Jessica D.

Long
EDUC 675
19 July 2014

I s Technology the Solution to Student Achievement?

According to Lim, Zhao, Tondeur, Chai, and Tsai (2013), the technology investment
has increased more than a hundredfold in the last two decades (p. 59). It appears that much of
this investment has happened because of an overarching assumption that more technology in
schools is needed in order to become effective education systems. The purpose of this paper is to
examine current literature to determine some studied pros and cons of increasing technology
usage in schools.
Holland and Holland (2014) write that the boom in new technologies provide an easy
way to enliven classroom instruction and suggest that, Providing meaningful integration of new
technologies through the careful selection of quality tools aligning to best instructional practices
can alter how learners and instructors engage with concepts and each other to achieve powerful
learning (p. 18). According to Holland and Holland (2014) there are five key instructional
practices that practitioners should consider when aligning instructional needs and technology-
enhanced learning.
With over 83 million iPads sold and over 57% of Americans using smartphones (Holland
& Holland, 2014), recent educators have realized the need for classrooms to become mobile.
Learning for both students and teachers has the opportunity to extend beyond the classroom with
applications that pertain to training, collaboration, presentation, data sharing, and location-based
activities. To have mobile learning work well, power has to shift from instructors and managers
to the learners themselves (Woodhill, 2011, p. 165, as cited in Holland & Holland, 2014, p. 19).
Holland and Holland (2014) also suggest that educators use technology for problem-
based learning. Teachers use this method to assign students to teams and give them complex,
real-world problems to solve; therefore, the students are forced to work collaboratively,
determine the needs, and work through steps to solve the problem. Problem-based learning using
technology becomes, a way to motivate students solutions through self-directed explorations
while gaining additional practice (Holland & Holland, 2014, p. 19).
One positively studied teaching method called inquiry learning is another strategy that
can be implemented using technology. Holland and Holland (2014) assert that this is a
pedagogical strategy that aligns well with the use of technology as with this method learners
must work to discover something new or find solutions to unsolved questions. Learners often
work together to conduct research, experiment, synthesize, classify, infer, communicate, analyze,
draw conclusions, evaluate, revise, and justify findings (Holland & Holland, 2014, p. 19).
Because this learning method requires students to become persistent seekers of answers, access
to digital information becomes important.
Research by Keller (1983) as cited in Holland and Holland (2014) suggests that it is
important for teacher to provide motivation to the students within the learning environment. In
general, learners need to be stimulated and have their attention captured in order to become fully
motivated to learn. One of the benefits of technology according to Holland and Holland (2014)
is that it brings a relevance into the classroom for students that helps them achieve, a desire to
learn, work, meet a need, reach a goal, complete a task, engage, and [become] curious (p. 19).
In the learning environment it becomes important for students to engage in social
interactions that are directed towards learning: things like sharing ideas, giving and receiving
feedback, and offering support help build the collaborative learning environment (Holland &
Holland, 2014). Research by Picciano (2002) as cited in Holland and Holland (2014) seemed to
find improved learning and satisfaction from students when they felt a sense of community or
connection. Quality instructional design directed towards technology-enhanced learning
requires a great deal of student interactionand these interactions allow students to expand
viewpoints and build social connections to each other (Holland & Holland, 2014, p. 19). With a
wide range of digital tools available that allow communication and collaboration, technology
helps form that foundation for social interactions.
Another possible benefit of using technology in schools is the access it gives to
multimedia rich learning. By appropriately aligning rich media to the content message, it can
provide additional clarity and increase student focus rather than detract from it (Holland &
Holland, 2014, p. 20). Research by Holland and Holland (2014) suggests that using an array of
media types can help promote student interest and increase motivation while also creating
opportunities to reach out to diverse learners.
Lastly, digital solutions are a way of offering students a way to develop their critical and
creative thinking skills. Many instructors use Blooms Taxonomy to ensure their instruction
contains modes for including those higher-level thinking tasks, and technology can be one way
for educators to include these. Open-ended digital tools allowing for original solutions to
problems or challenges provide the perfect environment for creative thinking. Students can
demonstrate understanding through a wide variety of digital resources to present and share their
unique solutions (Holland & Holland, 2014, p. 21). Technology can become the gateway that
helps students move forward in their thinking and become more innovative and creative.
However, work by Lim et al., (2013) suggests that technology may not be the savior of
education that many proclaim it to be. They contend that the effectiveness of technology
depends on the people, processes, culture, and structure of the context in which they are
situated (p. 60). In fact, their study found two significant gaps in educational uses of
technology that could affect its effectiveness in classrooms.
One con that Lim et al., (2013) found was that the positive outcomes for student
achievement do not seem to match the significant investment put into acquiring and maintaining
the technology. Lim et al., (2013) write that there is a large cost that goes with putting
technology into schools, and these operating costs have put increased pressure on those running
the school. The constant need to spend money is contrasted with the idea that, The practices in
many schools around the world have remained very much constant as classroom activities
continue to be focused on standards, grades, and outcome measures. Not many schools have
become more efficient, that is, operating with less cost, or more effective, that is, enhancing
learning outcomes (Lim et al., 2013, p. 61).
Besides the large amounts of money required to maintain the technology, many schools
have found that it has brought with it some negative pressures brought on by its misuse. Because
technology carries with it the easy access to broad communication and no way to monitor that
communications quality, schools have found themselves in legal, ethical, and ideological battles
over its acceptable use. Lately systems have had to address, the potentially harmful or
distractive effects of technology such as hacking, computer viruses, and cyber bullying (Lim et
al., 2013, p. 62). In a way, leaders concerns over these issues have lead to a negative effect
because they have chosen to overly limit access to websites and activities which makes the
technology almost useless (Lim et al., 2013).
In addition to cost, installation of technology has been a catalyst for change that has
required schools to modify existing policies which could potentially affect the social
relationships of different groups of people within the school (Nardi & ODay, 1999, as cited in
Lim et al., 2013). In this way, technology innovations introduced to schools are essentially
invaders from outside (Lim et al., 2013, p. 62). Like any other ecosystem, a slight change in the
school environment has trickle-down ramifications which could affect the diverse components
and relationships already in place. For example, A newly introduced innovation often requires
simultaneous innovations in pedagogy, curriculum, assessment, and school organization (Dede,
1998, as cited in Lim et al., 2013, p. 62). As such, it could be concluded that technology has the
possibility to affect, at some level, the dynamics and operations of a school system.
Like many practitioners know, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to improving schools.
What works at one school may or may not work at another, and even if all the necessary
conditions are in place, it is still difficult to judge the success of technology implementation
because there is still a lack of specific goals or models to emulate (Lim et al., 2013, p. 63).
Perhaps educational goals for the future will begin to include educational technology policy
documents or plans for how to evaluate the effective use of technology.
In conclusion, readers may see that although technology may or may not have
transformed schools on the large expected scale, it has led to permanent changes in the way
people work, live, play, and communicate. Perhaps the transformation will occur when the talk
becomes not on the technology per se, but rather on how the technology may serve as a
foundation and mediator for the transformation of practices in schools (Lim et al., 2013, p. 60).
Works Cited:
Holland, J., & Holland, J. (2014). Implications of shifting technology in education. Tech Trends,
58 (3), 16-25.

Lim, C.-P., Zhao, Y., Tondeur, J., Chai, C.-S., & Tsai, C.-C. (2013). Bridging the gap:
Technology trends and use of technology in schools. Educational Technology &
Society, 16 (2), 59-68.