Technology and Learning Skills

Technology is a powerful tool that gives students access to vast amounts of information—and helps students acquire the learning skills they need to transform this information into useful knowledge. Technology is an essential component of a 21st century education—not a frill—because it helps students develop essential learning skills and become life-long learners.

Here are some best practices:

• Students are taking charge of their own learning in the Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI), a statewide program that provides wireless laptop computers to all seventh- and eighth-grade students and teachers. Teachers and students report that students have more freedom to pose questions, explore topics of interest and work at different levels of depth, according to a 2004 program evaluation. Students also are cooperating more with other students and with teachers—and helping each other with the technology. Often, it is the low-performing and special-needs students who are teaching others about technology. (Fairman, 2004)
• A distance learning project that delivers marine science courses to students in grades 4–8 in Florida, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Texas, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, and Missouri sparked student interest and inquiry into science and science professions, fostered collaborative learning, and increased multimedia proficiency, according to a project evaluation. The SeaTrek Distance Learning Project featured videoconference courses, which incorporate a mix of live feed, PowerPoint presentations, prerecorded video segments from scientists at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Fl. One teacher noted the impact of the SeaTrek “Sharks” program even after her students returned to her classroom, and said, “They loved it! They were full of questions that spilled over back into our classroom. This spawned a whole unit on research, questions, projects, and research.” (Harouna & Keisch, 2004)
• Technology has been used effectively to support mathematics curricula that focus on problem solving and hands-on, constructivist, and experiential activities. Students participating in such technology-supported learning experiences have demonstrated superior conceptual understanding of targeted math topics to that of students receiving traditional instruction. (Effectiveness of Technology in Schools, 2000)

Citations

Ba, Harouna, and Keisch, Deborah. “Bridging the Gap Between Formal and Informal Learning: Evaluating the SeaTrek Distance Learning Project.” Center for Children
& Technology. May 2004.
http://www2.edc.org/cct/admin/publications/report/SeaTrekfinal04.pdf

2000 Research Report on the Effectiveness of Technology in Schools. (2000). Software & Information Industry Association.
http://www.siia.net/estore/REF-00-summary.pdf

Maine Education Policy Research Institute, Maine Learning Technology Initiative, Research Report #3. (2004, May). Trading Roles: Teachers and Students Learn with Technology. Fairman, J. http://www.usm.maine.edu/cepare/pdf/mlti/MLTI%20Phase%20One%20Evaluation%20Report%203.pdf

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (2003, June). Learning for the 21st Century: A Report and MILE Guide for 21st Century Skills.
http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/downloads/P21_Report.pdf