Post #2 - Benefits of Technology in Education

    


    Before diving into the topic of how to most effectively use technology to enhance critical and creative thinking skills, I wanted to write a post on the benefits of utilizing technology in general. In my few years of teaching, I have been on 2 ends of the spectrum. I have tried to incorporate innovative technology so much throughout my lessons that it became unnatural and forced, as well as given up on the use of it altogether. After much trial and error, I have come to the conclusion that technology is best used not as an addition to the curriculum, but as a way to enhance what we already teach. One study I found involves three Special Education teachers being taught how to incorporate technology into their practice. One teacher made some minor adjustments to her routine to create much more effective and engaging lessons:

"There has been a significant increase in the utilization of various technology modalities within my math lesson plans and daily routines. The warm up component of the lesson, or opening, has evolved into a Popplet brainstorm or responding to our math blog that I generated rather than being a standard math textbook and paper/pencil worksheet. The main part of the lesson has integrated videos (BrainPOP) and online quizzes (Socrative) instead of basic notetaking. (Christina’s blog entry, February 15, 2016)" (Ciampa, 2017)

I liked the idea of not "reinventing the wheel" with technology, but using it to better what we already know.

      There are a variety of other scholarly articles that back up the notion that the use of technology enhances cognitive skill and can improve students' scores on standardized tests. In one study at a high school in Pittsburgh, Iowa, an algebra program that combined learning through realistic problems and the use of computer tools was implemented. They observed a 15% improvement on the state's standardized test (Iowa Algebra Aptitude Test), which was significantly higher than the comparison group that did not use technology (Koedinger, 1997). The Moore Independent School District in Oklahoma used a computer-based Math curriculum program called "Cognitive Tutor" in 5 junior high schools.  They found that students who learned using the cognitive tutor curriculum greatly outscored students who were enrolled in a traditional Algebra curriculum on end-of-course standardized test (Morgan, 2002). Furthermore, these results were true for students of both genders and all ethnicities represented in the data. (Morgan, 2002). 

Overall, it is proven and known that technology can be used to enhance engagement and knowledge in students. In a world where being technologically literate is a necessity, it is crucial that we instill a comfortability with tech in our students, and give them the tools to use it to explore their ideas. I look forward to exploring the best ways to do this through this blog in the coming weeks.

References

Ciampa, K. (2017). Building Bridges Between Technology and Content Literacy in Special Education: Lessons Learned From Special Educators’ Use of Integrated Technology and Perceived Benefits for Students. Literacy Research and Instruction, 56(2), 85–113. https://doi.org/10.1080/19388071.2017.1280863

Koedinger, K., Anderson, J., Hadley, W., & Mark, M. (1997). Intelligent tutoring goes to school in the big city. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education (8), 30-43. Retrieved July 21, 2009, from http://act-r.psy.cmu.edu/papers/232/jaied97.pdf_2.pdf 

Morgan, P., & Ritter, S. (2002, May). An experimental study of the effects of Cognitive Tutor® Algebra 1 on student knowledge and attitude. Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Learning, Inc. Accessed April 1, 2005 at: http://www.carnegielearning.com/wwc/originalstudy.pdf.

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