Technology Education

Alexandra Le
Professor Jensen
WRC 1013.041
15 November 2012
Technology Education
In our present society, social media and technology are transforming the world we live in today. It is no secret that our generation revolves completely around devices such as mobile phones, television, laptops, mp3 players, and the list goes on. In time, technology has evolved exceedingly and progressed in every aspect. Not only has it entertainingly made an impact on society, but it has also opened specific gateways towards a more instructive perspective. Technology in education has transformed the way teachers educate, students learn, and the way teachers and students communicate. In the basic four levels of education: Elementary, Middle School, High School, and College- a variety of technologies are being introduced and used in order to increase the learning and knowledge pertaining to a students’ education.
Starting with the first, most familiar beginning level of education: Elementary. Even at a very young age, kids are nonetheless still exposed to technology. Studies in elementary, have shown that technology is being used at the beginning level of education in order to teach basic fundamental skills to young students. One particular experiment uses the Internet and email to teach preschool and kindergarten students’ basic geometric concepts, early communication skills, development in writing skills, and cultivated imagination skills (Fesakis et al.). This study researched by Fesakis, Sofroniou, and Mavroudi is referred to as the “Monster Exchange” project. The project required a formation of two groups: the first group held the duty of students’ imagining a monster, writing a description of their monster, and then sending their description to the second group, while the second group’s duty was to design a monster fully based on the first group’s description. Last, the original monster created by the first group is then compared to the monster created by the second group. In Using the Internet for Communicative Learning Activities, researchers write, “Using the ‘monster exchanges’, students practice their writing and reading comprehension skills while at the same time they become familiar with various information and communication technology applications”. The results of the “Monster Exchange” proved that children interacted better with other students, improved on learning their geometric shapes with a reduction in error, encouraged collaboration, and increased interest from student participation while using Internet and email technology. Another successful study is Technology And Early Literacy: The Impact Of An Integrated Learning System On High-Risk Kindergartners' achievement, focusing on kindergarten students who are at-risk in literacy development. These children participated in the Waterford Early Reading Program, “a software program designed to facilitate early literacy development” says article writers Tracey and Young. The Waterford classrooms were given “technology software, hardware, and print materials” (Tracey and Young) in order to teach literacy, while the nonintervention classrooms only used the “Scholastic Literary Place core program” (Tracey and young), a traditional literary teaching system not involving technology. A test was then administered to the students in each group in order to compare the literacy development progress due to technology. “When the scores of students in the experimental classrooms were compared with the scores of students in the nonintervention classrooms, significant differences favoring the students in the experimental classrooms were found” (Tracey and Young) stating that this technological experiment deemed successful.
The second level of basic education, following Elementary, is referred to as Middle School (also known as the Junior High level). At this level of education, students are becoming somewhat acquainted with basic technology such as cell phones, mp3 players, and the Internet. In the study Raise Your Hands or Hands-on?, authors Lien Mostmans, Chris Vleugels and Stijn Bannier wanted to test the differences of a traditional teaching classroom compared to a teaching classroom involving a Multi-Touch Multimedia Tablet. Students were instructed to make a presentation on the life and work of Leonardo De Vinci. Half of the students used the multi-touch software, while the other students used desktop computer software. An observation regarding the experiment was that “Pupils working on the computer were limited because of the single point interface (the mouse) and the fact that only one pupil was able to operate the interface at a time” (Mostmans et al.). The results proved to be much more efficient to that of a normal computer, allowing interaction, more collaboration and teamwork, individual creativity, and not as limiting. The study of Effect Of Computer-Based Video Games On Children involved using computer-based video games to facilitate problem solving learning for middle schoolers. Authors Tsung-Yen Chuang and Wei-Fan Chen’s study focused on the topic of fire fighting, and included two instructional materials for students: a computer-invented instructional text explaining the subject and a computer-based video game explaining the subject. After learning about the topic, the students were each given a quiz. The students who learned using the computer-based video game retained the information more than the students who learned with the computer-invented instructional text (Chuang and Chen). The results indicated “computer-based video game playing not only improves participants' fact/recall processes, but also promotes problem-solving skills by recognizing multiple solutions for problems” (Chuang and Chen).
The third level of basic education currently dealing with technology is High School education. Students by this time are extremely matured and familiar with technology, allowing for more advanced uses and applications. In the Effectiveness Of Information And Communication Technology In Teaching Mathematics At Secondary Level study, information and communication technology are used to teach high school students old-fashioned mathematics. Behlol et al. explains how this study compares the traditional teaching method of mathematics, examining the effectiveness of technological teaching in contrast to the no technological, traditional method of teaching. The control group in this experiment only worked with materials such as a math textbook, exercise books, a white-board, and white-board markers, while the experimental group included a computer to satisfy two students and a variety of mathematical software provided on the computer and student accessible (Behlol, et al.). The results of this experiment showed that technology prevailed in teaching mathematics, “ information and communication technology was effective in the academic achievements of students in mathematics at secondary level compared to the traditional teaching methods of mathematics” (Behlol, et al.). Another creation invented in the world of technology is the development of a website. Websites are generated to better inform and educate a person on a specific topic, and now it is popular in the world of education. In the article Secondary Schools Online: Are High School Web Sites Effective?, authors Isibor et al. write about the benefits a website can bring to a school system. “They provide additional information regarding school, along with accounts created for individual students, e-mail configuration, assignment provision, and countless more tasks” (Isibor et al.). Results of this study showed that students find high school much easier to stay on top of, due to the vast amount of information put onto their high schools’ personal website.
The highest level possible for a student wanting to continue education after high school is College. Technology is greatly required in a college environment. College students are required to research and write papers using computers or their own personal laptops. In this specific learning environment, one major technology-based opportunity given in college is distance learning. Distance learning is also known as online learning, meaning students may take college courses online via laptop or computer. An article that further studies the role of this topic is Online Learning: A Comparison Of Web-Based And Land-Based Courses. This type of learning is easy, immediate and could not be possible without technology. “New technology and a large student population have made web-based classes a more attractive option for colleges and universities”, says Joy L. M. Brown. Brown’s purpose in this study is to compare the differences in student performance in web-based versus land-based college courses. The results in this study examined the grades made by students taking the opposing courses, but did not show any significant differences. The only difference Brown noted was that “in-class learning held a higher retention rate for students” and was “far more liked” (Brown). Another study involves another source of technology; use of the popular apple product, the iPad. Eugene Geist used the iPad in a study, in his article The Game Changer: Using Ipads In College Teacher Education Classes to examine the practicality and efficiency of using tablet computers in higher-level education. College “students were asked to use the devices to access materials such as course readings, videos, and the course management systems for the curriculum class” says Geist. The benefits conducted in this experiment proved that students were able to understand lectures and assignments better while using the iPad. College students say in the article that “these devices actually help to manage their attention” and they “favor the fact that it is immediate data accessible” (Geist).
There are many strategies and approaches being introduced and used in the different education levels, using technology, which is proving beneficial in countless ways towards a students’ learning. The way technology has evolved, it seems to only progress and improve for the future. Students and studies are admitting that today’s technology has gained interest, while opening infinite possibilities when it comes to education and books.

Works Cited
Brown, Joy L. M. "Online Learning: A Comparison Of Web-Based And Land-Based Courses." Quarterly Review Of Distance Education 13.1 (2012): 39-42. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Nov. 2012.
Distance learning is introduced and compared to traditional on-land courses taken by college leveled students. (college)
Fesakis, Georgios, Christina Sofroniou, and Elisavet Mavroudi. "Using The Internet For Communicative Learning Activities In Kindergarten: The Case Of The 'Shapes Planet'." Early Childhood Education Journal 38.5 (2011): 385-392. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Nov. 2012.
Uses The “Monster Exchange” experiment involving the Internet to teach pre-k students communicative learning skills, develop writing skills, and cultivate imagination. (elementary)
Geist, Eugene. "The Game Changer: Using Ipads In College Teacher Education Classes." College Student Journal 45.4 (2011): 758-768. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Nov. 2012.
College students were given iPads to use during a 10 week period in the hopes of a better learning experience.
Malik Ghulam Behlol, et al. "Effectiveness Of Information And Communication Technology (Ict) In Teaching Mathematics At Secondary Level." International Journal Of Academic Research 3.5 (2011): 67-72. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Nov. 2012.
Using technology to facilitate mathematical teaching in comparison to the traditional way of teaching mathematics. (High school)
Mostmans, Lien, Chris Vleugels, and Stijn Bannier. "Raise Your Hands or Hands-on? The Role of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning in Stimulating Intercreativity in Education." Journal of Educational Technology and Society 15.4 (2012): 104-13. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Nov. 2012.
This study is focused on students in middle school (ages 12-13) using Multi-touch technology in order to increase interactivity, and creativity. It is compared to a normal computer and the effectiveness. (middle school)
Theresa Isibor, et al. "Secondary Schools Online: Are High School Web Sites Effective?" American Secondary Education 34.2 (2006): 50-66. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Nov. 2012.
Public high school websites created and aimed to achieve higher-level education for high school students. (High school)
Tracey, Diane H., and John W. Young. "Technology And Early Literacy: The Impact Of An Integrated Learning System On High-Risk Kindergartners' achievement." Reading Psychology 28.5 (2007): 443-467. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Nov. 2012.
At-risk kindergartener literacy students’ participated in a study involving a technology software that helped boost literacy development. (elementary)
Tsung-Yen, Chuang, and Chen Wei-Fan. "Effect Of Computer-Based Video Games On Children: An Experimental Study." Journal Of Educational Technology & Society 12.2 (2009): 1-10. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Nov. 2012.
Using technology-based games in order to teach third graders problem solving skills.