action research working copy

Rebecca Pruneda EDLD5398 – ET 8028

Promoting and Maintaining Mobile Technology in the Primary Classroom

Abstract

After completing a needs assessment on the accessibility of the mobile laptop labs in the

building, it was discovered that there was a need for a revised reservation system, and a

technology education program in the primary grades. The reservation system was easily

corrected by instituting a set of guidelines and adopting a web-based reservation system that was

easy to use and easily accessible to all teachers, at home and at work. By making the system

easily accessible, it encouraged the teachers to use the equipment more often.

The technology education program involved input from all the stakeholders. What was

conceived to be the problem preventing technology usage in the primary grades was not actually

the problem. The administrators and I believed the problem to be a lack of skill and confidence

on the part of the teachers. This was not the case. The issue was a matter of behavior. The

teachers were worried about losing control of the class while working with students who needed

high amounts of attention due to little skills, and low attention spans. By working with a strong

team, we were able to create a program that worked with the teachers’ small reading groups,

rather than the class as a whole. This allowed the teacher to work on the laptops with groups of 5

or less and still have control of her classroom by following normal class routines. The program

had many positive outcomes, but required many hours of training and support.

Introduction

Fairmeadows Elementary School is located in Duncanville, Texas. It houses kindergarten

through 4th grade and has a population of approximately 630 students. The school ethnicity is


primarily Hispanic at 78.4% with an economically disadvantaged percentage of 85.9%. The

African American population is at 13.1%. Many of the students here have limited access to the

internet and other technology. The younger the student, the less access is available to them. The

primary source of access is the school computer lab once a week for an hour per class. The

teachers in the building are fairly fluent in accessing technology on a personal and professional

level. The goal was to expand this technological fluency to all of our students and make

technology a tool for learning in our classrooms.

The need for an equitable system to promote and maintain the usage of our mobile, laptop

labs became apparent after several complaints were presented to our building administrator.

Several teachers reported that the labs were not available because 2-3 teachers were signing up

for the lab on a permanent basis. The principal began to review who was using the laptop labs,

and, consequently, who was not. The school technology specialist was keeping a simple sign-up

sheet that consisted of a first-come, first-serve reservation system. After reviewing the data, our

principal determined that indeed 3 teachers were using the lab over 80% of the time. Two of

these teachers were part of the Fourth grade team, and the third was the school librarian. She also

determined that none of the Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, or First Grade teachers had used the

lab at all in the past school year, and only 2 of the second grade teachers had used the lab. Of

those two teachers, one had only accessed the lab once. The data showed a need to restructure

our school wide policy on the mobile laptop labs, as well as a plan of action to promote the usage

of the labs in the younger, primary grades.

After completing the needs assessment, we decided that we needed a course of action that

would make the labs readily available for everyone in such a way that was not time consuming

or labor intensive, as well as promote the usage of the laptop labs in the younger grades in a


relevant and maintainable approach. A new laptop usage policy and a technology-based

reservation system that required less than thirty minutes per six weeks of monitoring and

maintenance after implementation would be used to provide usage for all teachers in a fair and

equitable manner. Data would be collected and reviewed on a regular six weeks schedule to

verify usage by all faculty. A committee would be formed consisting of at least one teacher from

Kindergarten, First, and Second Grade, myself, and the 2 school-wide Design Coaches. This

committee would create and implement a plan that would train and mentor the teachers on

technology usage with younger students. The goal is to have the primary grade teachers use the

mobile laptop labs a minimum of two times after training. A mentor would be available to offer

assistance as needed to help facilitate this process.

The benefits of providing a technology program for younger students would be wide spread.

This would help students gain more access and fluency in technology to help them gain skills

comparable to their peers who have more home access. By learning the basics of access and

ethical use at a young age, technology becomes a tool to help students learn, rather than a lesson

to be learned. The teachers would benefit by gaining the ability to work with young children in a

relevant and workable approach. By determining the limitations, and working with the team to

overcome those limitations, new technology and tools become accessible to the teacher and to

the student. As a special education teacher, the ability to implement an interactive, internet based

program for young students will directly influence my classroom. My students have many of the

same limitations of limited reading ability, low attention spans, and other behavior issues, as well

as limited knowledge of technology usage. As a teacher, this program is useful in my classroom,

as a leader, this program has helped me to learn how to assess needs and the limitations that

make that need difficult to attain. Developing a program to address those needs instilled upon me


the importance of building a strong team, and using their strengths and knowledge to help build a

strong program.

Mobile technology is defined as the use of a variety of devices that allow students or teachers

to access data and information from where ever they are. In the setting of the school this allows

students to access data and information from their desk, their classroom, the library, or in a small

reading group on the floor.

Primary grades are defined as the younger grades in an elementary school. This includes

Kindergarten, First, and Second Grade.

Low-income is defined in the terms of the state educational definition. This is determined by

application for free and reduced lunch. Students qualifying for free or reduced lunch determine

the school’s low socio-economic percentage and standing.

Reservation system is defined as a system used to schedule and reserve a room or piece of

equipment for usage on a particular day or time. First come, first serve is not always the most

equitable form of a reservation system. Reservation systems can be utilized through a paper and

pencil approach, or through a digital approach. Either way can be effective.

Mobile Laptop Labs are defined as a cart containing a class set of lap top or net book

computers and a printer linked to all the computers that can be transported throughout the

building to any classroom. This allows the teacher to put a laptop on every student's desk for

tech-enabled lessons or testing.

Professional learning communities are defined as teams of educators systematically working

together to improve teaching practice and student learning. The learning community will include


all the stakeholders and will work to fulfill needs and overcome obstacles. “The powerful

collaboration that characterizes professional learning communities is a systematic process in

which teachers work together to analyze and improve their classroom practice. Teachers work in

teams, engaging in an ongoing cycle of questions that promote deep team learning. This process,

in turn, leads to higher levels of student achievement.” (DuFour, 2004)

Literature Review

“For an ESTE (Elementary School Technology Education) program to be successful, it

must begin with the teacher. A variety of models have been presented in the literature over the

past 20 years to implement successful ESTE. Each of these models requires well-trained,

energetic, and creative classroom teachers who desire to learn and deliver a new curriculum and

processes and an administration that is willing to take some risks (Kirkwood, 2000).” (Engstrom,

no date) We knew that if we wanted our new program to be successful, then we needed for

teachers to be fully vested in the process. This became a key point of my project. The reason for

implementing this program becomes evident when reviewing Kulik’s 2003 article.

Major implications for educators/decision makers:

Findings from Kulik’s review of studies show that:

Professional development for teachers and easy access to Internet connected

computers for teachers and students enhance the learning effectiveness of instructional

technology.


Computer enrichment programs have positive effects on students’ writing,

mathematics, and performance in the natural and social sciences. In fact, “simply giving

students greater access to computers and Internet resources often results in gains in

writing skill” (p.x).

The effects of using Integrated Learning Systems can be increased by providing

more time for students to spend on the ILS instruction and by enabling students to work

in pairs on the ILS instruction, rather than individually.

Student familiarity with and knowledge of computers influences effectiveness of

technology-based instruction.

The effectiveness of simulation programs for helping students to acquire higher

order thinking skills can be increased with additional hands-on activities, and when the

simulations are used as preparation for further instruction.

Writing skills programs that provide prompts independent of student requests are

most effective.

Michael D. Wright discusses the importance of technology education in the elementary

schools in his article, Technology Education in the American Elementary School. He states,

“In today’s technology-based society it is imperative for all students to be technologically

literate (Dyrenfurth & Kozak, 1991; Technology for All Americans Project [TAAP], 1996;

Raizen, Sellwood, Todd, & Vickers, 1995). Many national reports on the status of science and

technology education (TE) in the United States have called upon schools to provide increased

experiences with technology and to focus on technological literacy (see, for example, American

Association for the Advancement of Science [AAAS], 1989; Johnson, 1989; Technology

Education Advisory Committee [TEAC], 1988; TAAP, 1996). In fact, Strand #8 in the National


Council for the Social Studies Standards (1994) specifically calls for an understanding of

technology, not just computers.” (1999, p.56)

He further expands on this information with the following statement,

“Indeed, understanding technology and its social and environmental impacts and

consequences should start as soon as students begin attending school. All students, regardless of

socioeconomic level, race, ethnic background, community, disability,

or career aspiration, need to be able to cope with change, identify and solve problems,

make appropriate decisions, and employ technology in their daily lives.” (Wright, M.D., 1999,

p.56)

Wright remarks on how technology integrates easily into the elementary curriculum by stating,

“The current push for content integration is evident throughout educational literature in general.

At the elementary-school level, this is happening largely through a thematic approach.

Integration can and should involve all subjects, including technology. ESTE has the unique

ability to help integrate and provide relevance to the elementary-school curriculum.” (1999,

p.57).

Wright documented research data on student achievement. He found Definite strengths in using

technology education, but also reported that at this time not all areas report positive gains.

“Student Achievement


The results of the research that focused on student achievement are summarized as follows: (a)

Children’s interest and motivation in other subject areas may be increased when TE is combined

with or used as a method for teaching other school subjects and (b) students may become more

independent learners through the inclusion of TE. However,

there is no conclusive evidence to suggest that students learn the information better, or retain it

longer, as a result of studying technology, with the possible exception of improvements in

reading comprehension. While the relationship among science,

mathematics, and technology seems obvious to practitioners in the field, the evidence from these

studies does not indicate that there is a significant gain in either science or mathematics

achievement as a result of TE. However, preliminary research indicates that career education,

language use, and reading comprehension may be significantly improved through TE. But

substantial research to support irrefutable conclusions at this time is lacking.” (Wright, 1999, p.

59 – 60).

Teachers have found several effects on students when using technology in the classroom. A

few of these are,

“Students, even at the elementary school level, are able to acquire an impressive level of

skill with a broad range of computer software. Although the specific software tools in use

will likely change before these students enter the world of work, the students acquire a

basic understanding of how various classes of computer tools behave and a confidence

about being able to learn to use new tools that will support their learning of new software

applications.


The most common--and in fact, nearly universal--teacher-reported effect on students was

an increase in motivation. Teachers and students are sometimes surprised at the level of

technology-based accomplishment displayed by students who have shown much less

initiative or facility with more conventional academic tasks.

When students are using technology as a tool or a support for communicating with others,

they are in an active role rather than the passive role of recipient of information

transmitted by a teacher, textbook, or broadcast. The student is actively making choices

about how to generate, obtain, manipulate, or display information. Technology use allows

many more students to be actively thinking about information, making choices, and

executing skills than is typical in teacher-led lessons. Moreover, when technology is used

as a tool to support students in performing authentic tasks, the students are in the position

of defining their goals, making design decisions, and evaluating their progress.” (Effects

of technology on classrooms and students).

Noeth and Volkov provide a final study focuses on the effectiveness of technology in our

schools. “However, technology and equity are not inevitable partners. Simply providing access

does not ensure that technology will effectively enhance teaching and learning and result in

improved achievement. Nor does providing access imply that all teachers and students will make

optimal use of the technology. Technology may mean little without appropriate objectives and

goals for its use, structures for its application, trained and skillful deliverers, and clearly

envisioned plans for evaluating its effectiveness.” (Noeth & Volkov, 2004, p. vi) They


addressed this by the following two measures. “Two yardsticks we can use to measure the strides

technology has made are accessibility by students (and teachers) to technology resources and

how technology is actually utilized by schools and teachers in different settings and for different

students.” (p.vii).

Noeth and Volkov have found that,

In terms of utilization, technology has expanded from use primarily as an instructional

delivery medium to an integral part of the learning environment. Technology is serving at least

four distinct purposes in the schools:

_ To teach, drill, and practice using increasingly sophisticated digital content.

_ To provide simulations and real world experiences to develop cognitive

thinking and to extend learning.

_ To provide access to a wealth of information and enhanced communications

through the Internet and other related information technologies.

_ As a productivity tool employing application software such as spreadsheets,

databases, and word processors to manage information, solve problems, and

produce sophisticated products.

Research reviews have generally concurred that:

_ When combined with traditional instruction, the use of computers can

increase student learning in the traditional curriculum and basic skills area.

_ The integration of computers with traditional instruction produces higher

academic achievement in a variety of subject areas than does traditional


instruction alone.

_ Students learn more quickly and with greater retention when learning with

the aid of computers.

_ Students like learning with computers and their attitudes toward learning

and school are positively affected by computer use.

_ The use of computers appears most promising for low achieving and

at-risk students.

_ Effective and adequate teacher training is an integral element of successful

learning programs based or assisted by technology6

(p.vii-viii)

Wright gives a base on which to build the idea of an elementary classroom that is using

technology in educationally significant ways. Rubenstein gives us approaches on how to

effectively implement technology in an elementary classroom. In her article, Technology

Integration for Elementary Classroom, Grace Rubenstein provided good, workable approaches

for using technology with your elementary students. She states,

“Start with the standards. Use technology only when it enhances your content -- not the

other way around. It's less effective if you use technology for technology's sake.

Put the tools in kids' hands. ( White boards, Remote clickers , Digital and video cameras: ,

Mobile devices)

Maintain the same rigor as in pen-and-paper projects. Students still have to do the same level

of planning and research, whether they're producing an old-fashioned poster or a podcast. Give


them your rubric up front, so they know what's expected of them. If possible, show examples of

model work.

Connect with peers far away

Gradually give kids more independence.

Curate students' online destinations

Give kids a real audience.

Relax. Young and rambunctious as the students may be, Forest Lake has not had one laptop

dropped or broken beyond repair. Williams suggests you teach them basic care: Wear the camera

strap around your wrist; tuck the computer cables under the table; use protective cases when

possible. Beyond that, make the kids feel like these valuable tools are theirs, and chances are

they'll want to take care of them.

Have a backup plan. Don't get caught lesson-less in the event of a technological meltdown.

(There's nothing wrong with an occasional nostalgic trip back to the world of the printed page.)

As Williams says, "Technology is still a fickle little thing." Oh, and keep some spare batteries on

hand.” (Rubenstein, G., 2010)

Rubenstein expands on these tips in her article, I think one of the hardest tips for teachers is to

relax, and it is also one of the most important. If they are able to relax, they are often able to

apply the others, also.

The research and data has shown that a clear need for adequate teacher training is needed to

implement a strong technology education program in the elementary classroom as well as clear

standards and good lesson structure. The results of this type of technology program will help our

students to be more effective in their learning as well as more motivated.


Engstrom states “At the elementary school, there has not been the plethora of curriculum,

resource availability, and especially research about elementary technology education

experience.” (p. 1). This statement emphasizes the difficulty I have had in finding research based

approaches to the needs of our young students. By accessing data from several sources, and

using the experience of several experienced professional sources, we were able to create a plan

and implement it. A professional learning community brings in all the stake holders, improves

teacher knowledge and student learning. Professional Learning communities focus on four big

ideas. DuFour defines these ideas and helps give a direction to improving technology education

in our primary grades.

Dufour expresses this by putting forth these questions. “What are the “big ideas” that

represent the core principles of professional learning communities? How do these principles

guide schools' efforts to sustain the professional learning community model until it becomes

deeply embedded in the culture of the school?” The big ideas are:

Ensuring that students learn

A culture of collaboration

A focus on results

On top of these ideas is an emphasis on hard work and commitment.

“Even the grandest design eventually translates into hard work. The professional learning

community model is a grand design—a powerful new way of working together that profoundly

affects the practices of schooling. But initiating and sustaining the concept requires hard work. It

requires the school staff to focus on learning rather than teaching, work collaboratively on


matters related to learning, and hold itself accountable for the kind of results that fuel continual

improvement.

When educators do the hard work necessary to implement these principles, their collective ability

to help all students learn will rise. If they fail to demonstrate the discipline to initiate and sustain

this work, then their school is unlikely to become more effective, even if those within it claim to

be a professional learning community. The rise or fall of the professional learning community

concept depends not on the merits of the concept itself, but on the most important element in the

improvement of any school—the commitment and persistence of the educators within it.”

(DuFour, 2004)

Action Research Design

Subjects

This project involves an elementary school in a low-income, predominantly Hispanic

neighborhood. The parents and community are actively involved in school activities, but they

lack knowledge and skills to help students with their educational needs. Many of the students

(over 65%) do not have home internet access, and many of those who do have access, have dial

up access. Most of the students’ access to technology and internet skills comes through the

school environment.

In order to promote and maintain mobile technology in the classrooms, I needed to address

two different populations. The first population consisted of elementary school teachers teaching


in grades Kindergarten through 4th grade, in regards to the reservation system, and the second

group consisted of teachers teaching in grades Kindergarten through 2nd grade as well as their

students in regards to promoting technology education in the primary classroom. The student

population is primarily Hispanic at 78.4%, and consists of students who are economically

disadvantaged (85.9%). The teacher population is primarily white (53.1%) with a strong

Hispanic mix (31.3%) and all female. The teachers are experienced with 40.6% having over 11

years experience, and another 9.4% having over 20 years experience. There is only one first year

teacher in the building. The teachers are experienced in working in professional learning

communities, and have a good working relationship in the building. All of the teachers in the

building were involved in this project. Third and Fourth grade teachers were limited to the

reservation system. Based on the research we collected, and knowing that this was a district

mandate, we felt that implementing a plan that fully involved the teachers would aid our students

in becoming more successful in their educational and lifetime learning.

Procedures

The principal introduced the idea that everyone would be required to use the mobile labs at

the faculty meeting at the beginning of the year. She also made it clear that new policies were

being implemented and that there would be plenty support for all teachers. The staff was

introduced to the new mobile laptop lab policy and technology-based calendar at grade level

meetings at the beginning of the year. This was accomplished before they were able to reserve

the labs for use. The consequences for violating the policy were also outlined to the entire

faculty. A committee was formed to address the needs of the younger grade levels. The


representatives were chosen by their level of interest in the project, and their level of influence

on the grade level. The grade level meetings were used to give information, to gather data, and to

train teachers. This worked well because it focused information in a direct, relevant way that

addressed the specific needs of each teacher and each grade level.

I addressed the lab reservation issue by discussing with the principal what she wanted out of

the system. After getting her requirements, I enlisted the aid of the two technology specialists in

the building to help create a set of policies to guide the usage of the labs. I decided to create a

wiki with an embedded calendar to help make the registration system a self-serve process. The

calendar did not require any passwords or wiki memberships to be able to use it. The teachers

only needed to click on the date and complete the form to sign up for the lab. They could not

delete or edit any entries though. This must be done by the wiki administrator. This prevented

any abuse of the system. It was also possible for the administrator to delete, edit, or change any

entry that did not meet policy guidelines.

The technology integration into the primary classrooms was a much more intensive process.

The preliminary data gathered through the survey process helped to guide the committee in

creating a relevant, useful program that was implemented on a teacher by teacher basis. The

information was given in the grade level meetings, but the training was implemented in a hands-

on approach that was facilitated by the use of a mentor who provided the original lessons to be

completed by the students using the labs, as well as the small group structuring that is vital to the

success of this approach. The small group approach addresses the behavior issues that the

teachers were concerned with as well as allowing the teachers to provide the direct assistance

and support that the student needs to be successful at this beginning skill level. This process had


an initial time commitment of about 20 hours from the committee. These hours were completed

during regular school hours. I provided the survey and gathered the results. The design coaches

were committed to providing training and mentoring in 2 hour blocks until the teachers were

trained and comfortable in the usage of the laptop labs. There was no additional cost or materials

for this program beyond the time commitment by the design coaches and the individual teachers.

The time commitment on the part of the design coaches was significant. They trained 15 teachers

with a minimum of 2 sessions for each teacher. A few of the teachers (less than 5) requested a

third session of assistance to gain confidence in their ability.

The process to involve the primary grade teachers in using technology was much more

involved than the reservation system. We knew that we were being mandated to incorporate

technology usage at all grade levels in the classroom. We knew that the teachers in those grade

levels were seasoned veteran teaches. We thought they were resisting the use of technology

because of their lack of knowledge and comfort in that area. After completing an involved survey

of the teachers in Kindergarten, First, and Second grade, we found that most of the teachers were

knowledgeable in the area of technology. They also knew about the lack of technology in their

students’ homes. This meant that the students needed to learn the most basic skills before they

could be successful. This meant that the teacher needed to provide a lot of one-to-one support.

Monitoring a classroom of students and preventing those students from getting off tasks while

providing that level of extensive support was preventing the teachers from using the labs. By

forming a committee of those who would be implementing the strategies, and using the data

provided by the participants, we gained a lot of initial support. By providing a strategy to

approach the issues that concerned them, as well as being actively involved in the classroom


during implementation, we were able to gain the support of all the teachers involved. We

continued to meet in grade level meetings about once every six weeks to discuss concerns,

strengths, and new ideas. This made the whole process a community (grade-level) effort, and the

teachers in each grade level were helping each other to be successful. All primary grade teachers

accessed the mobile laptop labs at least twice after training. It was a very positive experience.

One of the concerns that prompted this project was the lack of technology in our students’

homes. Most students have access to cell phones and computer games, but very little actual

computer and internet experience. The younger students do not have many of the prerequisite

skills that we expect students to have. We felt that our students needed to gain these skills as

early as possible to help facilitate their learning. By incorporating these lessons into the small

reading groups, we were able to make this a productive learning experience for all students. This

was an effective approach for students with special needs and language issues, as well as your

gifted and bright students. This allowed the teachers to give a high level of specialized support to

each student. By incorporating the use of the mobile laptop labs into the classrooms of these

younger students, we hope to facilitate their growth in technology and in the use of technology in

all of their learning. We promoted the use of the laptop labs by including communication with

the parents. We provided mini-lessons that parents were able to complete at home with their

students to support the skills they learned at school on the laptops. These lessons did not require

access to technology to complete, but several parents made a point to include more technology in

their home environments to aid their students’ educational process. The public library may also

be given access to the mini-lessons that the teachers used in the classroom to be used for

facilitating basic technology skills by others in the community.

Data Collection


Data collection on the reservation system was easily completed due to the digital nature of the

system. The calendar system automatically kept records of who had accesses the system and on

what dates and times they had reserved the mobile laptop labs for. A survey consisting of the

complete teaching staff was also completed to collect data on the satisfaction of the teachers on

the system.

Data collection of the implementation of the technology education plan in the primary grades

was more intensive, but consisted of many of the same elements. The reservation system was

used to document the participation of the primary teachers, and surveys of all the primary grade

teachers were completed on the teachers’ satisfaction and thoughts on the effectiveness of the

program. The design committee also completed surveys on the effectiveness of the program.

Findings

The registration process is a self-running process that required a set of guidelines and an

efficient tool to make it effective. Once the faculty was introduced to the new process, they

easily accepted and implemented the self-service system because it was simple to use and

reduced the steps needed to reserve the labs. It made their job easier, so they accepted the new

process with little resistance. The upper levels used the labs on a more consistent basis, but the

lower grades made a point to access the labs on a scheduled basis and promote technology usage

with their students. All teachers in the lower grades accessed the labs at least twice in the Spring

Semester. Previous usage was zero the year before for all teachers in grades PK-1

Conclusions and Recommendations


. The technology education program In the primary grades was effective and received good

support from the teachers involved. They did suggest that the program would need maintenance

to be successful on a long term basis. After collecting information from the implementation of

the training and usage policy, as well as surveying the teachers involved in the training it is

recommended that the professional learning communities continue in the grade level meetings.

This peer support as well as the hands-on support from the design coaches needs to be on-going

to promote technology usage in the classrooms of young students. All new teachers need to be

assigned a mentor from their grade level to train them in the use of the labs in small group

settings and to provide on-going support to increase usage.

The reservation system was well accepted due to how easy it was to use and maintain. The

teachers were encouraged to use the mobile laptop labs because the reservation system was

easily accessible from home or work and required less effort than the previous system. A

refresher course will be needed each year to remind teachers of the guidelines and accessibility.

Overall, the data collected from the action research plan was positive and created positive

learning for teachers and students. The project was effective, and relatively inexpensive in cost.

The costs were due to the labor intensive format of the educational training, beyond that, costs

were minimal.

References

DuFour, R. (2004, May). What is a professional learning community. Educational leadership:

Schools as learning communities, vol. 61, number 8. p. 6-11. Retrieved on April 19, 2012

from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/may04/vol61/numo8/What-Is-


a-Professional-Learning-Community%C2%A2.aspx

Effects of technology on classrooms and students. (no date) Retrieved on April 19, 2012 from

http://www2.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/EdTech/effectsstudents.html.

Engstrom, D.E. (no date). Change and progress in elementary technology education.

iteaconnect.org. page 1. Retrieved on 09/13/2011 from http://www.iteaconnect.org/

Conference/PATT/PATT15/Engstrom.pdf

Kulik, J. (2003). Effects of using instructional technology in elementary and secondary schools:

What controlled evaluation studies say. Arlington, Virginia: SRI International. Retrieved

09/13/2011 from http://www.sri.com/policy/csted/reports/sandt/it/Kulik_ITinK-12_Main

_Report.pdf

Noeth, R.J. & Volkov, B.B. (2004). Evaluating the effectiveness of technology in our schools:

ACT policy report. ACT Inc. Retrieved on April 19, 2012 from

http://www.act.org/research/policymakers/pdf/school_tech.pdf


Rubenstein, G. (2010, April). Technology integration for elementary classrooms. Edutopia, The

George Lucas Educational Foundation. Retrieved on April 19, 2012 from

http://www.edutopia.org/stw-differentiated-instruction-technology-integration

Wright, M.D. ( 1999, Spring). Technology education in the American elementary school.

Retrieved 04/ 19/2012 from http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JOTS/Winter-Spring-

1999/PDF/wright.pdf

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