Research Documentation for Technology Integration

Do you have any actual data on technology tools that result in direct, measurable student achievement gains.

I am looking for research that shows definitive, no doubt about it, evidence of the connection between technology and increased student outcomes.

I would like information (quantitative and qualitative) about repeatable and validated strategies for increasing student achievement.

Case studies, best practices, project plans, training profiles...anything that relies on solid instructional design would be helpful.

The data should be clean and rigorous, suitable for convincing skeptics that the money for training, equipment and infrastructure is returning student achievement gains.

Thanks.

Tags: evidence, outcomes, overcoming, projects, repeatable, research-based, skeptics, student, technology, the

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Permalink Reply by Ed Jones on November 13, 2007 at 8:34pm

Boy, do I hope you get some solid answers to this. But I'm not holding my breath.

We've been trying to accumulate some substantive research on this, particularly specifics on what works and doesn't from online, interactive, sound-and-animation lessons. Not much has shown up on the radar.

I keep hoping its just me; that I'm just missing it.

Everything we've got to date is here at Web Media Pedagogy, or in the blog, tagged Analysis.

It's rather thin. Good luck, and I'm hoping something shows up here. (I hope I make a solid research contact).

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Permalink Reply by Edwin Wargo on November 13, 2007 at 9:01pm

Hi Joseph,

After re-reading your post (sorry, I should have read it more carefully), this study isn't what you are looking for:

Here's the URL of it (hopefully it could provide some value to you) :

http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/pubs/20074005/

I believe they are doing or did a second year of the study.

I'm off to practice my reading skills.

Edwin

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Permalink Reply by Larry Ferlazzo on November 13, 2007 at 10:20pm

We have a Family Literacy Project where we provide home computers and DSL service to immigrant families who use our website to help learn English. Students in the project have double the improvement in reading comprehension and triple the improvement in reading fluency. You can read more about it here and here.

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Permalink Reply by Ed Jones on November 14, 2007 at 6:55am

This one doesn't have what you're asking for either, but it does seem to cover the "How everyone else is explaining it" task: 2007 National Trends Report. The 2006 and earlier reports may have more.

This one goes into the entire concept of Scientifically Based Research in Ed Tech: Scientifically Based Research. Basically, it reports that Congress wants it, the states and districts are working on it, and for now, they are at least setting up target areas in which they wish to see improvement.

The sidebar on the above links will have more research.

There's also this: Selling Software: How vendors manipulate research and cheat students, which, well, questions among other things even the study Wade sent.

Again, good luck.

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Permalink Reply by Ed Jones on November 14, 2007 at 7:09am

Of course, technology tools may best be used for metrics and quality control tracking. This article takes that on: The brave new world of data-informed instruction

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Permalink Reply by Sylvia Martinez on November 15, 2007 at 9:45am

Hi Joseph,
1. Google Henry Becker at University of California, Irvine. Good stuff.
2. McREL research focuses on this area. You might find what you seek here.

3. My 2 cents: The problem with many studies is that what the study assessed will drive the practice. Since these studies often look at test scores, they use technology that is supposed to improve test scores. And even then the proof of that is hard to come by, they tend to show marginal improvement in the lowest performing students (that doesn't sustain) and very little else. And worse, this stuff is bad for kids and teachers.

You can't just strap kids in to an electronic delivery system and call it educational technology, and yet that's exactly what happens. "Technology" can be teaching kids to program games and collaborating online with a class across the world -- or it can be an "drill and kill" instructional learning system. Unfortunately the distinction is very difficult to make.

You CAN measure things besides test scores. Affective aspects like attitude, interest, behavior, attendance, etc are all measureable and definable, it's just harder to do and a little fuzzy for some folks.

But if you ONLY look at test scores, it's going to be very difficult to make your case.