What Does the Research Say About Technology Integration?

Research continues to authenticate the positive impact that effective instruction coupled with a technology-rich learning environment can have on student performance. At the basic level, we know that computers help students improve their performance on basic skills tests, and is a powerful tool for problem solving, conceptual development and critical thinking. At the highest level, tech integration has demonstrated that:

• Students learn quickly and with greater retention when learning with the aid of computers.
• Students like learning with computers and their attitudes toward learning and school are positively affected by computer use.
• The use of computers appears most promising for low achieving and at-risk students.
• Effective and adequate teacher training is an integral element of successful learning programs based or assisted by technology.

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On our delicious site, a wide variety of research, articles, recommended reading and more.

ACOT2 follows in the tradition of Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow (ACOT). ACOT was an R&D collaboration among public schools, universities and research agencies initiated in 1985 and sustained through 1995 with outstanding results. The ACOT2 strategy presents six essential design principles for 21st century high schools, rather than a prescriptive school reform model.

Focus on Effectiveness delivers the how-to and supporting research for handhelds, hardware, software, Web environments, plus the Web as resource for teaching and learning.  And, don't miss thirty classroom examples that integrate technology into research-based instructional practices.

Articles
iPads Join the EdTech Portfolio at Naselle High School
The idea for a freshmen class equipped with iPads bubbled up from Jon Tienhaara, a tech-savvy assistant principal and math teacher at Naselle High School. Tienhaara teaches a mixed class of freshmen and sophomores. The idea made sense to Naselle Superintendent Rick Pass and it didn’t take long before the iPad concept seemed like a good idea for the sophomores, too. So, not long after, Jon was able to take his class completely paperless.

Research Papers & Studies
Using Technology to Personalize Learning and Assess Students in Real-Time, (PDF) Darrell M. West, Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings, October 6, 2011
From the introduction by West…In this paper, I examine new models of instruction made possible by digital technologies. Pilot projects from across the country are experimenting with different organizations and delivery systems, and transforming the manner in which formal education takes place. By itself, technology will not remake education. Meaningful change requires alterations in technology, organizational structure, instructional approach, and educational assessment. But if officials combine innovations in technology, organization, operations, and culture, they can overcome current barriers, produce better results, and reimagine the manner in which schools function.