Measuring the Effectiveness of Educational Technology: What Are We Attempting to Measure?
Reference: Jenkinson, J. (2009). Measuring the Effectiveness of Educational Technology: What Are We Attempting to Measure? Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 273-280. http://eric.ed.gov/PDFS/EJ872411.pdf.
Review/Summary: This article addressed the problems currently seen with the evaluation and use of technology in the classroom. This applies to much of what we read in the articles posted for this week and talks specifically about how technology can be made to look both wonderful and useless. In terms of the wonderful nature of technology, the article references that students are able to achieve success with concepts and ideas they might not normally be successful with. On the other hand, the article references the idea that technology could lead to time wasting and being off task. In the end it asks the question, what are we trying to measure with the effectiveness of technology? Is it technological skills or content skills?
Reflection: I feel as though this article made some great points about the research being done on the effectiveness of technology. Many people measure technology and its impact through the success one would see in a content standard. This is probably an incorrect way to look at it. Technology's impact cannot be separated from the effects it has on the student's ability to be a productive digital citizen. Although some of these skills can be picked up later in life, much of what would make a student able to use more advanced technology needs to be taught as a foundation and not an afterthought. Through the use of technology, students can learn more and unlock more ideas and make more practical connections to what they have learned. The impact of this research truly solidifies the idea that an ounce of digital learning is worth a pound of future educational knowledge. I believe students that use technology and learn the skills earlier will have access and the ability to use technology to foster their understanding and learning in the future.
Reference: Jenkinson, J. (2009). Measuring the Effectiveness of Educational Technology: What Are We Attempting to Measure? Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 273-280. http://eric.ed.gov/PDFS/EJ872411.pdf.
Review/Summary: This article addressed the problems currently seen with the evaluation and use of technology in the classroom. This applies to much of what we read in the articles posted for this week and talks specifically about how technology can be made to look both wonderful and useless. In terms of the wonderful nature of technology, the article references that students are able to achieve success with concepts and ideas they might not normally be successful with. On the other hand, the article references the idea that technology could lead to time wasting and being off task. In the end it asks the question, what are we trying to measure with the effectiveness of technology? Is it technological skills or content skills?
Reflection: I feel as though this article made some great points about the research being done on the effectiveness of technology. Many people measure technology and its impact through the success one would see in a content standard. This is probably an incorrect way to look at it. Technology's impact cannot be separated from the effects it has on the student's ability to be a productive digital citizen. Although some of these skills can be picked up later in life, much of what would make a student able to use more advanced technology needs to be taught as a foundation and not an afterthought. Through the use of technology, students can learn more and unlock more ideas and make more practical connections to what they have learned. The impact of this research truly solidifies the idea that an ounce of digital learning is worth a pound of future educational knowledge. I believe students that use technology and learn the skills earlier will have access and the ability to use technology to foster their understanding and learning in the future.
