research: effective strategies

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Effective Strategies for Implementing Authentic Activities across the Secondary

Curriculum Using Technology as an Instruction Tool.

Julie L. Morris

1218 Mary StreetWaycross, Georgia 31503

An Annotated Bibliography Submitted to:

Dr. D. A. Battle of Georgia Southern Universityin partial fulfillment of the requirements for FRLT 7130 – Y02

Summer 2010

Saturday, July 17, 2010Statesboro, Georgia

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Effective Strategies for Implementing Authentic Activities across the Secondary

Curriculum Using Technology as an Instruction Tool.

I am just starting studies in instructional technology and will continue to teach

English literature and composition at a secondary level. I wanted to explore ways in

which I could improve student learning through technology use. Students do research

and word processing on computers. They can email, word process, and create a

PowerPoint. However, as an educator I continually strive to make my teaching strategies

more effective. Relevance and meaning are important factors in committing learning to

long-term memory. Authentic learning involves learning tasks that are relevant and

meaningful to the student; thereby, increasing the chance that students will actually retain

learning as knowledge not just memorization. My goal in researching this topic is to

understand more about how to implement authentic learning activities and how I can

effectively use technology as a tool in these activities.

I began my research through Galileo. I did keyword searches through

recommended data bases within the parameters of a full text search published since 2000.

I browsed articles to make sure they were on topic and met the page and reference

requirements. I did find it difficult to find articles that dealt with authentic learning and

technology use on a secondary level from separate journals, but with some creative

keyword use, I was able to find the necessary number of sources. Many of the selected

articles not only provided strategies of integration but also detailed research based

conclusions.

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Chen, L. (2004). Cooperative project-based learning and students’ learning styles on web

page development. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 32(4), 363-375.

Retrieved from http://proxygsu-ecor.galileo.usg.edu/login?

url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=cph&AN=13911210&site=ehost-live

The author’s study explored how students’ field dependency/ independency affected their

performance in the problem based learning (PBL) scenario of developing a web page.

Chen clearly defined the issue and related terms then discussed his methods, procedures,

and results. The author found that while field independent students usually exhibited

better proficiency in skills needed for the task, field dependent students performed better

on the PBL due to collaboration. The conclusion drawn was that instructors need to

understand the learning styles and abilities of their students in order to design effective

instructional strategies for PBL.

Cohen, V. (2001). Learning styles and technology in a ninth-grade high school

population. Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 33(4), 355+.

Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?

_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ635445&ERICExtSearch_Se

archType_0=no&accno=EJ635445

The purpose of this author’s study was to determine if technology use paired with a

constructivist learning approach would have a large impact on learning styles. She chose

as her test groups high school freshmen, one from a technology infused environment and

the other from a more traditional school environment. Learning profiles were developed

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http://proxygsu-ecor.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cph&AN=13911210&site=ehost-live



http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/search/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ635445&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=EJ635445











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in four areas (environment, emotionality, sociological needs, and physical needs) further

broken down into 22 variables. Results suggested that an environment rich in technology

and constructivist learning approaches can affect learning styles.

Coughlin, E. (2010). High schools at a crossroads. Educational Leadership, 67 (7), 48-53.

Retrieved from http://proxygsu-ecor.galileo.usg.edu/login?


direct=true&db=a9h&AN=48972510&site=ehost-live

The author expressed concern for the future of education and high schools in the midst of

growing amounts of information publicly available through new technologies. Coughlin

gave examples of how independent learners could use technologically available open

source information to succeed without the need of conventional education. The future of

high schools and students without independent drive was also examined. In conclusion,

Coughlin challenged schools to use technology to help students develop 21st century

thinking skills through instructional strategies that promote authentic tasks, collaborative

work, and self-responsibility.

Eisenberg, M., Johnson, D., & Berkowitz, B. (2010). Information, communications, and

technology (ICT) skills curriculum based on the Big6 skills approach to

information problem-solving. Library Media Connection, 28(6), 24-27. Retrieved

from http://proxygsu-ecor.galileo.usg.edu/login?


direct=true&db=a9h&AN=50728714&site=ehost-live

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http://wf2dnvr9.webfeat.org/QsUTO1856/url=http:/proxygsu-ecor.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=48972510&site=ehost-live














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This group of authors presented a curriculum describing levels of technology proficiency.

The goal was to present an integrated approach in which technology would be used in

collaboration with information skills and content-area curriculum in order for students to

form thinking models that they could transfer and apply to numerous other situations.

This Big6 approach included task definition, information seeking strategies, location and

access, use of information, synthesis, and evaluation. The authors defined how

technology could be incorporated as a tool to promote meaningful learning.

Kopcha, T. (2010). A systems-based approach to technology integration using mentoring

and communities of practice. Educational Technology Research & Development ,

58(2), 175-190. doi:10.1007/s11423-008-9095-4.

This paper outlined a systems-based approach to technology integration that focused on

the establishment of mentors and a community of practice. The model described

establishing a needs assessment and identifying learning goals based on the needs of the

teachers. Then the four main stages within this model were approached. The first stage

addressed initial setup; the second stage focused on teacher preparation. The third stage

focused on curriculum while the fourth stage established a community of practice. This

particular approach established a teacher-centered process for integrating technology that

while time consuming was flexible enough to support different types of technology

integration, to minimize costs by establishing in-house mentors, and to maximize success

by promoting an ongoing community of technology practice.

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Lei, J. (2010). Quantity versus quality: a new approach to examine the relationship

between technology use and student outcomes. British Journal of Educational

Technology, 41(3), 455-472. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2009.00961.x.

In this study, the author questioned the relationship between technology use and student

achievement. He described previous conflicting research conclusions and existing

problems of empirically defining the relationship. The author broke technology use into

categories of technology use: subject specific, social-communication construction,

exploration/entertainment, and general. Each of these categories was examined for both

quantity and quality of use. Results showed that statistically none of the five types of

use had tremendous impact on student GPAs. In conclusion, the author stated that the

effect of technology use on student outcomes was affected by many other factors and

further studies should concentrate on identifying more effective technology uses.

Mills, S., & Tincher, R. (2003). Be the technology: a developmental model for evaluating

technology integration. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 35(3),

382+. Retrieved from

http://wf2dnvr13.webfeat.org/GS1aO15976/url=http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/d

etail?vid=1&hid=109&sid=a8f092ad-b45a-4ac5-b232-dc7175fdca1a

%40sessionmgr110&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d

%3d#db=a9h&AN=10718994

The author proposed to extend technology use beyond being a mere teaching tool to

being an effective part of problem solving, decision making, authentic learning, and

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collaboration in the classroom. The author described a developmental model for a

technology integration matrix called the Technology Integration Standards Configuration

Matrix (TISCM). Educators participated in summer technology programs and were then

evaluated throughout the year based on the TISCM. The results of the study confirmed

the developmental process of technology integration.

Pearlman, B. (2006). Twenty-first century learning in schools: a case study of New

Technology High School in Napa, California. New Directions for Youth

Development , 2006 (110), 101-112. Retrieved from

http://wf2dnvr8.webfeat.org/IS1aO11441/url=http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/det

ail?vid=3&hid=111&sid=f3183538-58df-42d8-b1bb-

d510fa36de30%40sessionmgr111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d

%3d#db=a9h&AN=22146327

The author asserted that conventional schools need to be redesigned to support twenty-

first century learning. In addition to content knowledge, twenty-first century learning

included the following skills: information and communication, thinking and problem-

solving, interpersonal and self-direction, and technology use. The author described the

New Technology High School in Napa California. The physical structure of the

building, curriculum design, instruction methods, and learning outcomes were defined.

The author then described project and problem based learning, assessment issues, and use

of technology. In conclusion, the author called for a redesign of learning platforms in

order to facilitate the skills that twenty-first century learners need.

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Wehrli, B. (2009). Technology as a Fence and a Bridge. Horace, 25(1), 1-4. Retrieved

from

http://wf2dnvr13.webfeat.org/GS1aO16396/url=http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/EJ

859274.pdf

The author identified a negative response by teachers to technology integration. The

article described emerging technologies such as cell phones, texting, and blogging which

are making their way into classrooms. It was proposed that these emerging technologies

can be destructively disruptive if ignored or transformed for use in productive learning.

These productive learning environments were described as collaborative, risk taking, and

experimental. The author suggested that new technologies be embraced and molded to

educational strategies by taking a student-centered pedagogical approach.

Implications for Applications to Educational Settings

Through my research, I have come to the determination that it is difficult to truly

define the role of technology in authentic learning activities. While researchers felt that

technology was an important tool, the ability to determine true effectiveness was clouded

by the presence of many other variables. Implementing authentic activities using

technology as an instruction tool seems most effective when both students and teachers

have proper support and instruction in technology applications.

Using technology for authentic learning calls for a shift of educational focus. As

Lei (2010) suggests educators need to be less concerned with the fact that technology is

used and begin exploring how technology is used. The most impressive model came

from Pearlman’s (2006) discussion of New Technology High School. The author pointed

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out the difficulty of integrating technology and authentic learning activities in a

traditional high school due to structure of the rooms and availability of technology. He

asserted that larger classrooms were needed that accommodated for frequent computer

use, group work, planning, and presentations among other things and that assessments

should be directed toward learning outcomes instead of single composite grades. In

addition, Chen (2004) points out that technology use for authentic learning needs to

differentiate according to learning styles of students. I also appreciated Kopcha’s (2010)

focus on the support needs of educators as they learn to ingrate technology for authentic

learning. He stated that teachers are more likely to succeed in integrating student-

centered technology use when given proper support such as mentoring and longer periods

of time to adjust to such teaching methods.

The jury is still out on exactly what role technology plays in authentic learning.

One thing that is clear is that technology can play a fundamental role in strategies that

support authentic learning. However, educational society must be careful to assess

methods of technology use for the best interest of students and educators. For technology

and authentic learning to be successful, there are many other variables that also must be

in place: environment, differentiation, educator support. Most important in education is

that educators continue to learn and implement new strategies, and that educators use

what works best for students.

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