi-experimental studies of the effectiveness of interactive distance education using videoconferencing and telecommunications for K-12 academic achievement found a small positive effect in favor of distance education and more than than positive effect sizes for interactive distance education programs that combine an individualized approach with traditional contourroom instruction.Boster, Meyer, Roberto, Inge (2002) examined the consolidation of standards-based video clips into lessons s timulateed by classroom teachers and found increases student achievement. The study of more than 1,400 elementary and middle school students in three Virginia school districts showed an average increase in learning for students exposed to the video clip application compared to students who accredited traditional instruction alone. Wenglinsky (1998) noted that for fourth- and eighth-graders engineering science has positive benefits on achievement as deliberate in NAEPs mathematics test.Interestingly, Wenglinsky found that using computers to teach low order thinking skills, such as drill and practice, had a negative impact on academic achievement, while using computers to solve simulations saw their students math scores increase significantly. Hiebert (1999) raised a resembling point. When students over-practice procedures originally they understand them, they have more difficulty fashioning sense of them later however, they can learn new concepts and skills while they are solvi ng problems. In a study that examined relationship between computer physical exertion and students science achievement based on selective information from a standardized mind,Papanastasiou, Zemblyas, Vrasidas (2003) found it is not the computer put on itself that has a positive or negative effect on achievement of students, provided the way in which computers are theatrical roled. Researchers are as well making progress on the more complicated task of investigating the impact of technology drop on higher order thinking skills as measured through means new(prenominal) than standardized tests. They are examining students ability to understand complex phenomena, analyze and synthesize multiple sources of information, and build representations of their knowledge knowledge.At the corresponding time, some researchers are calling for newer standardized legal opinions that emphasize the ability to access, interpret, and synthesize information. Research indicates that computer t echnology can help support learning and is ruinicularly mapful in developing the higher-order skills of critical thinking, analysis, and scientific inquiry by engaging students in authentic, complex tasks within collaborative learning contexts (Roschelle, Pea, Hoadley, Gordin Means, 2000 Means, et. al. , 1993).While research linking technology integration, inquiry-based instruction, and emphasis on problem solving with student achievement is emergent, some research exists that suggests a connection. In a 2001 study of Enhancing Missouris Instructional Networked commandment Strategies (eMints) program, a state bulky technology integration initiative, eMINTS students scored consistently higher on the Missouri Assessment Program ( present) than non-eMINTS students, including eMINTS students classified as having special needs. The higher MAP results were found to be associated with the instructional practices (Evaluation Team Policy Brief, 2002).The eMINTS program provides teache rs with captain organic evolution to help integrate technology so that they can call inquiry-based teaching and emphasize critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. The program has since expanded to not only Missouri schools and districts except also other states as well. Currently, 232 Missouri districts, 10 Utah districts, 56 Maine districts, 2 Nevada districts, and 1 Illinois district, representing 1,000 classrooms and 22,500 students now take advantage of the eMINTS program offerings.Test results continue to show that, on most state tests, students enrolled in eMINTS classrooms scored higher than students enrolled in non-eMINTS classrooms and that low-income and special education students in eMINTS classes generally score higher than their non-eMINTS peers (eMINTS, 2005). Results from other studies (Perez-Prado and Thirunarayanan 2002 Cooper 2001 Smith, Ferguson and Caris 2001) also suggest that students can benefit from technology-enhanced collaborative learning methods and the interactive learning process.Roschelle, Pea, Hoadley, Gordin, Means (2000) identify four fundamental characteristics of how technology can enhance both what and how children learn in the classroom (1) active engagement, (2) classicipation in groups, (3) ghost interaction and feedback, and (4) connections to real- worldly concern contexts. They also indicate that use of technology is more effective as a learning tool when embedded in a capaciouser education reform movement that includes avails in teacher training, curriculum, student assessment, and a schools capacity for metamorphose.Back To earn FACTORS TO CONSIDER Inclusion Reaching All Students A major(ip) concern of many educators with regard to educational technology is its potential to exclude those who may not have access to it, or may not be able to use it. Regardless of what research may indicate concerning positive effects of technology on student learning, technology will be of peculiar(a) use in achievin g the goals of NCLB if is not available to all students. Students at Risk.Research demonstrates that the challenge of helping teachers and students achieve ICT literacy, and the challenge of establishing frameworks for assessing their skills, is most acute in schools overhaul low-socioeconomic, minority students (Becker, 2000b Becker Ravitz, 1997). While universal debate about the digital divide centers on basic technology access, the gap is even wider when measured by the pedagogic practices associated with technology use in different schools. more(prenominal) than half (53%) of teachers in public schools who have computers use them or the Internet for instruction during class.But in schools whose students are from higher-income families, 61 percent of teachers with computers use them in class compared to 50 percent of those teaching in schools with lower-income students (Lenhart, Rainie Lewis, 2001). And as wired as many new-fashioned people are, the same study that found 8 7 percent of young people use the Internet also found that 3 million cover without Internet access. Many of those without access come from financially disadvantaged backgrounds, and a disproportionate number are black (eSchool News, 2005a).Schools serving students living in need tend to use technology for more traditional memory-based and remedial activities, while schools serving wealthier communities are more likely to focus on communication and expression. A nationwide study examining the relationship between socioeconomic status and teaching practices around technology found that teaching in low-SES schools correlated most powerfully with using technology for reinforcement of skills and remediation of skills, while teaching in higher-SES schools correlated most with analyzing information and presenting information to an audience (Becker, 2000b).At the same time, although less studied than other outcomes, demonstration efforts and anecdotal evidence suggest that teaching ICT li teracy skills (specifically those related to multimedia literacy in Web, publishing and video production) can improve the economic prospects of at-risk youth by giving them marketable skills (Lau Lazarus, 2002). Back To blow over Language Learners. Likewise, in teaching language learners, using technology has distinct advantages that relate not only to language education but preparing students for to solar days information society.Computer technologies and the Internet are powerful tools for assisting language teaching because Web technology is a part of todays social fabric, meaning language learners can now learn thorough writing e-mail and conducting online research (Wang, 2005). In Oregon secondary schools, wirelessly networked note pickings is used to support Hispanic migrant students who speak English as a second language (ESL).As part of the InTime project, ESL students attend regular high school classes along with a bilingual, note-taking/mentoring partner. Note takers and students communicate using a collaborative devise processing and graphics package on wirelessly networked laptop computers. During class presentations, ESL students can read their note takers translation of key words, allowing students to build both English and Spanish literacy skills as they advance academically (Knox and Anderson-Inman, 2001). Students with Disabilities. For several decades, the American educational system has taken a narrow view of special education, treating it as a mini-school within the school where teachers, largely cut off from the rest of the staff, face up a group of students with an incredibly wide range of abilities and disabilities and made the best of it. Today, that view of special education is giving way to a broader, more philosophic approachan approach designed to weave inclusive practices into the fabric of the whole-school environment. (MOSAIC, 2000a).The disruption in recognizing the needs of students with disabilities in relationship to t heir general education peers began with the 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities fosterage Act. onwards the law, many children with disabilities who were not in schools at all because schools had chosen to exclude them (MOSAIC, 2000b). IDEA clearly established that all students with disabilities have the right to public education. More than 6 million children with disabilities ages 3 to 21 years old are served in federally supported programs (Snyder Tan, 2005).However, students with disabilities frequently experience insufficient access to and victor in the general education curriculum. This is especially true for adolescent learners, even non-disabled students, who must cope with the emphasis on learning from text (Biancarosa Snow, 2004 Kamil, 2003). Universal form for Learning (UDL) takes advantage of the opportunity brought by rapidly evolving communication technologies to create flexible teaching methods and curriculum materials that can rack up diverse le arners and improve student access to the general education curriculum (Rose Meyer, 2002).UDL assumes that students bring different needs and skills to the task of learning, and the learning environment should be designed to both accommodate, and make use of, these differences (Bowe 2000 Rose Meyer, 2002). To promote improved access to the general curriculum for all learners, including learners with disabilities, Rose Meyer (2002) have identified three key principles or fall outlines for UDL Presenting information in multiple formats and multiple media. Offering students with multiple ways to express and demonstrate what they have learned.Providing multiple entry points to engage student interest and motivate learning. For example, printed reading materials pose substantial challenges to the learning of students with disabilities (J. Zorfass personal communication, October 2005). Technology can assist with such difficulties by enabling a shift from printed text to electronic text , which Anderson-Inman and Reinking (1998) verify can be modified, enhanced, programmed, linked, searched, collapsed, and collaborative.Text styles and font sizes can be modified as essential by readers with visual disabilities read aloud by a computer-based text-to-speech translators and integrated with illustrations, videos, and audio. Electronic text affords alternative formats for reading materials that can be customized to match learner needs, can be structured in ways that hold the learning process and expand both physical and cognitive access, and can foster new modes of expression through revision and multimedia (J.Zorfass personal communication, October 2005). It represents one way that technology can support the achievement of students with disabilities. Technology also has a role to fly the coop in the testing of students with disabilities. A notable set-back of NCLB is the legislations mandatory requirement that states account for individual subgroups, which has fur ther challenged schools and districts to acknowledge students with disabilities (McLaughlin, S Embler, K Nagle, 2004 Nagle, 2005).State academic content and achievement standards now define the goals of education for all students, and most students with disabilities are now expected to reach the same level of proficiency as their non-disabled peers. In order to ensure that disabilities do not prevent students from participating in standardized assessments, students with disabilities are entitled to take these tests in the same way as their peers, with accommodations, or with an alternate assessment (Thompson, Thurlow, Moore, 2003).These accommodations or alternatives must not alter the content standard creation measured nor the achievement standard (McLaughlin, Embler Nagle, 2004). While technology can support such accommodations and alternatives, liaison a balance between accommodation and standardization across all students testing experiences remains a subject of debate today (Murray, 2005). Back To Top educational Technology and Data Driven Decision MakingThe effectiveness of educational technology on student learning depends not only on what outcomes are targeted and how the technology is integrated into instruction, but also on how teachers assess student mathematical operation in classrooms and adjust instruction accordingly. Technology offers teachers a broad range of tools to get together and analyze selective information, and richer sets of student info to guide instructional decisions.NCLB has prompted educators to think much more systematically about educational decision-making and the use of data to inform their decisions about everything from choice allocation to instructional practice. Schools are now expected to monitor their efforts to alter all students to achieve, and administrators and teachers are now expected to be prepared to use data to understand where students are academically and to establish targeted, responsive, and flexib le ways to improve this academic standing (Mitchell, Lee, Herman, 2000, p. 2). However, despite encouragement at the policy level, on that point is growing consensus that schools are not adequately prepared for the task of routinely thinking critically about the relationships between instructional practices and student outcomes (Confrey Makar, 2005 Olsen, 2003 Hammerman Rubin, 2002 Herman Gribbons, 2001 Kearns Harvey, 2000).Recent research conducted by EDCs Center for Children and Technology has found that educators functional at different levels of a school system have distinctive transcendent approaches to the process, despite the absence of systematic training in a particular approach to data-driven decision-making. For example, school administrators use high-stakes test data to allocate resources and plan professed(prenominal) development and other kinds of targeted intervention activities by identifying general patterns of performance, class-, grade-, and school-wide s trengths and weaknesses.Teachers tend to use multiple sources of datahomework assignments, in-class tests, classroom performances, and experiential informationto inform their thinking about their students strengths and weaknesses (Brunner, Fasca, Heinze, Honey, Light, Mandinach Wexler, 2005 Light, Wexler Heinze, 2004 Honey, Brunner, Light, Kim, McDermott, Heinze, Bereiter Mandinach, 2002).While drawing on varied sources of data to form opinions about students competencies is not new behavior for teachers, significant research (Mandinach, Honey, Light, Heinze, Rivas, 2005 Confrey Makar, 2002, 2005 Hammerman, Rubin, 2002, 2003) suggests that teachers examine factors that extend to individual patterns of behavior and think case-by-case, rather than identify patterns in data at different levels of aggregation, from student-to-student, class-to-class, and year-to-year, and systematically analyze the relationship between student performance and instructional strategies and material s.Data literacythe ability of instructional leaders and teachers to work individually and collectively to examine outcomes-based achievement data, formative assessment measures of student performance, and students work products, and to develop strategies for improvement based on these datais now widely recognized as a critical strategy in the academic performance of schools (Fullan, 1999 Haycock, 2001 Johnson, 1996 Love, 2004 Schmoker, 1999 Zalles, 2005).A key concept of data literacy is generating only the data that are needed and making full use of whats collected. The National Research Council (1996) notes that, far too often, more educational data are collected and analyzed than are used to make decisions or take action (p. 90). Those resources become meaningful to educators only when they are transformed into information, and ultimately into usable or actionable knowledge (Mandinach Honey, 2005).Taken as a whole, the emerging research in this area suggests that what is needed is a comprehensive and purposeful approach to the use of data that not only informs the practices of individual teachers, but is supported as an essential and strategic part of school-wide improvement strategies. New lord development programs are now training teachers and school leaders in how to make use of data in systematic and miserly ways to continuously improve student performance.For example, TERC has created Using Data, a professional development model that introduces teachers to a process through which they learn to frame questions, collect data, formulate hypotheses, draw conclusions, take action, and monitor results (Love, 2002). Preliminary studies have indicated that this model has had an impact on teacher classroom behavior and on their approach to data analysis and interpretation (Love, 2004), and has also improved student learning as indicated by state and formative assessments (Zuman, 2005).Results from external evaluations of the intervention conducted in various locations have shown substantial gains in student performance on state accountability measures in the areas of math and language arts. Technology has a vital role to play in enabling data-driven decision-making. Web-based test data reporting systems provide an interface to the state and city testing results by organizing raw data into information that is line up with state standards and mobile computing devices, such as handhelds, provide teachers with a platform to administer and analyze the data of classroom-based assessments.For example, according to the 2004 Quality Education Data, 55 percent of the nations public school districts used PDAs or handheld PCs in the 2002-2003 school year with an additional 8 percent expected to purchase them for use during the 2003-2004 school year. The numbers released by Wireless Generation, a for-profit company that designs educational assessment applications for handheld devices, suggests an even greater increase. During the fall of 2005, Wir eless estimates that roughly 80,000 teachers, working in 48 states will be using their software to collect and analyze data for up to one million students in pre-K through 6th grade.The company currently has contracts with ten Reading First states, as well as with some of the largest school districts in the nation, including the New York City Board of Education and Chicago Public Schools. While using PDAs to administer assessments and view data are becoming increasingly popular, few studies have examined the effect they have on teacher practice and student achievement (Brunner Honey, 2001 Hupert, Martin, Heinze, Kanaya, Perez, 2004 Sharp Risko, 2003 Sharp, 2004).Studies that have begun to examine this trend suggest that that these tools assist teachers in thinking more substantively about students progress. As a whole, the research indicates that the single most powerful affordance of the technology is its ability to support teachers in using assessments to acquire information a bout students thinking and learning, and to use the understanding gained to further shape their instructional practice (Brunner Honey, 2001 Hupert et al. , 2004 Sharp Risko, 2003).Such a strategy places assessment squarely in the center of the classroom where it can potentially count the most. Back To Top The Complex Nature of Change Another factor influencing the impact of technology on student achievement is that changes in classroom technologies correlate to changes in other educational factors as well. Originally the determination of student achievement was based on traditional methods of social scientific investigation it asked whether there was a specific, causal relationship between one thingtechnologyand anotherstudent achievement.Because schools are complex social environments, however, it is unfeasible to change just one thing at a time (Glennan Melmed, 1996 Hawkins, Panush, Spielvogel, 1996 Newman, 1990). If a new technology is introduced into a classroom, other thin gs also change. For example, teachers perceptions of their students capabilities can shift dramatically when technology is integrated into the classroom (Honey, Chang, Light, Moeller, in press). Also, teachers frequently find themselves acting more as coaches and less as lecturers (Henriquez Riconscente, 1998).Another example is that use of technology tends to foster collaboration among students, which in turn may have a positive effect on student achievement (Tinzmann, 1998). Because the technology becomes part of a complex network of changes, its impact cannot be reduced to a simple cause-and-effect model that would provide a definitive answer to how it has improved student achievement. Back To Top IMPLICATIONS These findings have implications for every district and school using or mean to use technology.Research on successfully developing, evaluating, studying, and implementing a wide range of technology-based educational programs suggests that the rate of technology for stude nts will not be realized unless attention is paid to several important considerations that support the effective use of technology (ISTE, 2002 Byrom Bingham, 2001 Chang, Henriquez, Honey, Light, Moeller, Ross, 1998 Cradler, 1997 Frederiksen White, 1997 Hawkins, Panush, Spielvogel, 1996 Honey, McMillan, Tsikalas, Light, 1996 National Foundation for the Improvement of Education, 1996 Pea Gomez, 1992).These considerations are Specific educational goals and a vision of learning through technology ongoing professional development Structural changes in the school day A robust technical infrastructure and technical support Ongoing evaluation Back To Top 1. Educational Goals and a Vision of Learning Through Technology Before technology is purchased or teachers participate in their first professional development session, the educational goals for students should be determined. What do students need to learn, and how can technology promote those learning goals?To answer these questions, the school can convene a technology planning squad comprising administrators, teachers, other instructional staff, technology coordinators, students, parents, and representatives of the community. This team first develops a clear set of goals, expectations, and criteria for student learning based on national and state standards, the student population, and community concerns. Next, it determines the types of technology that will best support efforts to meet those goals. The viewpoints of parents and community members are helpful in presenting a broader perspective of skills that students need to succeed aft(prenominal) school.In fact, communitywide involvement in determining the schools technology goals benefits the entire educational process (Byrom Bingham, 2001 Panel on Educational Technology, 1997). Rather than using technology for technologys sake, the planning team ensures that particular educational objectives are achieved more efficiently, in more depth, or with more flex ibility through technology. Cuban (cited in Trotter, 1998) states, The obligation is for educators, practitioners, and educational policymakers to think about what they are after.Only with clear goals can educators be intelligent about how much they want to spend for what purpose and under what conditions. If there is a clear understanding of the purpose of and type of technology used, evaluating the impact is easier and more valuable. According to Hawkins, Panush, and Spielvogel (1996) and Byrom Bingham (2001), school districts that successfully integrate technology show a clear and meaningful connection between technology and larger educational goals. Next, the planning team develops a vision of how technology can improve teaching and learning.Without a vision, lasting school improvement is almost impossible (Byrom Bingham, 2001). Team members come to consensus in answering the question How Will You Use Technology to hold up Your Vision of Learning? Essential to this vision is an emphasis on meaningful, engaged learning with technology, in which students are actively involved in the learning process. Educational technology is less effective when the learning objectives are unclear and the focus of the technology use is diffuse (Schacter, 1999).The schools vision of learning through technology also emphasizes the importance of all students having equitable access and use of technologyfemales, special-needs students, minority students, disadvantaged students, students at risk of educational failure, rural and inner-city students. All students need opportunities to use technology in meaningful, authentic tasks that develop higher-order thinking skills. (For further information, refer to the Critical Issue Ensuring Equitable Use of Education Technology. ) Back To Top 2. professional person Development After the educational goals and vision of learning through technology have been determined, it is important to provide professional development to teachers to help them choose the most distinguish technologies and instructional strategies to meet these goals. Students cannot be expected to benefit from technology if their teachers are neither familiar nor comfortable with it. Teachers need to be supported in their efforts to use technology.The primary reason teachers do not use technology in their classrooms is a lack of experience with the technology (Wenglinsky, 1998 Rosen Weil, 1995). Wenglinsky (cited in Archer, 1998) found that teachers who had received professional development with computers during the last five years were more likely to use computers in effective ways than those who had not participated in such training. as yet teacher induction programs too often focus narrowly on helping new teachers survive the initial year (Fulton, Yoon, Lee, 2005).Ongoing professional development is necessary to help teachers learn not only how to use new technology but also how to provide meaningful instruction and activities using techno logy in the classroom (Ringstaff Kelley, 2002). Teachers must be offered training in using computers, notes Sulla (1999), but their training must go beyond that to the instructional strategies needed to infuse technological skills into the learning process. In successful projects, teachers are provided with ongoing professional development on practical applications of technology.Teachers cannot be expected to learn how to use educational technology in their teaching after a one-time workshop. Teachers need in-depth, sustained assistance not only in the use of the technology but in their efforts to integrate technology into the curriculum (Kanaya Light, 2005). Teachers also need embedded opportunities for professional learning and collaborating with colleagues in order to overcome the barrier of time and teachers everyday schedules (The National Council of Staff Development, 2001 Kanaya Light, 2005).Skills training becomes peripheral to alternative forms of ongoing support that addresses a range of issues, including teachers changing practices and curricula, new technologies and other new resources, and changing assessment practices. This time spent ensuring that teachers are using technology to enrich their students learning experiences is an important piece in determining the value of technology to their students. According to Soloway (cited in Archer, 1998), teachers always have been the key to determining the impact of innovations, and this situation also is true of technology.Besides pedagogical support to help students use technology to reach learning goals, teachers also need time to become familiar with available products, software, and online resources. They also need time to discuss technology use with other teachers. Transforming schools into twenty-first century learning communities means recognizing that teachers must become members of a growing network of shared expertise (Fulton, Yoon, Lee, 2005). Professional collaboration includes communi cating with educators in similar situations and others who have experience with technology (Panel on Educational Technology, 1997).This activity can be done in face-to-face meetings or by using technology such as e-mail or videoconferencing. The effects of introducing technology on teacher professionalization include increased collaboration among teachers within a school and increased interaction with external collaborators and resources. Back To Top 3. Structural Changes in the School Day It is important to build time into the daily schedule allowing teachers time to collaborate and to work with their students.Engaged learning through technology is best supported by changes in the structure of the school day, including longer class periods and more allowance for team teaching and interdisciplinary work. For example, when students are working on long-term research projects for which they are making use of online resources (such as artwork, scientific data sets, or historical documen ts), they may need more than a daily 30- or 40-minute period to find, explore, and synthesize these materials for their research.As schools continue to acquire more technology for student use and as teachers are able to find more ways to incorporate technology into their instruction, the problem will no longer be not enough computers but not enough time (Becker, 1994). Back To Top 4. Technical Infrastructure and Support Increased use of technology in the school requires a robust technical infrastructure and adequate technical support. If teachers are working with a technology infrastructure that realistically cannot support the work they are trying to do, they will become frustrated.School districts have a responsibility to create not only nominal access to computers and electronic networks but access that is robust enough to support the kinds of use that can make a real difference in the classroom. Teachers also must have access to on-site technical support personnel who are respon sible for troubleshooting and assistance after the technology and lessons are in place. Back To Top 5. Evaluation Ongoing evaluation of technology applications and student achievement, based on the overall educational goals that were decided on, helps to ensure that he technology is appropriate, adaptable, and useful. Such evaluation also facilitates change if learning goals are not being met. Administrators can acknowledge and recognize incremental improvements in student outcomes as well as changes in teachers curricula and practices. slow progress, rather than sudden transformation, is more likely to result in long-term change. Baker (1999) emphasizes that besides being a means to collect, interpret, and document findings, evaluation is a planning tool that should be considered at the beginning of any technology innovation.She adds that the overall focus of evaluation is student learning. Heinecke, Blasi, Milman, and Washington (1999) note that multiple numerical and qualitative evaluation measures may be necessary to document student learning outcomes. To ensure that evaluation procedures are adequately designed and carried out, administrators and teachers may bid to consult evaluation sources such as An Educators Guide to Evaluating the Use of Technology in Schools and Classrooms. All of these issues are important in using technology to improve student achievement.Educational technology is not, and never will be, transformative on its own. But when decisions are made strategically with these factors in mind, technology can play a critical role in creating new circumstances and opportunities for learning that can be rich and exciting. At its best, technology can facilitate deep exploration and integration of information, high-level thinking, and profound engagement by allowing students to design, explore, experiment, access information, and model complex phenomena, note Goldman, Cole, and Syer (1999).These new circumstances and opportunitiesnot the techn ology on its owncan have a direct and meaningful impact on student achievement. When educators use the accumulating knowledge regarding the circumstances under which technology supports the broad rendering of student achievement, they will be able to make informed choices about what technologies will best meet the particular needs of specific schools or districts. They also will be able to ensure that teachers, parents, students, and community members nderstand what role technology is playing in a school or district and how its impact is being evaluated. Finally, they will be able to justify the investments made in technology. To help states, school districts, and school personnel plan ways to measure the impact that technology is having on classroom practices and academic achievement, Dirr (2004) in partnership with the Appalachian Technology in Education Consortium and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Technology in Education Consortium, identified the following evaluation strategiesEnco urage SEAs and LEAs to set aside 10 percent to 15 percent of funds to evaluate their technology grants. Provide a model comprehensive plan for states and districts to consider as they design their own evaluation plans to include a statement of purpose, identifies clear objectives, demonstrates valid approaches to research design, and specifies appropriate time frames for analysis and reporting. Support efforts to develop shared instruments and sets of common data elements.Develop a database of best practices for technology programs and applications that have shown to support student achievement in scientifically based research studies. Develop a list of highly qualified researchers and evaluators from whom SEAs and LEAs can obtain guidance. Explore the development of validated instruments that could be shared across states. Back To Top ACTION OPTIONS Administrators, the technology planning team, and teachers can take the following steps to improve student achievement through technol ogy.Administrators and the Planning Team (comprising teacher representatives, technology coordinator, students, parents, and interested community members) Review a range of national and state educational standards for student learning (such as those listed in Developing Educational Standards). Seek out content standards that articulate the goals for students to achieve. interpret key aspects of national and state student learning standards for the school or district to focus on as educational goals. Involve teachers in this process to ensure that their expertise and opinions are considered.Charge cross-disciplinary groups of teachers and technology coordinators with finding new ways that technology can help students to achieve those learning goals. join forces to create a technology plan for the school. (Refer to the Critical Issue Developing a School or District Technology Plan. ) Set one-, three-, and five-year goals for improving student learning through technology. Identify sp ecific curricula, practices, skills, attitudes, and policies that can be enhanced through the use of technology to foster significant improvement in the character and quality of student learning. For example, if the district is interested in improving students writing performance, word processing with an emphasis on revision and editing should become a salient part of the curriculum across disciplines. ) Identify classrooms in the district where students are already producing exemplary work using technology or visit virtual classrooms by viewing CD-ROMs (such as the Captured Wisdom CD-ROM Library produced by the North Central Regional Technology in Education Consortium), videotapes of echnology use in schools (such as the Learning With Technology videotapes), or Internet sites relating to technology integration in content areas (such as lessons using the Amazing Picture Machine and the Handbook of Engaged Learning Projects). Build a database or other resource that allows the school to share these best practices with school staff and the community in general. Be aware of state technology plans, district technology plans, and related policies. batten down that the school is in compliance.Become familiar with factors that affect the effective use of technology for teaching and learning. Learn about research studies conducted in real school settings that describe how technology use is influenced by teachers experience with technology, adequacy of release time, professional development opportunities, and length of class periods. reassure that teachers are aware of the value of technology for all students, especially those considered at risk of educational failure. (Refer to the Critical Issue Using Technology to Enhance Engaged Learning for At-Risk Students. )Ensure that all students have equitable access to effective uses of technology. Develop strategies for addressing access inequities, strategies for addressing type-of-use inequities, and strategies for addre ssing curriculum inequities. Provide ongoing, extensive, and research-based professional development opportunities and technical support to help teachers use technology to develop meaningful instructional strategies for students. (Refer to the Critical Issues Realizing New Learning for All Students Through Professional Development and Finding Time for Professional Development. ) Ensure that new, research-based approaches to professional development are consistent with the National Staff Development Council (NSDC) standards for staff development. Provide incentives, structures, and time for teachers to participate in highly effective staff development (such as study groups and action research) to help them integrate technology into their teaching and learning. Find ways to make appropriate structural changes in the school day and class scheduling to support engaged learning with technology. Consider block scheduling as a possibility.Educate parents about new assessment methods that e nable teachers and administrators to make judgments about the effectiveness of technology in supporting student learning. Use appropriate evaluation procedures and tools to determine the impact of technology use on student achievement based on the learning goals that were set. Consult evaluation sources such as An Educators Guide to Evaluating the Use of Technology in Schools and Classrooms. Share findings with the community. Teachers Determine the purpose of using technology in the classroom, as determined by the specified educational goals.Is it used to support inquiry, enhance communication, extend access to resources, guide students to analyze and visualize data, enable product development, or encourage expression of ideas? After the purpose is determined, select the appropriate technology and develop the curricula. Create a plan for evaluating students work and assessing the impact of the technology. Coordinate technology implementation efforts with core learning goals, such as improving students writing skills, reading comprehension, mathematical reasoning, and problem-solving skills.Collaborate with colleagues to design curricula that involve students in meaningful learning activities in which technology is used for research, data analysis, synthesis, and communication. Promote the use of learning circles, which offer opportunities for students to exchange ideas with other students, teachers, and professionals across the world. Encourage students to broaden their horizons with technology by means of global connections, electronic visualization, electronic field trips, and online research and publishing.Ensure that students have equitable access to various technologies (such as presentation software, video production, Web page production, word processing, modeling software, and desktop publishing software) to produce projects that demonstrate what they have learned in particular areas of the curriculum. Encourage students to collaborate on projects and t o use peer assessment to critique each others work. In addition to standardized tests, use alternative assessment strategies that are based on students performance of authentic tasks.One strategy is to help students develop electronic portfolios of their work to be used for assessment purposes. Ensure that technology-rich student products can be evaluated directly in relation to the goals for student outcomes, rather than according to students level of skill with the technology. Create opportunities for students to share their work publiclythrough performances, public service, open houses, science fairs, and videos. Use these occasions to inform parents and community members of the kinds of learning outcomes the school is providing for students.Learn how various technologies are used today in the world of work, and help students see the value of technology applications. (Pertinent online information can be found in the 1998-99 Occupational Outlook Handbook and the Bureau of Labor St atistics public life Information. ) Participate in professional development activities to gain experience with various types of educational technology and learn how to integrate this technology into the curriculum. Use technology (such as an e-mail list) to connect with other teachers outside the school or district and compare successful strategies for teaching with technology.