I have been asked by my colleagues on several occasions, "Does the money in which the district spends on technology really make a difference?" "Can you provide evidence?" Well, my best answer today is embedded in the research that has been conducted by others. And hopefully soon, I will be completing a study of my own in which I can shed some light on the subject. For now, here is an abstract of a research paper that I recently completed, and if it sparks an interest, I have provided a link to the full 10 pages. What do you think about the impact that technology has on your district?
Does
the Implementation of Web 2.0 Applications in the English Language Arts
Classroom Improve 7th Grade Student Writing Scores?
Abstract
Over the last ten
years, interactive Web 2.0 applications have become widespread and are popular
forms of communication among school-aged children. With the gain in popularity
of online Web 2.0 applications and being an essential part of a student’s
everyday life outside of the classroom, teachers should take advantage of the affordances
these evolving technologies can bring to the classroom. In particular, can the
implementation of Web 2.0 technologies in place of traditional writing methods
improve student writing scores as denoted on the STAAR writing test? Does the
use of interactive Web 2.0 applications motivate students to share their
thoughts through their writing? Currently, there is little evidence that the
use of Web 2.0 technologies versus traditional writing methodologies have a
significant impact on the improvement of middle school student writing scores. A
quantitative study involving classes of 7th grade students who
utilize Web 2.0 applications during writing assignments compared to classes of 7th
grade students who practice traditional writing methods could provide more
insight about the results of implementing Web 2.0 applications in an English
Language Arts classroom.
Keywords: Web
2.0, English Language Arts, STAAR test, writing performance
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