ABC week 8

For this week’s extra credit, I read an article that discusses the focus of student learning in technology. The study examined how technology was implemented in different schools and what effect that had on the students’ grades. The study took information from schools that had students with above-average gains, and schools that had students with below-average gains. Their findings talk about how important the school practices are to the student outcome.

The study found that for technology to have above average gains, the teacher really needs to be supportive of the learning. In all of the studies, the teachers that linked the educational software to things they were learning in class, had better outcomes, even if they spent less time using the technology. The study also showed a significant difference in the outcomes of teachers that walked around and monitored their students, compared to the teachers that graded or planned for half of the time. The study also found that teachers that took the time to learn about their software, and then present it to the students, had better averages than those teachers that let the software push the student to the next level.

Overall this article found that time does not have a huge effect on the students learning outcomes. What it really comes down to is having a teacher that is actively engaged in the technology. If a teacher knows their software, connects it to things the students are learning in class, and facilitates the students’ learning, those were the students that came out with above-average gains.

While this article is not a surprise to me, it does confirm the fact that technology in the classroom is useless unless implemented by the teacher. As teachers, we need to invest the time to make the technology applicable to what are students are learning. If we do this, then are students will be able to connect and learn more from the technology.

Means, B. (2010) Technology and education change: Focus on student learning. Journal of research on Technology in Education, 42(3), 285-307.