Jackson, A., Gaudet, L., McDaniel, L., & Brammer, D. (2009). Curriculum Integration: The use of technology to support learning. Journal of College Teaching & Learning, 6(7), 71-78.
This article addresses the benefits of technology in education from the perspective of Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences, which states that there are different realms of learning, and that different learning styles may be better suited to different people. A person with logical-mathematical intelligence could benefit from engaging interactive multimedia technology that offers immediate feedback. Technology can offer simulated challenges that encourage higher-level thinking.
Mouza, C. (2005). Using technology to enhance early childhood learning: The 100 days of school project. Educational Research & Evaluation, 11(6), 513-528.
Some claims have been made that technology can disrupt or stifle learning processes, and this article addresses these concerns. Mouza, an Associate Professor in the School of Education at the University of Delaware, explores six teachers in an elementary school and how they integrated technology into their curriculum. The study demonstrates that technology can support child cognitive development by improving logical thinking, classification, concept visualization, and creating intellectually stimulating hands-on learning activities ideal for young children. Skills such as literacy, mathematics, and writing show improvement, and are reinforced by technology-oriented education. Students gain confidence and pride when they see their products in a visual technological form, and proper usage of technology can reduce social isolation, and encourage discussions and peer instruction.
Rhodes, J., & Milby, T. (2007). Teacher-created electronic books: Integrating technology to support readers with disabilities. Reading Teacher, 61(3), 255-259.
This article demonstrates that students with disabilities often are proficient with using technology to accomplish learning tasks and interactive activities they wouldn’t otherwise be able to do. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) states that technology should be used as an active part of the learning process. Electronic books, with their text-to-speech capabilities, animation, and interactivity can boost the confidence of students with disabilities, and encourage their fluency, comprehension, and language skills.
Squire, K., Barnett, M., & Grant, J. (2004). Electromagnetism supercharged! Learning physics with digital simulation games. Proceedings of the 2004 International Conference of the Learning Sciences. Los Angeles, CA.
This conference proceeding contains an analysis of how games can improve learning. Some statistics are included in here that are quite valuable, including a study conducted by researcher Kurt Squire in pre- and post-tests control groups. He found that participants receiving a series of interactive lectures improved their understanding by 15 percent over their pre-test scores, compared with participants who used a specially-developed game/simulation called Supercharged, developed by MIT researchers, who improved their understanding by 28 percent.
Wall, K., Higgins, S., & Smith, H. (2005). “The visual helps me understand the complicated things”: Pupil views of teaching and learning with interactive whiteboards. British Journal of Educational Technology, 36(5), 851-867.
This article examines the views of students, age 10 and 11, regarding interactive whiteboards (IWBs), and how it benefits the teaching and learning processes. (While I don’t think a students’ preference for instruction does not necessarily correlate with the effectiveness of instruction, a student’s preference can still indicate a stronger degree of engagement and participation in the learning process.) The majority of students in the study approved of IWBs as they felt it increased their attention and concentration. Most students liked how concepts can be presented in a concrete form through an IWB, and some claimed that it improved knowledge retention. Negative comments were limited to concerns about technical difficulties.
Wenglinsky, H. (2005). Technology and achievement: The bottom line. Educational Leadership, 63(4), 29-32.
Wenglisky examines the claim that technology usage in schools raises student achievement. The author insists that we are at the point now that teachers should just take for granted that students will use technology to complete their learning tasks. In the 2001 National Assessment of Educational Progress assessment, middle school and high school history students benefited when technology was incorporated into their learning.
