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Quotes from, "How to Conduct Collaborative Action Research": 

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Quotes from, "How to Conduct Collaborative Action Research": 

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"Action research on the other hand is conducted by people who want to do something to improve their own situation," (Sagor, 1992, p. 7).

"Action researchers undertake a study because they want to know whether they can do something in a better way," (Sagor, 1992, p. 7).

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Ideas for Integrating Technology into the SS Curriculum

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Ideas for Integrating Technology into the SS Curriculum

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Access a massive, curriculum-correlated collection of learning objects - in the classroom or via remote learning.

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Access a massive, curriculum-correlated collection of learning objects - in the classroom or via remote learning.

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Social Studies Interactive Continents Game

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Social Studies Interactive Continents Game

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I begin the year with a unit on map skills. These games and interactive sites might help during the data collection phase of the research project.

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World Continents and Oceans Level Two - Intermediate

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Online web games teach the continents and oceans of the world. Enjoy travel more by learning before you go.

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Differentiating Instruction in the Classroom by Using Technology

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Differentiating Instruction in the Classroom by Using Technology

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Technology Integration for the New 21st Century Learner

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Technology Integration for the New 21st Century Learner

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Today's students need educators to re-envision the role of technology in the classroom. by Nancye Blair Principal, January/February 2012 Web Resources A dramatic shift is sweeping through our schools. The signs are all around us. Third graders texting on their cell phones. Kindergarteners who can navigate an iPod Touch better than we can.

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Will technology enhance or distract students?

How might I best monitor appropriate use of technology by students?

What forms of technology are best?

Will student use of technology be more effective than just presenting with technology?

When should technology be used by the class as a whole as opposed to by individual or small groups of students?

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Article: Impact of Technology in Elementary Classrooms

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Article: Impact of Technology in Elementary Classrooms

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Elementary school education should focus on learning through playing and exploration in order to improve a child's cognitive, emotional, physical, sensory, reflective, communication and social developments. Traditional classroom methods may not always

provide children with a fun learning environment. But nowadays, technology helps educators engage students with many fun learning approaches. While introducing technology into early childhood education, educators and parents should take proper care to avail many positive benefits of it.

Research shows that there are numerous advantages of introducing technology into the elementary classroom. Let's learn how student learning has been enhanced with 21 st century technology.

Statistics:

54% of 21 st century kids start using mobile devices when they are 5 to 8 years old.

30% of the apps on parents' mobile are downloaded specially for their children's usage.

77% of the parents accept that usage of tablet increases children's learning & creativity.

72% of iTunes top selling apps are designed for pre-schoolers and elementary students.

By observing these statistics, we can easily estimate how greatly technology influences elementary education. Educational Technology includes all the approaches of technology that is are utilized to enhance learning. We will let you know how educational technology helps elementary students.

Usage of Mobile devices & Computers in Education:

Educators find the use of technological devices in education, a great way to engage students because it attracts them. Mobile devices and computers provide students with a fun learning environment. As we know, different students have different learning styles , technology helps them learn in the way they're comfortable with. Many games, story telling apps, online tools, etc., are introduced into the elementary classroom to engage students more effectively than with traditional approaches. With these technological devices, students can learn from anywhere. Tablets, Desktop computers, iPads, etc., help educators and parents to provide students with the personalized learning environment and also helps them learn interactively through many games and apps. It has become easy for teachers to engage students with lesson concepts through animations, presentations, etc., rather than depending on textbooks and blackboard.

Usage of Internet & Social Networks in Education:

Use of internet in education benefits students as well as educators and makes them work on what really matters. Many that connect teachers, students and parents have been introduced into the classroom to help them collaborate from anywhere and at any time. For example, , an educational social networking platform that enables teachers to add their students, parents and other colleagues, saves their time by providing them with many tools which include setting homework, sending documents, creating calendars and students' assessments. Technology develops students' social skills, research skills and communication skills. The only task of parents and educators is to make children aware of digital citizenship. 21 st century technology also educators and parents to make children the perfect digital citizens.

There are some people who oppose technology in classroom as it reduces physical activity. Research has been going on to overcome this criticism. creates fun educational computer games (which include motion-sensing technology) for young children that require physical activity by the child. As a coin has both sides, every approach in this world is a combination of both positive as well as negative impacts., but Technology has the ability to overcome its negative impacts when used properly.

Every household nowadays has been equipped with at least a technological device namely a desktop computer, laptop computer, smart phone, tablet, etc., and students love to use them. It's a great way to implement their use in education as it has been already proved that technology improves students' learning, communication, creativity and problem solving skills. 21st century classroom enables game-based learning, project-based learning, inquiry-based learning, visual learning, auditory learning, kinesthetic learning, etc. We hope this information is useful for you to know about the impact of technology in the elementary classroom. We'd like to have your personal views and your ways of using technology in your elementary classroom. Also, please feel free to share with us how technology has helped you in enhancing students' learning.

Devotee of Dr. Abdul Kalam. Following his path of Creating Creative Education in India. Contributing my works in "India Vision 2020". Former EdTech Blogger/Researcher at ETR India

The Latest EdTech News To Your Inbox

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Impact of Technology in Elementary Classrooms

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Elementary school education should focus on learning through playing and exploration in order to improve a child's cognitive, emotional, physical, sensory, reflective, communication and social developments. Traditional classroom methods may not always provide children with a fun learning environment. But nowadays, technology helps educators engage students with many fun learning approaches.

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Article: From Distraction to Learning Tool: Mobile Devices in the Classroom

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Article: From Distraction to Learning Tool: Mobile Devices in the Classroom

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Discusses a study done by a teacher on the use of iPads, laptops and mobile devices in the classroom.

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Mobile | Feature

From Distraction to Learning Tool: Mobile Devices in the Classroom

A journalism professor at the University of Maryland is using tablets to engage his students.

Once banned in the classroom, mobile devices are becoming more accepted as a teaching and learning tool. Yet teaching methods have not caught up with mobile's potential, according to Ron Yaros, assistant professor of new media and mobile journalism at the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism.

"Under the current methods of teaching in higher education, a mobile device can be a distraction rather than a helpful tool," said Yaros. "Nobody seems to be looking at how to teach with smart devices, while keeping students engaged."

His assertion is backed up by a recent University of Central Florida survey on mobile learning practices in higher education: Among students who owned a tablet, 82 percent said they used the device for academic purposes. But to improve mobile learning effectiveness, the study advised, "students and instructors need help adopting more effective learning and teaching practices across content areas."

For the past three years, Yaros has been researching the most effective ways to integrate technology into learning environments, with emphasis on use of the tablet in the classroom. He calls his model "MEEC": Manageable Educational Environment for Collaboration, an alternative to the large, impersonal lecture hall (playing on the even larger MOOC).

The key, according to Yaros, is to use the right technology for the class format. For example, students may find a phone too small for academic use, while the laptop can lead to multitasking. "About the only thing you can do to eliminate laptop distraction is to ban them from the classroom," he said. "The laptop can open multiple windows, which makes it a potential distraction, as few students can resist the temptation to open up windows in the course of a 70-minute lecture."

Only the tablet (typically an iPad) is ideal in the classroom, Yaros insisted, because students can open only one screen at a time. "I believe the single-window device - the phone or tablet - will get you closer to success in the classroom."

Designing Lectures for Tablet Use
It's not enough to simply give students a tablet, pointed out Yaros. He puts a great deal of time and effort into designing his classes around the mobile device: "The key is in planning for the 60- to 90-minute lecture, focusing on how to manage it, sharing the professor's work, showing what peers are doing, opening up relevant websites, conveying expert information and keeping the students engaged from the beginning of the lecture to the end."

Yaros uses no screen or PowerPoint in his classes - instead, he shares content with students on their mobile devices. " Not showing slides on a large screen is an important part of the MEEC model," he explained. "I plan out what elements I'm using, what tools, strategy and polling would be most effective. This is all done ahead of time. There may be 30 different things we'll be doing interactively. There may be a message regarding the quiz coming up at the end of class. A slide may say, 'Look up.' The student then needs to look at the professor and engage in a discussion with the class or a colleague."

Yaros often quizzes students to make sure they pay attention to the mobile content. "Students have to stay engaged in order to pass the quiz," he said.

Early Tests
Before his iPad study, Yaros tested how 54 students in a lab environment recalled content read on a screen. The content was unrelated, related or verbatim to his audio. He found that verbatim audio with their reading - that is, seeing while hearing content - resulted in the best retention. This led to his development of the MEEC iPad environment.

Yaros is now testing his MEEC method in two general education courses - Intro to Mass Communication and Information 3.0 - with 60 students in each class. "We talk about traditional media and compare and contrast them with newer media, social media, blogging, tweeting, etc." Recently, during the first two weeks of each course, Yaros distributed iPads to one class (Information 3.0), then observed and tested their recall of lecture material. "I hoped that the iPad class would score better on the quizzes, but the results from this one experiment showed no increase or decrease in learning with the mobile device." He concluded that "the tablets were not distracting, which would have produced lower scores."

Despite the lukewarm results, Yaros believes that there is a significant increase in learning with mobile devices, and intends to repeat and refine his study. "The first step of this larger goal is to explore how these devices are used at every moment in a lecture," he said. "Ideally, the student will have an iPad mini in one hand and a pencil and paper in the other. I want to test whether most if not all students can be engaged for the entire length of the class. The student is not just passively viewing; he or she is writing and interacting with the lecture content. This is state-of-the-art technology with writing.

"My goal is to find out how people learn and interact through technology," he continued. "How do they think with new technology and multimedia content? Do they read and think differently?"

Yaros is actively looking for collaborators in his research, and would like to share his findings, compare notes and learn from other faculty and administrators. Those interested can write to him directly at ryaros@umd.edu.

About the Author

Toni Fuhrman is a writer and creative consultant based in Los Angeles.

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From Distraction to Learning Tool: Mobile Devices in the Classroom -- Campus Technology

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Mobile | Feature A journalism professor at the University of Maryland is using tablets to engage his students. Once banned in the classroom, mobile devices are becoming more accepted as a teaching and learning tool.

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Article: Why Integrate Technology in the Classroom?: The Reasons are Many

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Article: Why Integrate Technology in the Classroom?: The Reasons are Many

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Article describing the reasons for technology use in the classroom.<br>

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Quote from : Why Integrate Technology in the Classroom?: The Reasons are Many

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Quote from : Why Integrate Technology in the Classroom?: The Reasons are Many

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"Integrating technology into classroom instruction means more than teaching basic computer skills and software programs in a separate computer class. Effective tech integration must happen across the curriculum in ways that research shows deepen and enhance the learning process. In particular, it must support four key components of learning:active engagement, participation in groups, frequent interaction and feedback, and connection to real-world experts. Effective technology integration is achieved when the use of technology is routine and transparent and when technology supports curricular goals" ( Eutopia, 2014).

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Focus:  Will increasing student use of technology in the classroom, specifically the use of the SMART Board and iPads during social studies increase student focus, participation and learning? 

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Focus:  Will increasing student use of technology in the classroom, specifically the use of the SMART Board and iPads during social studies increase student focus, participation and learning? 