Chapter TwoBroadening Technologies in American Education

Written ByWritten By

Mary Kolesinski, EdDMary Kolesinski, EdDEvelyn Nelson-Weaver, EdDEvelyn Nelson-Weaver, EdD

Daryl Diamond, PhDDaryl Diamond, PhD

Academic Excellence: Increased technology Increased technology usage, increased achievement usage, increased achievement

Digital literacy describes the skills, expectations, and perspectives involved in living in a technological society. It includes the ability to locate, organize, utilize, understand and analyze information, evaluate, and create content using information technologies and the Internet.

As the integration of technology into our everyday life expands at a rapid rate, the need to infuse computer and technology applications into K-16 curriculum becomes more urgent (The Education Alliance, 2005).

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Academic Excellence: Increased technology Increased technology usage, increased achievement usage, increased achievement

The rationale for the continued use and support of technology in classrooms stems from research-based findings citing that its use improves student achievement.

• The integration of technology into instruction has positive effects on student achievement. (ISTE, 2008; Nagel, 2009)

• Students with routine access to technology learn the basic skills of reading, writing, and arithmetic faster and better when they have a chance to practice them using technology. (Apple Computer, Inc., 2002).

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Academic Excellence: Increased technology Increased technology usage, increased achievement usage, increased achievement

• Technology tools such as the Internet and the World Wide Web contribute to the development of both a socially committed and an intellectually critical citizenry. (Cummins, Brown and Sayers, 2006)

• Educational videos and interactive games can havea positive effect on preschooler literacy when incorporated into classroom instruction. (T.H.E., 2009, November/December)

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Academic Excellence: Increased technology Increased technology usage, increased achievement usage, increased achievement

School of One in New York City is an example of a technology enabled individualized learning program.

• In 2009 the School of One summer school participants demonstrated a 28% rise in scores between their pre-test and post-test.

• In the spring of 2010, the School of One operated afterschool and in-school pilots. Participating students learned at a rate 50-60% higher than those in traditional classrooms.

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Academic Excellence: Increased technology Increased technology usage, increased achievement usage, increased achievement

• Individualized instruction can be delivered through the use of blended or online courses and computer-based modules.

• But in some cases this access is limited, particularly for small or under-resourced schools, due to broadband and infrastructure issues (Zinth, 2012).

There is real potential power in individualizing learning because it serves students with diverse needs.

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Equity and Diversity in American Education: The “Haves” and “Have-nots”

Research has shown that minority students, those from economically disadvantaged neighborhoods, and students who live in either inner-city or rural areas (but not suburban) tend to have less access to computers, the Internet, and educational software than their middle-class and more affluent peers (Foss, 2002; Judge, Puckett, & Cabuk, 2004; ISTE, 2008).Warschauer & Matuchniak (2010) reviewed a number of studies showing an emphasis on remedial or vocational use of new technology by low-income or Black and Hispanic students and more academic use of technology by high-income or White and Asian students.

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School districts across the nation are utilizing an array of technologies in an effort to offer all students equity of access to knowledge and information that can be found online.

Even a computer-to-student ratio of 1:9 provides the level of access necessary to produce increases in student achievement (The Education Alliance, 2005).

Equity and Diversity in American Education: The “Haves” and “Have-nots”

The problem is a lack of money to fund new technology purchases, with those schools in the lower socio-economic strata faring far worse than their counterparts in the more economically advantaged neighborhoods.

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Equity and Diversity in American Education: The “Haves” and “Have-nots”

Goodwin (2011) indicated that most large-scale evaluations have found mixed or no results in academic achievement for one-to-one laptop initiatives.

However, research has proven that making a personal laptop available to all students develops more engaged learners than those students without laptops (Shapley et al., 2009).

In fact, after three years, low-income students in the laptop schools displayed the same level of technology proficiency as the wealthier students in the control schools.

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In 2003, the Broward County Public School District in Fort Lauderdale, Florida approved a Digital Learning Environment Study (DLES) to determine the feasibility of deploying wireless networks district wide to support the incorporation of web-based instructional tools for learning for every student (Cisco, 2006).

Equity and Diversity in American Education: The “Haves” and “Have-nots”

Reckles (2007) suggested that the reach of the computer networks in most schools are unable to satisfy the necessary requirements of the increased usage of computer technologies.

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The equal access philosophy of the Open Source Movement has extended into the development of free access to educational material and innovations that help promote student achievement while developing 21st century skills.

Equity and Diversity in American Education: The “Haves” and “Have-nots”

Wikipedia (2012a) defined the Open Source Movement as a ”broad-reaching movement of individuals who support the use of open source licenses for some or all software.”

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Examples of Open Source Innovations

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Games and Virtual SimulationsGames and Virtual Simulations

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Mobile Learning

Because they are inexpensive when compared to laptop computers, many schools are finding that a mixture of desktop, laptop, and handheld devices can be used to meet a variety of educational needs.A mobile application (or mobile app) is a software application designed to run on smartphones, tablet computers and other mobile devices.

According to the Pew Internet Report on Smartphones under 30, nonwhite, low-income and less-educated smartphone users report to go online mostly through the use of their phones (Smith, 2011).

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Questions?Questions?More More

Information?Information?

www.digitalsolidarity.com

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ReferencesReferences

Apple Computer, Inc. (2002). The impact of technology on student achievement. Retrieved from http://gayleberthiaume.com/FGO/AppleEduResearch.pdf.

Cummins, J., Brown, K., Sayers, D. (2006). Literacy, technology, and diversity: Teaching for success in changing times. Boston: Pearson.

Cisco (2006). School District’s Wireless Initiative Helps Raise Computer Literacy. Retrieved from http://www.cisco.com/web/strategy/docs/education/BrowardSchools_Wireless.pdf.

Bradley, W. (2005). An insider’s perspective on the Sakai Project: Reality and promise for sustainable economics and innovation. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/1885/47025.

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ReferencesReferences

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Policy Brief (2008). Technology and Student Achievement – The Indelible Link. Retrieved from http://www.k12hsn.org/files/research/Technology/ISTE_policy_brief_student_achievement.pdf.

Goodwin, B. (2011, February). One to one laptop programs are no silver bullet. Educational Leadership, 68(5), 78-79.

Foss, J. (2002). The ‘digital divide’ goes to school. Children’s Advocate, December: p.5.

Judge, S., Puckett, K., & Cabuk, B. (2004). Digital equity: New findings from the early childhood longitudinal study. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 36, 383-96.

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ReferencesReferences

Nagel, D. (2009, April). Study ties Student Achievement to Technology Integration. T.H.E. Journal. Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/articles/2009/04/02/study-ties-student-achievement-to-technology-integration.aspx.

Reckles, D. (2007). Lessons in Wireless for K-12 Schools. Aruba Networks. Retrieved from http://www.arubanetworks.com/pdf/technology/whitepapers/wp_k12.pdf.

Prensky, M. (2007). Simulation Nation: The Promise of Virtual Learning Activities. Edutopia. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/computer-simulations-virtual-learning.

Shapley, K., Sheehan, D., Sturges, K., Caranikas-Walker, F., Huntsberger, B., & Maloney, C. (2009). Evaluation of the Texas Technology Immersion Pilot: Final outcomes for a four-year study (2004–05 to 2007–08). Austin, Texas: Center for Educational Research.

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ReferencesReferences

The Education Alliance (2005). Closing the achievement gap. Charleston, WV: Author. Retrieved from http://www.educationalliance.org/files/Integrating-Technology.pdf.

Smith, Aaron (2011). Pew Internet Report on Smartphones. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media/Files/Reports/2011/PIP_Smartphones.pdf.

Warschauer, M., & Matuchniak, T. (2010). New technology and digital worlds: Analyzing evidence of equity in access, use, and outcomes. Review of Research in Education, 34(1), 179-225.Wikipedia (2012a). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source_movement.

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T.H.E. Journal (2009, November/December). Digital Media Benefits Primary Prep, 36(6), 8.

ReferencesReferences

Zinth, J. (2012). Individualized instruction: Faster. Cheaper. Smarter. Denver, CO: Education Commission of the States. Retrieved from http://www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/01/00/28/10028.pdf.

Wikipedia (2012b). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamification.

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