CSMFall2014

This article describes a teaching experience in which information and communication technologies were applied in five industrial engineering courses at the Universidad de Tarapaca in Chile. The paper compares the performance and course pass rates of the e-learning platform and portable pocket PC platform with those of the same courses teaching in traditional classroom methods. Two of the courses involving 62 students used an e- learning platform and its associated pedagogical model, while the other three, covering 110 students, employed a portable Pocket PC platform and a collaborative pedagogical model. The results show that there is no statistical evidence that technology rise the students marks, but did reveal significant improvements in course pass rates.

This is really interesting as there are many people who would agree that technology does not have a significant impact in improving grades.

This article focuses on the affect that adventure learning (or distance learning) has on motivation and learning outcomes among middle school students. This technology forum provides them with opportunities to learn about world issues as they are happening while getting to experience them online through the use of Google maps, audio recordings, and daily emails directly from their teacher. The research from this article found positive correlations between adventure learning as a form of technology in the classroom and increased student motivation.

That is really exciting as more schools are using this technology.

The article discusses some barriers that teachers may face when integrating technology into their classroom. It then discusses some ways to overcome these barriers. Lastly, the article identifies several current knowledge gaps pertaining to the barriers and strategies of technology integration, and offers recommendations for future research.

I wish I could have read the article. I sounded interesting.

This article talks about the differences between males and females regarding this question: "Do male students have more confidence in using technology for learning than female students?" The study talked about was done in Hong Kong, this specific study found that both men and women like to learn using technology unlike in other studies done on this topic it was found that women are relatively new to the school setting and still have some of the old mindset, that women should only learn certain things and technology is more for males. Many students in Hong Kong and all over the world use technology every day, and gender doesn't matter.

I would agree that gender should not matter.

This article is about a secondary education language arts university class that paired with a 6th grade class. The 6th graders would submit their papers to the college student, who would then edit it and return it electronically. The purpose of this pairing was to use technology to make the 6th graders better writers and the future English teachers better at revising papers. Both teachers involved believed that it was a success and all of the students improved as a result.

This is a great activity for middle school kids.

This article is about the idea that adding technology into the classroom is not leveling the playing field for all students. That is a scary idea given the fact that we are integrating more and more technology into the classroom in hopes of trying to figure out how to better the education of all students. The question from here is, what can we do about this if the facts support the hypothesis presented in this article?

This is definitely something to consider. We make sure that technology is effective for all students.

78% of K-12 teachers believe technology in the classroom makes a positive difference; however, 17% believe it does not make a difference. Students today spent a majority of their day using 21st century technologies and if teachers put them in a 19th century classroom settings, they will have a significant disconnect with their students. Technology can raise students enthusiasm for learning, as well as amplify a teacher's strengths or weaknesses.

If a teacher isn't invested or prepared, technology can definitely spotlight a teacher's weaknesses.

Teachers are wondering if their student's attention spans and their ability to face and work through challenging tasks are hampered by technology. Some teachers argue they have to work harder to capture their student's attention and curiosity. Currently, there is not enough evidence from studies to substantiate this claim so researchers are querying educators as they feel their subjective input is the most accurate at this current time.

An interesting perspective on technology in the classroom!

This site shows different ways a teacher can incorporate technology in the classroom. It's aimed at teachers who are not tech savvy. Ideas include: using Webquest, creating a Class Webpage, having the students create Podcasts, having the students create blogs or wikis, having students do an email exchange and more ideas are discussed.

Teachers just need a few simple ideas to get them started with technology.

This article is talking about the benefits technology has for, not only general education classroom students, but also for special education students and students with disabilities. Technology has helped fill in the gap for students with special needs, whether it is a hearing or vision impairment, or low motor skills. Assistive technology, defined as "any technology, high tech or low tech, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of students with disabilities. Technology helps make learning possible to those who may not have the chance to learn otherwise.

Assistive technologies provide a wealth of opportunities for students with special needs.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of development on the level of technology integration within the elementary classroom. The study asked three separate questions. They are How the amount of professional development impacted the level of technology integration in the elementary classroom? What type of professional development produced the highest level of technology integration in the elementary classroom? What other types of barriers prevented elementary teachers from integrating technology in their classrooms? The study is to determine if there is a correlation between the amount of professional development in a teacher with the amount of technology they use in their elementary classroom

This is one I will be sharing with the other technology staff developers I work with. Thanks for sharing!

This article explores uses for the iPad in a bridge school focusing solely on English language learners. The use of iPad was hugely successful and allowed students to communicate more effectively and efficiently in their second language. Apps that were used were dictionaries, translators, kindle books, and pages.

It's amazing how quickly the iPad is changing the landscape of the classroom!

A professor a the University of Maryland has been researching ways to integrate technology in the classroom. Ipads tend to be his choice, due to size and weight. This professor thinks using technology that used to be a distraction to students, as an academic tool, is a way to ensure success.

This study examined ten teachers' use of technology for five years following initial certification. Only one in ten reached the highest of the five stages the authors used to "grade" the teachers' use of technology. Researchers (e.g. Russell, Bebell, O'Dwyer, & O'Connor, 2003) have pointed to the need for teacher education and professional development programs to provide the time to implement the technology to allow for more ownership of how to teach with the technology.

This article focuses on understanding the differences between the teachers and students acceptance for technology in the classroom, as it is found that many of the teachers are found to use technology in the classroom and the children increasingly using technology outside of the classroom. While reading this article it will help better understand the new learners in the classroom and provide them with better technology.

In this article, the author describes why technology is extremely important when used in the classroom, because it enhances learning. Using interviews, questionnaires, and observations, the author shows the problems of teachers and students, regarding accessibility, and how we should use technology as a tool.

This article discusses why Net Geners feel that technology is important, and that they don't multitask constantly because they can't focus on one thing at a time, but rather they need to accomplish a number of things and have been trained to do so by multitasking. It is discussed the amount of time spent on different technologies available to them. This article also discusses some teachers feelings with the learning style of bringing technology into the classroom.

This article speaks on the what students really think about technology. While most are excited and love the fact they can use computers and internet to find answers, some are worried about the freedom. They may feel there is more opportunities to be distracted or mislead in the information they gather. Also, the online classes are too easy for young students as they don't really have to learn anything when they can take the test with their notes in front of them. There are positives and negatives about using technology in the classroom and students who really want to learn are finding them both.

This article discussed the importance of parental involvement in special education. Several ways to support families were discussed. In the conclusion the author indicates that teachers should work with parents to build positive relationships and leave behind assumptions about parents.

This website has a lot of information for teachers with students with learning disabilities (LD). The site covers students with ADHA, ADD, and LD. The site has videos on students with LD and how to help them. The resource is endless for example,Processing deficits, the two most difficult areas are visual and auditory perception. This area of resource gives articles, multimedia, questions and answers, recommended books, in our Learning Store, recommended links, and forums to talk to other educators and parents. I will use this by referring to the information when I need more information to help with a student with LD, ADHD, or ADD.