Research on the Effectiveness of Educational Technology

Assignment 1: After having looked over these educational technology research sites, go to your blog and respond to the following questions:
• Give a brief review of the research you found on these sites.
• What are your reactions to this research?
Is this information helpful in justifying the use and expense of technology in our schools?

The use of online learning in schools continues to increase.  The primary objective is to ensure the availability of high quality education to all students.  Schools need to determine the best format for the online environment in their schools.  Proper use of technology in a one to one environment can lead to improvements in student motivation, engagement, achievement, 21st century skills, and self directed learning.  The instructional practices of teachers will be positively impacted by technology use if there is proper training and infrastructure available.

I agree with these assumptions about the potential impact that technology, one-to-one learning environments, and online learning can have on our education system.  I have witnessed these things in my school with our students that have had the opportunity to take advantage of it.  At this time many of these resources are only available for remedial and advanced studies but we will soon begin to make this available on a larger scale and I am excited to see the results.  For the past 5-10 years, many schools have had the equipment to offer these types of educational opportunities but have allowed it to reach its full potential.    The schools that have piloted these programs are now the examples that we should try to emulate or modify to fit with the needs of our district.

The expense of technology resources cannot be ignored.  It is one of the major aspects that has held schools back from using technology to its full potential.  Many of the resources we have used thus far have been teacher-based, such as smart boards and projectors, online grade books, etc.  It is now time to put the tools available into our students hands with online classes, online textbooks, blended classes, etc.   The investments in technology that schools have already made will be wasted if we do not continue to move forward.  School technology budgets are going to continue to increase.  We need to make informed decisions about our purchases and provide the time and training to implement.