504synthesispaper

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION ON INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING
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The Effectiveness of Educational Technology, Through the Implementation of Technology
Integration, on Inquiry-Based Learning
Ashley Hungerford
Boise State University Ed Tech 504

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Abstract
The aim of this paper is to show the impact that technology can make on an inquiry-based
learning program. Research shows that inquiry-based learning can improve retention and build
scaffolding, research has also shown that technology can aide in inquiry-based learning.
Throughout this paper the connections between inquiry-based learning and educational
technology are highlighted, as is the impact that technology can have on a budget restricted
program. Inquiry-based learning takes place across every grade-level and every subject, as is
evidenced by the research on the effectiveness of inquiry-based learning in early childhood
programs, middle and high school programs, and even specific subjects such as science. In all of
these various pedagogical situations technology increased the productivity of the students;
thereby, increasing the effectiveness of the teaching methodologies. The ability to utilize
technology tools in inquiry-based classrooms has been shown to have a positive effect on a
program’s ability to provide affordable, time-managed, safe situations in which students can gain
the experiences needed to build new knowledge and apply it to meaningful and relevant real-
world issues. It seems abundantly clear, when considering the research, that inquiry-based
learning programs are better served through the integration of technology.

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Introduction
According to Antoine de Saint-Exupery, “The machine does not isolate man from the
great problems of nature but plunges him more deeply into them (McMillan, 2004).” This quote
is the basis for my contention that educational technology practices, including instructional
technology, should be integrated into inquiry-based learning classrooms in order to create
meaningful real-world learning experiences within the confines of a classroom. Inquiry-based
learning is part of constructivist learning theories, and follows the tenet that learning is built from
experience and is student driven. Inquiry-based learning models create the perfect platform in
which to integrate educational technology theories. The aim of educational technology is to
improve the learning process through the use of technology resources. The goals of both
educational technology and inquiry-based learning are aligned; they strive to facilitate learning
by providing relevant hands-on experiences that are student driven. They do this by providing
access to research tools, real-world situations, and relevant experiences that engage the learner in
building knowledge. I intend to show the natural and vital role that educational technology plays
in inquiry-based learning. The relationship between educational technology and inquiry-based
learning will be explored in two specific ways: pedagogical approaches to facilitating learning
across contexts, and the role of inquiry-based learning and technology in science programs.
Pedagogical Approaches to Facilitating Learning Across Contexts
“Children naturally explore and learn about their environments through inquiry, and
computer technologies offer an accessible vehicle for extending the domain and range of this

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inquiry (Wang, Kinzie, McGuire, & Pan, 2009)." “Inquiry-based learning involves students’
learning ‘through guided exploration and investigation of the complex questions and problems of
their discipline in ways that mirror the scholarly and research processes of those disciplines and
practices’ (Little, 2008).” Inquiry-based learning, as a pedagogical approach, is not always easy
for teacher’s to implement in a classroom setting as it requires relevant real-world situations.
Due to cuts in funding, that could allow teachers to take students into the world to expose them
to real problems, teachers must now attempt to create their own problems for students to solve or
experience.
Problems that have been planned, created, or selected by teachers are usually more
static than those addressed in real-world experience. To address this issue, technology
has been used to present problem contexts pertinent to the inquiry subject matter and
guide learners into encountering complex domains that are productive for learning
(Wang, Kinzie, McGuire, & Pan, 2009).
Technology provides a window to the world, and teachers in all subjects and in all grade levels
can take advantage of this teaching tool. Technology not only provides students with an
opportunity to apply higher level thinking skills; it offers them an additional resource for
modeling expert thinking. In a traditional inquiry-based classrooms the teacher is the facilitator
of the learning, and as such is responsible for modeling expert thinking skills; experts model
questioning strategies, breaking down complex concepts or tasks, and problem solving strategies.
Teachers that utilize technology programs that provide inquiry-based learning opportunities,
offer students another expert resource that “can help decompose complex tasks into smaller ones,
making explicit what would otherwise be tacit problem solving processes” (Wang, Kinzie,
McGuire, & Pan, 2009). Technology, when implemented correctly, is a great support for inquiry-

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based leaning. Technology has the ability to provide experiences that teachers could never
provide students, even with proper funding.
All of the fundamental properties of computing technologies can offer beneﬁts for inquiry
learning, such as the ability to store and manipulate large quantities of information, the
ability to present and permit interaction with information
in a variety of formats, the ability to perform complex computations, the support for
communication and expression, and the ability to respond rapidly and individually to
users (Scanlon, Anastopoulou, Kerawalla, & Mulholland, 2011).
According to the research by Scanlon et al, technology allows students to experience learning in
an environment that supports individualized learning. These tools provide students with
immediate feedback, a difficult thing for teachers with 20 plus students to accomplish. The
concept of connectivism, which is another constructivist based theory, suggests that people only
learn by making connections through experience. One could easily agree that connections are
essential for learning, but what connectivism doesn’t take into consideration is the accuracy of
the information being ascertained, and thereby incorrectly transferred through connection.
Technology takes the “human-error” factor out of the equation. Not only does technology
provide more individualized instruction, and eliminate human-error, but it also provides an
opportunity for students to make connections with others, within the school environment, the
community, and even the larger global environment.
Technology also supports the distribution of cognition among learners during
inquiry learning. According to theories of distributed cognition, when learning
takes place in a group, individual cognition is interwoven with group cognition,
grounded in the activities and learning context; learners can collaborate with

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each other to ﬁnish a shared activity, stimulating, guiding, or redirecting others’
thinking (Wang, Kinzie, McGuire, & Pan, 2009).
These technology tools can be used in any classroom, no matter the grade level or the
subject. Examples of the effectiveness of technology across various contexts are abundant. One
such example, provided by Wang et al, is as follows “In early childhood contexts, Papert
designed a computer software environment that enabled children to conduct a Newtonian physics
experiment under ideal conditions: a box in motion continued to move indeﬁnitely until acted
upon by an external force (2009).” This type of experiment with a classroom full of early
childhood students would be difficult, if not impossible, but technology makes it possible for
students to experience these complex concepts in an easily understood medium. The technology
tools available to teachers range from simple computer-based software games to more advanced
simulations, to scripted programs. “Scripts provide a way of describing an activity in terms of
learner roles and tasks; scripts orchestrate the learners through an inquiry-learning process and
provide a sequence of activities (Scanlon, Anastopoulou, Kerawalla, & Mulholland, 2011).”
Some scripted programs, which are often geared towards science inquiry programs, allow
students and teachers more guidance through the inquiry process. It can often be difficult for
teachers to move from a direct instruction to a facilitated instruction environment. No matter
what type of technology a teacher chooses to utilize in an inquiry-based classroom, it can help
students make connections, support individual cognition through group cognition, provide
unique and relevant real-world experiences, and it can provide students with an opportunity for
reflection on knowledge acquisition and implementation.
The Role of Inquiry-Based Learning and Technology in Science Programs

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According to the National Research Council, “Over the last 25 years, the landscape of K–
12 classrooms has significantly changed to include a focus on literacy rather than mastery of
declarative subject knowledge. This movement places additional emphasis on developing
reasoning, understanding the nature of science, and using inquiry as the primary pedagogy”
(Crippen & Archambault, 2012). Inquiry-based learning has become the new landscape of
science. Inquiry-based instruction fits seamlessly into science, as science dictates that students
experience the problems of the world by questioning everything, researching, experimenting, and
applying that knowledge to their personal lives and surroundings. In science, we teach students
to take an active role in changing their environment, we teach how science has changed us and
the world around us in the past and how it continues to do so in the present. Science is all about
experience and inquiry. Having stated that inquiry should be, and is, the signature pedagogy for
science does not make the process of implementing an inquiry-based program any easier.
Inquiry-based programs require commitment from teachers, schools, parents, students, and even
the community at large; that commitment can present itself in various ways. Commitment to
inquiry-based education in science means money, time, supervision, supplies, a real-world
context, an opportunity to make an impact, and even something as simple as buy-in from the
stand-point of program support. One of the simplest ways to meet many of the commitment
needs is to utilize emerging technologies.
Unfortunately, schools have been rather slow in embracing the use of technology when it
comes to signature pedagogies within specific content areas. This is significant, as
education cannot hope to meet the demands of a globalized, knowledge-based society
without leveraging available 21st century communication technologies that serve as both

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the delivery mechanisms for instruction as well as the future platforms in which students
will work and perform (Crippen & Archambault, 2012).
Francis Bacon once said, “Knowledge is power”. If this statement is true than the internet is the
field of knowledge, and technology is the means by which future generations will grow and
harvest that knowledge. It is the educator’s responsibility to teach students to utilize the tools
needed to acquire this knowledge. “To take advantage of these new technologies to benefit
student learning, teachers need to become aware of their existence, learn how to use them, and
become comfortable with the methods by which they are implemented for both classroom and
home use (Crippen & Archambault, 2012).” Without proper guidance, information obtained from
technology could be misconstrued, misused, poorly understood and applied, and even
quantifiably wrong. Technology is a wonderful tool, but it must be used correctly in order to
create the outcomes mentioned previously.
With so many tools out there which ones should be utilized in an inquiry-based science
classroom? There are several steps that can be taken to ensure that technology use is truly
inquiry-based and will have the desired learning outcome. In order to be highly effective the
technology must address what the National Science Education Standards calls the “five essential
features of inquiry” (Crippen & Archambault, 2012).
1. Learners are engaged by scientifically oriented questions. Typically, each
lesson is framed and focused on an essential or big question, which are based on real-
world problems.
2. Learners give priority to evidence, which allows them to develop and evaluate
explanations that address scientifically oriented questions.
3. Learners formulate explanations from evidence to address scientifically

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oriented questions. Typically, this evidence is collected and compiled into
a chart, diagram, or other data representation that serves as the artifact of
their analysis. Later, this artifact is presented and defended, becoming the
central focus of a collaborative discussion.
4. Learners evaluate their explanations in light of alternative explanations,
particularly those reﬂecting scientiﬁc understanding. Once the claim statements
are written, students compare their claims against what scientists
accept as valid.
5. Learners communicate and justify their proposed explanations. (Crippen &
Archambault, 2012)
Technology, when used correctly in a science classroom, can open up a world of relevant and
engaging scientific inquiry. All too often science is thought to be too difficult to master, the
requirements of scientific thought and action, the methodology, and the rigor of problem-solving
can be overwhelming, especially if students are connected to (or don’t care about) the subject
matter in question. There is a need to give science a personal meaning.
Anastopoulou et al., suggests “that students will both engage with and take a committed
stance towards the scientific process by forming questions for which they genuinely want to
know the answer, by carrying out investigations that relate to their own needs and concerns,
and by discussing emerging findings with peers and experts (2011).” Anastopoulou et al, are
suggesting that students will take ownership of their own knowledge if given the opportunity
make the experience authentic. Authenticity is a big concept, and a difficult one to achieve in a
classroom with 20 plus students all wanting to ask different questions and solve different
problems. Once again, the limitations of the traditional school environment are in question.

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How does technology fit into the picture? One way that technology has been used in
science classrooms to create a personalized connection with science concepts is through
MUVEs. MUVE stands for mulit-user virtual environments. “One alternative to classroom-
based inquiry that has arisen in recent years is curricula embedded within computer-based
educational multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs). MUVEs have emerged as a fertile
platform for situated inquiry learning environments, especially concerning science inquiry
learning processes (Erlandson, Nelson, & Savenye, 2010).” In an era of video gaming, these 3-
D worlds where people can interact with a virtual environment, as well as with each other as
avatars, is truly opening the door to a new world. “In these environments, learners can interact
with various situated objects (including images, sounds, and other multimedia content) while
communicating and collaborating with other learners to investigate scenarios and solve
problems of varying complexity (Erlandson, Nelson, & Savenye, 2010).” In these virtual worlds
students are given an opportunity to safely explore problems that matter to them, they have the
opportunity to work together collaboratively; which is one of the fundamentals of successful
inquiry-based programs, and they can do all of this without leaving their classrooms or homes.
Technology can be the tool that allows students to make science inquiry personal, allow
teachers to provide students with previously impossible experiences, and allow schools to
provide a safe and effective learning environment for the student as an individual.
Conclusion
The goal of inquiry-based learning is to motivate students to take ownership of their own
learning, to solve real-world problems, gain experience, build a knowledge schema, and utilize
all of that knowledge and experience throughout their lives. Wanting students to learn is one

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thing, but providing the means is another. The average student “ ages 8 to 18 spend more than
seven and a half hours a day with technology devices, compared with less than six and a half
hours five years ago, when the study was last conducted. And that does not count the hour and a
half that youths spend texting, or the half-hour they talk on their cellphones. And because so
many of them are multitasking — say, surfing the Internet while listening to music — they pack
on average nearly 11 hours of media content into that seven and a half hours” (Lewin, 2010).
With all of the time that students already spend on technology, keeping them connected only
makes sense. The fact that so many schools expect students to disconnect from technology,
which is the way that they connect and understand the world, in order to learn is ridiculous. By
integrating technology into the inquiry-based curriculum, schools not only increase the
effectiveness of the inquiry-based program, but they do so while engaging students. “The extent
to which a learning setting can engage learners is often seen as a strong indicator of the depth
and scope of the learning that will occur (Oliver, 2008).” Technology can be used to provide a
variety of learning experiences without the need for additional resources like time, money, and
the availability of unit appropriate situations. With all of the resources available online teachers
have the world at their fingertips, and with proper facilitation they can open that world up to their
students. Inquiry-based learning can be used with any age group and in any subject, and
technology can be used as a tool to amplify the effectiveness of every inquiry-based learning
program. With all of the research available regarding the effectiveness of technology in inquiry-
based programs, one must remember that the teacher is still an essential key to the success of
student learning. According to Bill Gates, “Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids
working together and motivating them, the teacher is the most important”. It is time for teachers

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to move into the future of inquiry-based learning; it is time to use the tools of technology; it is
time for educational technology to form a lasting bond with inquiry-based learning.

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