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Technology in Education

By Isaac Reiter | Research Mini-Projects

RMP A

PROPOSAL

Proposed Topic - The effects of technology in education on learning and teaching

Personal Stake - Distance learning during the Zoom year presented the most difficulty I ever experienced academically, so I want to see the general effectiveness of technology on the average student.

Questions -

  1. What specific technologies accelerate learning and which ones hinder it?
  2. Does lack of technology put students at a disadvantage compared to those who have it
  3. Do technology in classrooms and online media have any correlation in affecting students in their education

Full Citation

  • De Villiers, Alethea C., and Maxwell M. Sauls. “Changing Teachers’ Practice in the Creative Arts Classroom: The Case for Educational Technologies.” The Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa, vol. 13, no. 1, 2017, https://doi.org/10.4102/td.v13i1.371.

Source Type (Genre), Target Audience, and URL

Gist of Source

  • This source specifically discusses the role of technology in enhancing the learning process of the Creative Arts. Given that instructors are often not professionals in the field they are teaching, the technology allows for a more comprehensive demonstration and thus a higher level of development for the students. It focuses on the integration of technology into education as a means for improvement.

Additional Notes

  • Use this source to support technology in education

Full Citation

  • Appova, Aina, et al. “Technology in the Classroom: Banking Education or Opportunities to Learn?” Theory Into Practice, vol. 61, no. 3, 2022, pp. 254–264, https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2022.2096372.

Source Type (Genre), Target Audience, and URL

Gist of Source

  • This article talks about the intense integration of technology into the classroom amid a lack of teacher preparation, highlighting how the US has the highest rate, upsetting the classroom environment and forcing technological means of learning upon these students. The article discusses this new role of technology in the classrooms and the decline of social interaction as a part of the student development process.

Additional Notes

  • Use this source to qualify technology in education

Full Citation

  • Saro Mohammed, Ph.D., et al. “Is Technology Good or Bad for Learning?” Brookings, 27 June 2023,

www.brookings.edu/articles/is-technology-good-or-bad-for-learning/#:~:text=In%20adole scence%20and%20young%20adulthood,feeling%20lonely%2C%20and%20lower%20gr ades.

Source Type (Genre), Target Audience, and URL

Gist of Source

  • This article discusses the integration of technology into education as it pertains to the role of teachers and instructors, specifically what tools they are able to utilize to make teaching more effective.

Additional Notes

  • Use this to qualify

Full Citation

  • Major, Louis, et al. “The Effectiveness of Technology‐Supported Personalised Learning in Low‐ and Middle‐Income Countries: A Meta‐Analysis.” British Journal of Educational Technology, vol. 52, no. 5, 2021, pp. 1935–1964, https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13116.

Source Type (Genre), Target Audience, and URL

Gist of Source

  • This article is an examination of the role of technology in personalized learning for individuals in low- to middle-income countries. The study aims to see the impact in educational development of children with specific learning levels, and determine whether or not the technology's adaptation to these levels enhances the learning experience for them. Ultimately, the technology did prove to have a positive impact and the article delved deeper into

the possibilities of furthering this cause as well as the future implications of such a practice.

Additional Notes

  • .Use this to support technology use

Full Citation

  • Hsin, Ching-Ting, et al. “The Influence of Young Children’s Use of Technology on Their Learning: A Review.” Educational Technology & Society, International Forum of Educational Technology & Society. Athabasca University, School of Computing & Information Systems, 1 University Drive, Athabasca, AB T9S 3A3, Canada. Tel:

780-675-6812; Fax: 780-675-6973; Web site: http://www.ifets.info, 30 Nov. 2013, eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1045554.

Source Type (Genre), Target Audience, and URL

Gist of Source

  • This article is a compilation of 83 studies conducted to determine the effectiveness of technology in education, utilizing emerging themes over the 10 years between 2003 and 2013 to conduct this investigation. It was found that ultimately for students with fewer resources, technology proved to have a positive impact on their development and also helped to facilitate the development of certain digital literacy skills.

Additional Notes

  • Use this to qualify use of technology

Full Citation

  • Goddard, Mark. “What Do We Do with These Computers? Reflections on Technology in the Classroom.” Journal of Research on Technology in Education, vol. 35, no. 1, 2002, pp. 19–26, https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2002.10782367.

Source Type (Genre), Target Audience, and URL

Gist of Source

  • This article is a qualitative investigation of to what extent specifically should computers be integrated into the classroom based on the statement that they should “support, not carry” the educational experience for the students and teachers alike.

Additional Notes

  • Use this to qualify

Full Citation

  • Kormos, Erik. “Technology as a Facilitator in the Learning Process in Urban High-Needs Schools: Challenges and Opportunities.” Education and Urban Society, vol. 54, no. 2, 2021, pp. 146–163, https://doi.org/10.1177/00131245211004555.

Source Type (Genre), Target Audience, and URL

Gist of Source

  • This website summarizes the study of the lack of integration of technology into urban schools, and the ways in which the teachers can help with this. They argue for the integration in order to facilitate more effective learning opportunities, effectively supporting the role that technology provides.

Additional Notes

  • Use this to support

Full Citation

  • Abriata, Luciano A. “How Technologies Assisted Science Learning at Home during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” DNA and Cell Biology, vol. 41, no. 1, 2022, pp. 19–24, https://doi.org/10.1089/dna.2021.0497

Source Type (Genre), Target Audience, and URL

Gist of Source

  • This source talks about the pivotal role that technology played and continues to play in online learning of the natural sciences, and how it facilitates online experimentation to develop students’ knowledge of the subjects in an isolated setting.

Additional Notes

  • Use this to support

Full Citation

  • Carstens, Kaite J., et al. “Effects of Technology on Student Learning - Ed.” Effects of Technology on Student Learning, Jan. 2021, files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1290791.pdf.

Source Type (Genre), Target Audience, and URL

Gist of Source

  • A study into K-12 educators’ roles and opinions on the role of computer and internet related technology in education, as well as the potential drawbacks and impacts on the students’ learning

Additional Notes

  • Use this to qualify

Full Citation

  • Saro Mohammed, Ph.D., et al. “Is Technology Good or Bad for Learning?” Brookings, 27 June 2023,

www.brookings.edu/articles/is-technology-good-or-bad-for-learning/#:~:text=In%20adole scence%20and%20young%20adulthood,feeling%20lonely%2C%20and%20lower%20gr ades.

Source Type (Genre), Target Audience, and URL

%20grades.

Gist of Source

  • This source delves into the benefits and the harms of technology integration into not just the classroom but the overall development of children from a young age. Saro points out that technology has improved efficiency as well as comprehension in learning; however, it slows down neural development in infants as an excess hinders their social development. Lots of sources are linked.

Additional Notes

  • Use this to qualify

 

RMP B

Table
Table
Table
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Common Themes

  • The instructor side of technology integration in the classroom is a major barrier in some instances
  • Technology ultimately does have a net-positive impact on students and the efficiency and effectiveness of their learning
  • Teachers seem to be of the opinion that technology makes their jobs easier and allows them to do more complex instruction in the classroom
  • Technology alters dynamics and allows for a more cooperative classroom environment

Connections

  • Many of these sources build on the main ideas of the teacher’s role in technology integration as well as its benefits on both the students and instructors alike. They typically build off of the same points, that 1) Teachers find difficulty in gauging the right level of integration and require a level of training and preparation, 2) The introduction of technology into the classroom allows for ease of instruction enrichment of the curriculum in positive ways, and 3) Studies have shown that the technology used in the classroom has had a net positive impact on the level of learning of the students involved, suggesting that it indeed does benefit it overall
  • These sources for the most part agree on these main ideas, however there are 1 or 2 instances where conflicting evidence is involved regarding a hindrance on certain developmental aspects of particularly younger children that should be explored
  • None of the sources refer to each other directly or indirectly

Gaps

  • One gap that I’ve found is the idea of implementing technology in lower socio economic institutions, which one source said helped to increase the students’ performances significantly. I would like to explore this “adaptive learning” further as it makes an argument for technology being a means to diminish the gap between the ends of the educational system socio-economically, which is enticing for supporting the use of technology as a whole.
  • There doesn’t seem to be a lot of evidence arguing against the use of technology, specifically scholarly sources. The one or two instances of harmful effects of both educational and recreational use of technology (which happens as a result of technology use in the classroom) comes from a non-scholarly source from the internet, however it cites specific studies done to support this fact. One of the scholarly sources touches upon the idea, but doesn’t develop it sufficiently to be a supportable idea in a paper. Exploring this idea more may be helpful for developing the research question further with differing perspectives.

There seem to be many identifiable patterns between the sources when it comes to the main ideas of using technology in an educational setting. The most common ideas are that technology enhances both the learning and teaching experience, making for a more streamlined learning environment, however it does seem to be that the initial integration of technology into the classroom is a difficult process and finding the proper instruction and demonstrations for teachers is a difficulty. Despite the many benefits to it, this is a major drawback that many studies here have found in teachers themselves. Based on this, the inquiry will be based around the factors contributing to technology in the classroom, both internal and external. Originally, the plan of action was based on just the good and bad. The conversations from these scholars suggest that there are many more layers to the entire process that range from these teacher barriers to socio-economic equity. This develops my research question to be more centered around the integration of technology rather than its long standing effects so far in education. However, some questions beyond that to build the investigation would look into what drawbacks have been observed amidst all these supposed benefits, since few of these sources touched upon that (few enough times that it wouldn’t be a “main idea”). Furthermore, the concept of technology as a means of closing socio-economic gaps is enticing to an argument in favor of technological integration, so there should be more research done in that area to fill in gaps in the information so far.

Methodology: 

The inquiry centered around the proposed topic of digital technology’s role in education. Beginning with RMP A, I began to gather scholarly articles that addressed the different natures of technology’s implementation in classrooms, of which I summarized for further dissection later on. Moving into RMP B, I dove deeper into the articles by identifying main ideas regarding the specific ways technology in the classroom affected the environment, as well as creating research questions to guide my investigation. These were ideas that were common among the sources, such as technology creating classroom cohesion, helping students learn more effectively, altering classroom dynamics, and assisting in specialization instruction. They were subsequently split into sections, in which any information from each source that was deemed relevant to the topic was categorized based on the point it addressed. This filled the RMP B chart with commentary and scientific data addressing technology’s positive and negative effects which allowed for a balanced evaluation of the topic at hand, as well as helping develop themes and connections such as teacher roles and instructor training that would be the foundation of my essay structure. This segued into the essay, as the categorization and thematic breakdown of technology’s characteristics helped me to structure how I would present the information. The research supported a straightforward “good and bad” structure where the positive effects of technology I had found were stated, followed by a qualification with the negative effects. This allowed me to maintain a neutral position throughout writing while also covering all bases of proven learning enhancement and teacher difficulties to conclude the inquiry.

 

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