Annotated Bibliography

David Curtis

English 516

October 28, 2004

Annotated Bibliography

Edwards, M. (2003). The lap of learning. School Administrator, 60 (4), 6-12.

Annotation: The article describes the use of laptop computers in Henrico County

Public Schools in Richmond, Virginia. It Briefly discusses some lessons learned

about the use of laptops. Apparently, the laptops were quite useful in raising

student achievement.

Furger, R. (2004). Laptops for all. Retrieved October 25, 2004, From

http://www.glef.org/php/article.php?id=Art_895

Annotation: The article explains and describes multiple research projects in which the integration of laptop computers was used successfully in poor and minority communities. These projects attempted to address the Digital Divide and the extent to which technology integration changes teaching and learning.

Gardner, J. (1994). Learning with portable computers. Computers and Education, 22

(1-2), 161-71.

Annotation: Gardner reviews the Pupils’ Learning and Access to Technology

Project that was conducted in elementary and secondary schools in Northern,

Ireland to ascertain the effects of using portable home computers for students’

learning. This program yielded student achievement increases and later

prompted discussions about operational issues.

Harris, W. J., & Smith, L. (2004). Laptop use by seventh grade students with disabilities:

Perceptions of special education teachers. Retrieved on October 24, 2004, From

http://www.mainelearns.org/documents/MLTI_SpecEd.pdf.

Annotation: Using a mail survey, the researchers examined special education teachers’ perceptions of the effects of laptop computers on seventh grade special education students with disabilities. Teachers seemed to perceive the laptops as very helpful to most of the students.

Lowther, L. L., Ross, S. M., & Morrison, G. M. (2003). When each one has one: The

influences on teaching strategies and student achievement of using laptops in the

classroom. Educational Technology Research and Development, 51 (3), 23-44.

Annotation: This study analyzes the effects of providing late-elementary and

Junior high school students with 24-hour access to laptops. The authors wanted to

know what impact the laptops had on classroom activities, student use of

technology, and writing and problem-solving skills. The study concluded that

those students using laptops made significant educational gains while those not

using them (in this case, the control group) tended to stagnate.

Maine Education Policy Research Institute. (2004). The impact of Maine’s

One-one-one laptop program on middle school teachers and students. Retrieved

on October 24, 2004, From http://www.mainelearns.org/documentsMLTI%20Phase%20One%20Evaluation%20R.pdf

Annotation: This 59-page study was completed by the Maine Education Policy Research Institute. It contains much data, evidence, and analysis of the effects of the state’s laptop program on schools, teachers, and students.

Microsoft.com (2004). Research finds laptop learning yields better students and better teachers through anytime, anywhere access. Retrieved October 26, 2004,

From http://www.microsoft.com/presspass

Annotation: In a number of studies completed by Rockman et al, students with their own Laptops are discovering how notebooks are transforming the way they learn. The Rockman et al studies indicate consistently that teachers are improving

their ability to integrate laptop technology into their lesson plans and students are becoming better writers and better team players.

National Research on Learning and Training Methodologies, Including the Use of ICT in

Training-Australia. (1998). ACER study on learning with laptops. Retrieved on

October 27, 2004, From http://www.logos-net/ilo/150_base/en/quest_n/qr_20a-

au.htm #The%20Study

The study was conducted by the Australian Council on Educational Research to

determine high school and college student perspectives on learning with the

laptop. In their diaries, students recorded important homework, classroom, and

out-of-school activities. Researchers then analyzed the diaries that described how

students used laptop computers. Perceptions among students regarding

their laptop usage was generally positive.

Stevenson, K. R. (1999). Learning by laptop. School Administrator, 56 (4), 18-21.

Annotation: The Stevenson study relied heavily on a standardized test

administered yearly to students in Beaufort County in South Carolina to ascertain

whether or not the Laptop Project had a significant impact on the academic

achievement of middle school students. The 1997-98 MAT7 scores of seventh

grade laptop users were compared against the scores of non-laptop users.

Stevenson found that laptop students significantly outscored their non-laptop

counterparts.

U.S. Department of Education. (2004). Educational technology fact sheet. Retrieved

October 27, 2004, From http://www.ed.gov..about/offices/list/os/technology/facts.html

Annotation: This is the U.S. Department of Education’s website, and it appears to contain every fact and every statistic ever developed regarding technology integration in public schools throughout the country. Here, among many other facts, one can learn how much money the taxpayer is spending on technology integration, specific policies concerning technology literacy, and the extent to which technology integration is making a difference.

Research paper

I am interested in writing a problem-solution paper in which I obviously present a problem and utilize the systems approach to resolve it. The problem itself would involve erroneous methods used to teach writing to middle school students in a suburban school district. Traditional methods used to teach writing in some middle school settings may leave the students feeling bored and distached from instruction, and therefore easily distracted. This is when spit balls begin to fly from some unknown corner of the classroom and complaints about the school start to soar. Parents are called to the school to attend conferences and to support little Johnny against accusations that he is a discipline problem and will be suspended from school upon the next offense. With the parent angry at both Johnny, for getting him/her into this mess, and the school, for demanding that he/she attend a meeting that interferes with his/her normal employment, a scenario has been developed to justify a change in the writing curriculum. A need now exists and technology implementation, relying heavily on the systems approach, is now on its way.
In my paper, I expect to hypothsize that effective technology integration into the writing curriculum can potentially solve the problem of student boredom and detachment from traditional instruction. As well, I will explain, using the most current bibliography available, how it can be done using a systems approach to change. This paper will also require my development of two distinct survey instruments, as part of the systems approach, that an evaluation team of teachers could administer to students to determine the true causes of the problem, for difficult problems may not be resolvable unless associated causes are discovered. Admittedly, some problems are embedded aspects of school culture and thus may not be easily correctable. Attempting to solve embedded problems is akin to pulling teeth without the aid of necessary anasthesia and with an old, rusty pair of pliars. Nonetheless, concerted efforts to reform classroom instruction should be attempted anyway since some research studies have shown that technology integration has been successful in diverse school settings throughout the country.
More specifically, with respect to technology integration, I believe the integration of the laptop computer or notebook, in some settings, has made quite a difference in student perceptions about school. Student achievement has also climbed as a result. Additionally, in my paper, I hope to use the systems approach to change to explain how such integration can be achieved with unexpected results. I am not claiming, however, that this approach to change will work in all middle school settings, but that it's likely to work rather well in schools in which the potential for academic achievement is relatively high. Let's face it. There are middle schools in the United States where no amount of planning and devising will obtain appreciable results for reasons too complex to explicate or articulate.
In terms of strategies that could be manipulated to integrate the laptop computer into writing programs, collaborative groups can sometimes yield successful outcomes. Some students in each group may be more proficient than others in the use of computer technology, perhaps because they have had more experience using computers. The more proficient computer users could make themselves available to beginners possessing little or no experience with computers. Assisting the beginners would become an important part of their grade, for how well one works with others is factored in to the systems approach as a necessary or essential part of the success of the project.
Also, I think notetaking is important to students' overall academic success. Therefore, during the writing teacher's powerpoint presentation to the class, students would be asked to take notes using the word processor in their laptop and to store them in different file systems. To study for exams, students could print out a copy of their notes which generally would be much easier to read from that pen-and-paper based notes. Of course, these are just a few of the technology-based strategies that could be incorporated into the writing curriculum; others will be presented in the actual paper and supported by relatively current research.
Additionally, the systems approach to solving an educational or classroom problem requires the devlopment of targeted goals and objectives which are distinguishable from each other and which are very difficult to fashion. I suspect then that this endeaver will be the hardest part of the paper, particularly in the sense that they have to be aligned with pre-assessment and post-assessment surveys. The approach is holistic, not fragmented, and demands a careful consideration of the connection between the writing classroom and the school environment in which that system functions. No classroom is an entity in and of itself, nor does it operate in a vacuum, and therefore the success of change projects are very much dependent upon the characteristics of the school as a whole, as well as the features of the school district on which the school depends. In my paper, I will assume that both the school and the school district possess the potential to adequately support the technology integration project. Big assumption! Nonetheless, let's keep in mind that at the heart of the paper's purpose is to demonstrate how technology integration works in a suitable middle school environment.
As aforementioned, no systems approach to technology integration is worth its weight in gold without pre-assessment and post-assessment surveys designed to assess student perceptions of the writing program, both before and after the implementation of the laptop program. Without pre-assessment survey results, it would be impossible to gauge students' views regarding the writing program before implementation, and any post-assessment would obviously be deemed worthless.

Blogging

Blogging, for me, seems to be an interesting experience given the fact it's new to me
and that strangers, surfing the internet, may encounter this piece of writing by dint of
accident. I guess this discovery constitutes part of the value of English 516, for it
coerces its students to become more aware of existing technologies that permit
communication among total strangers.