10.02.06
The State of Research in Educational Technology
A recent paper entitled Technology in Schools: What the Research Shows, published by Cisco Systems and the Metiri Group outlines the current state of research in a variety of technologies. Here is a key quotation from the report:
The research on the effect of technology in learning is emerging. Overall, across all uses in all content areas, technology does provide a small, but significant, increase in learning when implemented with fidelity. While this statistic is encouraging, the real value to research lies in the identification of those technology interventions that get sufficiently positive results to warrant the investment. Most educators are looking for the value proposition that will significantly advance learning, teaching, and school system efficiencies. Taking advantage of these leverage points requires serious review of specific research studies that specifically address the needs and challenges of specific schools and serious attention paid to leadership development, professional development for teachers, school culture, curricular redesign, and teacher preparation.
While this report focuses on research in the K-12 area, some of it is also applicable to higher education and it bears at least a brief reading. We in higher education have to keep in mind that what affects K-12 education today affects our students of tomorrow. While we in higher education are often heard complaining about our incoming students (and often their lack of sufficient preparation) we have to keep in mind that if they experience a complete paradigm shift when they enter our halls, they are on a path for difficulty, if not failure. In actuality, it may not be their lack of preparation, but our inability to teach them in the manner in which they are accustomed to learning. Before we throw all of the blame on our students for not being adequately prepared, maybe we should check out our own (often archaic) instructional methodologies, as they may be, at the very least, contributing to the problem.
