The Learning Return on Our Educational Technology Investment

Introduction When I was perusing the article choices for this week, the title, The Learning Return on Our Educational Technology Investment, really intrigued me. This title seems to encapsulate the concerns of all educational personnel-from teacher to district administrator. Though all of us may define the term â€Å"learning return† a bit differently, the questions remain. â€Å"What are we getting for our money? Is this investment really helping our students? And finally, if there will be a worthwhile return on our investment, which best practices will most efficiently produce the greatest benefits?† Although the studies that have attempted to address these concerns have produced varying results, there are several points that seem to emerge†¦show more content†¦This model of teaching espouses â€Å"teaching basic skills within the authentic contexts†¦for modeling expert thought processes, and for providing for collaboration and external supports to permit stud ents to achieve intellectual accomplishments they could not do on their own†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Means et al., 1993, p. 2) In simpler terms, a constructivist environment allows the student to be a teacher and a learner, ask as well as answer questions, and to be assessed in ways other than traditional tests. In classrooms rich in technology, students become more engaged and active learners, and there is a greater emphasis on inquiry. I contend that the teachers who practice constructivist principles will be the ones who are able to interweave technology successfully into their classrooms. Conclusions-Putting It All Together After contemplating this research, I have arrived at several conclusions. These thoughts are based not only on the aforementioned article, but on personal experiences at my school working with teachers under pressure to meet GLEs (grade level expectations), a principal who expects consistently high test scores, parents who were taught in traditional classrooms, and students who are used to being taught in an instructive classroom and have essentially learned to â€Å"play the game† of education. 1. Classrooms need to be adequately equipped with hardware and software that will allow them sufficient access to technology. 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