Technology in education

Editor's Notes

1. Stress research, data to backup all points about technology and education To keep slides from being too cluttered, I have each source listed as a number in parenthesis after data or facts, the end slide lists details for all sources and the number correlating to the numbers in the presentation
2. With a bow, an arrow can be shot with more speed, from farther away, and with more accuracy; same with technology, learning is faster, information is retained longer, and understood with more proficiency Why should we use technology? One main reason is because children today are not engaged and do not learn as well when using traditional instructional methods, like teacher lectures Research shows that technology can aid in the following: (read list) In the next slides I will provide research for each point
3. Why technology reason 1: -Using technology effectively increases student learning; we will talk more later about effective methods for using technology -Technology has been shown to raise test scores; 1.) one 8 year long study showed that technology use consisting of portable computers raises students SAT 1 score by 94 points when compared to students who did not use technology, another study shows that using instructional technology for reading and math increased 5 th grade SAT 9 test scores 2.) Student using computer based instruction scored at the 64 th percentile compared to students who did not use computer based instruction who scored at the 50 th percentile, a difference of 14 percentiles -technology helps students with learning disabilities or who are disadvantaged perform higher 1.) Using a higher order thinking skills program for disadvantaged students in 4 th -7 th grade resulted in twice the gains on math and reading test scores 2.) research on computer based instruction shows that technology can help raise students with special needs performance levels to that of other students
4. Why technology increases student learning reason 3: -Using technology effectively can enable learning at a higher level Students who used Jasper video software in math for 3-4 weeks could complete problem solving tasks where students who did not have video software could not 8 th grade math students who used simulation and higher order thinking software gained 15 weeks on students who did not Students who use technology and communication tools to complete, publish, and share projects developed critical thinking skills When using collaborative computer applications students understanding was on a deeper level
5. Two more reasons for Why technology: improves social skills and provides work preparation Social skills Students were observed in a technology rich classroom for 6 weeks, teacher reported less fighting between class members, and reported more interaction in the form of teaching or helping each other by the end of the trial time Work preparation Why is work preparation important? To prepare students for the future Students who use career preparation technology like Tech Prep or career academics learn how to behave in a job setting and are better prepared for future jobs Student who use programs to do group work to solve problems and collect and present data both orally and in writing get an idea of what the working world is like
6. Last reason for Why technology: shows greater student engagement and higher motivation and achievement -Two studies result in better attitudes, 1.) students that received computer based instruction had better attitudes and 2.) students who used interactive technologies had better attitudes and teacher instruction changed from lecture to cooperative group work When students were exposed to a technology rich classroom for 6 weeks, they focused for longer periods of time and were harder to get to stop working - when in technology rich classrooms all students, including special needs students, of all ages had higher achievement and motivation
7. There are other research studies that show technology is not effective in aiding student learning. In these studies, technology was used in the wrong way. Sometimes it is hard to want to start using something because you have seen it go very wrong. (arrow comparison) Reasons why technology fails Teachers do not receive effective training Teachers or students have poor attitudes when it comes to using technology Using technology or methods that have been shown to be ineffective Failed technology results in Wasted district money and resources, and lost instructional time Creates an even worse attitude towards technology Avoiding these things is the best way to keep technology use effective, the best way to avoid all these is to form a technology plan
8. Research supports that wrong use of technology can make it ineffective One wrong use is attitude When teachers have better attitudes about technology students have higher achievement, having a poor attitude will do the opposite Another wrong use is method of delivery Teachers that used technology for drill and practice actually had lower NAEP test scores A final wrong use is not having teachers trained A 1997 report in the President’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology shows that few teachers feel comfortable implementing technology use in the curriculum Technology can positively affect special needs students. If teachers aren’t comfortable using technology, they wont use it, and special needs students will suffer more
9. Now that we know technology can be effective, and we know ways that make it ineffective, we need to look at ways to make technology use successful Similar to learning how to and practicing shooting a bow 3 main factors in using technology in research proven effective methods Administration needs to be educated on the benefits of technology use and needs to focus schools on obtaining and implementing technology Teachers need to be trained on effective use of technologies and have support for when they have questions or problems Technology use needs to follow the curriculum goals and state standards to be effective These steps combine to form a technology plan, the technology plan will keep the school on the right track with technology use in education Without these 3 factors, technology will not be effective, similar to shooting the bow and arrow, but still missing the target
10. Research data for How technology: Teacher training is essential for technology to be effective (top left bullet) 8 th grade math students showed improvements of 13 weeks above average when their teachers have professional development on using technology (bottom left) when teacher receive training on technology, their students achievement is higher Diagram shows how teacher training on computer use aids in both achievement and positive school climate Technology must be used properly in order for it to be effective (top right bullet) 8 th grade students who used computers for higher order of thinking development had higher NAEP scores than students who used computers for drill and practice (middle right bullet) teachers who used computers for higher order thinking created higher achieving math students in the 4 th and 8 th grade (bottom right bullet) 9 th grade math students who used intelligent tutor software without teacher guidance did not understand or apply new knowledge, with teacher guidance students did (source 2)
11. Chart shows percentile gains of students who used technology over students who did not use technology. The chart shows us a few different things Technology does not have the same effectiveness in all subject areas and grade levels (most effective in special education and least effective in pre college science) Shows us that using technology does result in some gains, even if the gains are small If our goal is to better educate our students, isn’t technology a tool worth looking into? Even if it only increases student gains by 9 percentiles, isn’t a 9 percentiles gain higher than it would be otherwise? Those small gains may be the difference between meeting AYP and not meeting AYP, or the difference between a 24 on an ACT and a 26, may be enough of a difference to be eligible for a higher scholarship.
12. I believe that as a school district we need to say YES to technology! Similar to a bow and arrow, with training and maintenance technology will help us reach our educational goals Lets review the research: read bullet 2, and keep in mind those wrong ways to use technology Technology will benefit the school district in that NCLB standards will be met easier Technology saves money and time (as shown on the previous slides, students will learn materials on a higher level faster, and one additional study that has not been previously discussed showed that using basic skills and computer education was more cost effective than tutoring, smaller class sizes, and longer instructional time Technology will help reach one goal of education: to create lifelong learners Let’s use our resources to hit the bullseye. Open up for questions Thank you.