1

THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION

Abstract

Technology in the classroom has improved academic achievement in students,

encouraged higher-level thinking, increased motivation, assisted teachers in classroom and

academic organization, and improved assessment and evaluation. This synthesis paper

represents my own thoughts using relevant sources to show how technology has impacted

education. The introduction of technology into our classrooms has changed the ways that we

think, teach, and learn. The following synthesis will discuss the major areas of education that

have been the most impacted by technology and examples will be given.

Erin C. Markus

Boise State University

Educational Technology 501

2

The Impact of Technology in the Education

Technology has greatly impacted the educational system, including teaching and

learning. We have witnessed some of the most amazing breakthroughs in the history of the

world. These breakthroughs are the computer and the internet. The internet has opened doors to

places we never thought we would go or see. Introducing the computer age and the internet into

the classroom is empowering our children to become worldly thinkers and to see the world in a

more analytical point of view. Bringing technology into the classroom has improved academic

success in students in many ways. Success is not only at the student level, but also at the teacher

level. Computers have assisted teachers in many ways, such as organization, grading, and

communication. In this paper, these topics will be addressed using examples from research

studies and journals. Computers have impacted our entire educational system, and the proof is in

the results.

Technology in the classroom has improved academic achievement. One way that

achievement has been reached is because of the impact of student collaboration. Students

working together and utilizing technology can improve teaming and group research capabilities.

Technology applications that enable student collaboration tend to result in improved

achievement. According to Scardamalia and Bereiter (1996):

In one study, upper-grade elementary students used a software collaboration tool called Computer Supported Intentional Learning Environment (CSILE) that enables students and teachers to create and post text and graphics to ask questions, search for other students' answers, give feedback on student responses and work and then reformulate their initial answers and questions. These students performed better on standardized tests in reading, language and vocabulary and on measures of depth of understanding, multiple perspectives and independent thought than students who did not use the software.

Students utilizing e-mail and other networks within their school or classroom to

communicate with each other and their teachers can be a useful tool. It is not always possible for

3

groups to get together to meet, so using the internet for messaging and communication is

another way to work as a group without sitting at a table together when this is not possible. A

great example of this kind of collaboration is shown in a fourth and fifth grade science project. In

a research study reported by Kafai and Ching (2001):

Fourth and fifth grade students were divided into teams of four or five for a 10-week project designing a lesson for teaching third graders about the brain. Science discussions that led fourth and fifth grade students to reformulate the academic content at higher levels also enabled them to:

focus on the design of software screens choose their research question within the confines of the science subject choose the software screens to design choose the methods for conducting their research for teaching third

graders about the brain

Students who were experienced with collaborative software design tools provided better learning opportunities for their peers who were newcomers to the software. Their extensive questioning functioned as a way for their teams to bootstrap up to the next level of engagement. The combination of whole-classroom science activities with more individualized research questions allowed both for content coverage as well as for activities that were intellectually and socially meaningful to individuals.

In this assignment, it is obvious that the students had to work together, but they also had

their individual assignments for research that challenged their abilities and then brought the

results together as a group project. Having individual research items helped each person to gain

a thorough understanding of their content area, add it to the entire project, and in turn, learn what

others brought to the project. Case studies conducted at nine school sites (urban, suburban, and

rural) suggest that technology can support student learning through collaborative inquiry.

Technology provides realistic, complex environments by furnishing investigative tools and data

resources and by linking classrooms for joint investigations (Means & Olson, 1997).

Collaboration is so important in the classroom and it is a great tool for students to learn

before heading into their professional lives where they will have to work collaboratively in

4

whatever field they go in to. Software tools that promote student collaboration also promote

"higher level" discussions (Kafai & Ching, 2001). Higher-order thinking skills have improved

with home and school access to computers. Coley et al. (1997) and Rockman and Sloan (1995)

reported on students with home computers:

Students who were supplied home computers and modem access to the school were compared with students who didn't have this equipment. The students with home computers and modem access to school realized:

an increase in all writing skills better understanding and broader view of math greater problem-solving and critical thinking skills ability to teach others greater self-confidence and self-esteem, and more confidence with

computer skills

Using educational games and simulations has been a useful tool for educators when

teaching complex subjects. Some students need to experience an activity rather than listen to a

lecture in order to understand what is being taught. Using the computer for simulations gives

them the hands-on learning that they need. Eighth grade students whose teachers effectively

used technology for 'simulations and applications' to enhance higher-order thinking skills

performed better on the National Assessment of Education Progress test than did students whose

teachers did not use the technology. Students whose teachers used the technology primarily for

“drill and practice” (generally associated with lower order thinking skills) performed worse on

the NAEP (Wenglinsky, 1998). Studies have been done where technology has been used for

academic activities and they were compared to lessons completed without using technology as an

aid. The results show in most studies that the use of technology promoted higher-level task

completion, using more broad thinking and creativity. For example, in comparing task-based

education conducted with computers to similar tasks taught without computers, researchers

5

found an increase in experimental risk-taking and self-regulation by students as well as a higher

level of conceptualization of the task in the computer-based environment. This study also found

an increase in both factual information exchanges and task conceptualization interactions

between teachers and students when teaching occurred across computers (Karasivvidis, 2004).

When students are being successful and completing tasks with a high-regard to learning and

conceptualization, it is evident that motivation to learn more and do better will be obtained by

the student. When a student feels success, they want more. This is a fact. Using computers and

online tools, students are exposed to so much information and they are eager to learn more about

their topics. On top of this, collaboration with other students using technology, as stated before,

encourages them to work harder and be more successful in school. Student motivation is

enhanced in projects that require online collaboration. Student motivation is enhanced through

online collaborative research that includes online communication with peers and experts in other

states and countries (Means et al., 1997).

Another facet of technology that is highly motivational to students is the use of

multimedia. Because our world today is so multimedia based, kids tend to thrive for this kind of

academic delivery. Multimedia projects motivate students. Students and teachers reported a

positive change in student motivation for class assignments when the use of multimedia was

incorporated into classroom instruction. Improved student motivation was the most frequently

cited change by all the teachers (Cradler & Cradler, 1999). The bottom line is that kids love

multimedia. The kids of today have grown up on it and know nothing but television, DVD’s,

and computers. Most of them have even been born since the onset of the internet. The

multimedia of the future is going to be pinnacle to our children’s education, but the impact can

already be felt today.

6

The use of computer games and simulations has greatly impacted the educational scene.

Bringing this technology into the classroom gives the children a true hands-on experience and

can cater to those that are visual or kinesthetic learners. Simulations and computer games have

been around a long time, such as the original school game Oregon Trail, which most of us born

in the 70’s remember. The games now are fully interactive, even using computer-generated

likenesses of the students called Avatars. Based on an extensive literature review, (Means et al.,

1993) concluded that real-world simulation software programs tend to be highly motivating for

students, increase student productivity, and promote the acquisition of advanced skills and

knowledge. Means et al. also found that simulation software provides external meaning and

context for learning activities, fosters student-centered learning environments, and promotes

student-student and student-teacher collaborative learning. Not only are kids learning at young

ages to use computers, but they are also becoming familiar with the programming of computers.

Programming games are a medium for personal and creative expression. A study of students

designing games for younger students to learn mathematics (Kafai, 1996) found that learning

about technology and programming supports other types of learning. This is probably one of the

greatest educational impacts that computer education has had in recent years. Kids are learning

to do what people with a college education used to do. The software available today has made

learning programming fun and interactive.

We have seen students being positively impacted by technology in the classroom, but

what about the teachers? Evidence shows that teachers are greatly benefiting by technologies,

not only for using as a teaching tool, but for their own use for organization, grading, and

planning. Organization is essential for a teacher to be successful. The use of computers and

other technological devices has made this much easier. Teachers can use databases, grade books,

7

and calendars all on their computer. This greatly cuts down on the mess that can accumulate in a

teacher’s classroom, leading to a more organized work and teaching space. Technology brings

about changes in classroom organization and the role the teacher plays; providing teachers with

the tools they need to negotiate these changes is crucial to their success (Muir-Herzic, 2004).

While organization is very important to a teacher, evaluation is another one of a teacher’s duties

that has also been greatly enhanced since the onset of technology in the classroom.

Assessment and Evaluation of student work can be an extensive and tedious job for all

teachers. Computers have made this part of education more organized and efficient. Digital

tools provide a means for teachers to efficiently and routinely use open-ended response and

performance assessments that were previously too cumbersome to score in an efficient manner

(Fletcher, 2002). Assessment at the lower grades still is usually a paper and pencil task, but

recording and calculating grades has been enhanced by using computer grading programs, such

as InteGrade Pro. These programs basically package all inputted grades and produce several

different types of grade reports for students, parents, or administration. Having this information

readily on hand speeds up the end of term process and can aid in developmental plans by

shortening the time of information gathering. At the higher educational levels, computers are

used for test taking, grading, and evaluation. As stated in the study by Fletcher, grading open-

ended response questions has been easier for scoring and more feedback can be obtained from

the student to the teacher or vice versa. Overall, there has been a great impact of technology in

the classroom for teachers and administrators.

In conclusion, technology is here. It is becoming a mainstay of our society and has now

integrated into the educational system with very positive results. The future of our children is

8

going to be dominated by so much technology that we cannot even begin to imagine what they

will see and experience. There is no doubt that technology has had an incredible impact on

education. There is no telling what will be next.

9

References

Scardamalia, M. & Bereiter, C. (1996). Computer support for knowledge-building communities. In T.

Kotchmann (Ed.), CSCL: Theory and practice of an emerging paradigm. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence

Erlbaum Associates.

Means, B. & Olson, K. (1997). Technology and education reform. Office of Educational Research and

Improvement, Contact No. RP91-172010. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.

Retrieved February 3, 2003, from http://www.ed.gov/pubs/SER/Technology/title.html.

Rockman, S. & Sloan, K.R. (1995). Assessing the growth: The Buddy Project evaluation, 1994-5. San

Francisco: Authors. Retrieved October 27, 2001, from

http://rockman.com/projects/buddy/Bud95final.pdf.

Coley, R., Cradler, J. & Engel, P. (1997). Computers and classrooms: The status of technology in U.S.

schools. Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service, Policy Information Center, 37.

Kafai, Y.B., & Ching, C.C. (2001). Affordances of collaborative software design planning for elementary

students’ science talk. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 10(3), 323-363.

Wenglinsky, H. (1998). Does it compute? The relationship between educational technology and student

achievement in mathematics. Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service. Retrieved March 6, 2002,

from ftp://ftp.ets.org/pub/res/technolog.pdf.

Means, B., Coleman, E. Klewis, A., Quellamlz, E. Marder, C., & Valdes, K. (1997). GLOBE Year 2

Evaluation.Menlo Park, CA: SRI International. Retrieved February 5, 2003, from

http://www.sri.com/policy/ctl/assets/images/y2_full.pdf.

Kafai, Y.B. (1996). Software by kids for kids. Communications of the ACM, 39 (4), 38-40.

Cradler, J., & Cradler, R. (1999). Just in time: A new model for multimedia training. Evaluation report

for 1999. Washington DC: US Office of Education.

10

Means, B. Blando, J., Olson, K., Middleton, T., Morocco, C.C., Remz, A.R.,& Zorfass, J. (1993). Using

Technology to support education reform. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Office of

Edcuational Research and Improvement. Retrieved October 26, 2001, from

http://www.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/TechReforms/.

Karasavvidis, I., J.M. Pieters & T. Plomp (2003). Exploring the mechanisms through which computers

contribute to learning, Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 19, 115-128.

Muir-Herzig, R.M. (2004). Technology and its impact in the classroom, Computers & Educaton, 42, 111-

131.

Fletcher, J.D. (2002). Is it worth it? Some comments on research and technology in assessment and

Instruction. Technology and Assessment: Thinking Aloud-Proceedings from a Workshop, 26-39.

Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Retrieved May 28, 2002, from

http://books.nap.edu/books/0309083206/html/26.html.