Tech Teaching

1. Tech Teaching How Does Technology Use Affect Student Learning? Scott Baughman

2. Purpose of the Study • The No Child Left Behind program essentially states that the goal of school districts should be to help schools set up technology systems to help improve student achievement. As many teachers at Claymont High School have adopted technology into the classroom, there has definitely been a divide between those teachers and teachers who are insistent on their “tried and true” methods they have used for many yearsthat do not use technology. Which works best, tech or no tech, for student achievement?

3. Literature Review • $52 billion spent on educational technology in 2011 in the United States • Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow project demonstrates that greater standardized test scores are achieved by students who are in classrooms with computers, as well as improvements in the areas of math and writing. • ACOT study shows students that were members of technology-rich environments, more readily took responsibility for their own learning allowing teachers to act more as mentors than as presenters of information. • ACOT conclusively found that technology has a significant impact on not only student achievement, but also on student motivation, student/teacher collaboration, and teaching approach in the classroom.

4. Plan of Action • Identify classrooms where technology is used constantly and those where it is not used. • Use classrooms where similar material is being taught with opposing styles of teaching. • Have each teacher teach an entire unit over the course of a few weeks using there current methods and collect data on student results. • Compare the classrooms using technology in abundance with those which are reluctant to use technology to determine what impact technology use has on student learning.

5. Targeted Classrooms • American history class of 17 being taught a unit on WWI using a collection of technology methods • A second American history class of 19 being taught a unit on WWI with tradition teaching methods that do not include the use of technology. • An English class of 22 being taught a unit on poetry with the use of a wide array of technology including netbooks and an online class website • A second English class of 20 learning the same unit of poetry without the use of the technological resources of the first English class.

6. Tech in the Classroom • Students in 2 of the 4 classrooms studied were exposed to multiple uses of technology to enhance the learning environment

7. Research Results Test Percentage

8. Research Results Cont.American History Classrooms Test Percentage

9. Research Results Cont.English Classrooms Test Percentage

10. Findings/Analysis • Overall scores were higher in both subject areas in the technology classrooms versus non-technology classrooms. • The teachers all agreed that the technology use seemed to enrich the learning environment and engage the students in ways that old methods did not. • They also noted students were, in general, happier in the classroom with less behavioral issues in the technology classrooms.

11. Further Questions • How does technology get the students to approach questions differently and use critical thinking skills? • Does technology use hamper in any way or enhance how quickly material can be covered in a classroom? • Could the use of technology help to get the students to interact MORE and not less as many predict? • One study I would love to do more research on would be how does technology use affect classroom behavior?