Anna Newton EDTC 605 Article Review Manfra, Meghan M., & Hammond, T.C. (2008).

Teachers' instructional choices with student created digital documentaries: Case studies. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 41(2), 223-245. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/ journals/jrte.aspx Teachers' Instructional Choices with Student Created Digital Documentaries: Case Studies was written by Meghan McGlinn Manfra and Thomas C. Hammond in 2008. The central themes of this article are the concept of Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) and the use of student-generated digital documentaries. The main idea of this article was to convey the results of a case study conducted by the authors on how the pedagogical aim or teaching style was impacted by the use of instructional technology, in this case study it was student-generated digital documentaries. The researchers conducted this research by observing over a period of time two classrooms. They then compared [the] two teachers and their experiences creating digital documentaries in the social studies classroom (Manfra & Hammond, 2008, p. 225). The researchers found that the teachers did not change their teaching style due to the use of technology and it was reflected in their students digital documentaries. The researchers also found that pedagogy had a higher impact in teachers lessons than the technology and content knowledge. The purpose of this article was to see the impact of pedagogy on the inclusion of technology in the classroom. Since this was the purpose of the article, the intended audience is teacher educators. This article would have the biggest impact with them because research in social studies learning has de-emphasized student memorization of facts and text-based instruction in favor of engaging students in historical inquiry (Manfra & Hammond, 2008, p. 224). The current pedagogy that is being taught in many education programs is the constructivist model, in which the students construct their own knowledge and the teacher is more of a facilitator of knowledge and not the transmitter of knowledge. With this research the authors are trying to show that pedagogy is different for everyone and cannot be ignored. The authors are also trying to encourage each teacher and teacher educator to be aware of different pedagogies and that each of the pedagogies can use technology to reach their aims. The strengths of this article are its clarity and organization, suitability to the audience, the raising of new issues, and the qualification of the authors. First, the article is very organized and clear throughout. The authors clarity comes through their word choice and grammar. The ideas were never ambiguous because they were always explained in detail. The authors organization was a strength because they titled sections in which they were going to discuss a new idea or topic. The case study was explained in manner that allowed the reader to follow procedure of the study. At the end of each section there was also a section review, which helps the reader understand the main ideas of the section. Since this article is primarily intended for teacher educators, the language is suitable because they continuously research trends in teaching in order to educate future teachers on best practices and there is no part where the author leaves the reader confused. With the rise of constructivism and TPACK, this article raises the issue is there a certain style of teaching that must be used when using technology, i.e. digital documentaries, in Article Review A. Newton Page 1

order for it to be successful? The article answers this question with its preliminary research. According to this article, pedagogy is the determining factor in the TPACK model and technology can be used with any teaching style. Finally, the authors were extremely qualified to conduct this case study because Professor Hammond is one of the creators of the technology used in the study and so he should know how it works and a professor of teaching, learning, and technology at a reputable university. Professor Manfra is also highly qualified because she also teaches secondary social studies at a reputable university with a focus on integrating digital resources into the classroom. The weaknesses of the article are persuading the reader to their position, and providing good examples of how this research can be implemented into the classroom. Despite the presence of evidence, the authors did not seem to completely persuade the reader to their position. The evidence was not fully revealed. There werent any charts, recordings, pictures, products, or transcripts from their case study for the reader to consider along with article. Their case study also was not technically complete. One of the teachers they observed never finished the digital documentary project. Also, this article never answered the question, how does the integration of instructional technology, specifically creation of documentaries or multimedia products, affect student learning (i.e. achievement, engagement, and construction of knowledge) in the secondary social studies classroom? This article only observed teachers using digital documentaries to teach and does little to discuss if the students actually grasped the concepts they were supposed to learn. The research provided in the article was well explained, however, there werent any charts, recordings, pictures, products, or transcripts from their case study for the reader to consider along with article. Another issue with the research was that it was never actually complete. Only one class actually finished the digital documentary project thus that is the only class where evaluation of concepts learned by the students and if pedagogical aims are reflected in students products can occur. Also, the researchers did not include how they were evaluating the teachers or what questions they were asking in interviews. This would help the reader understand the validity of the research. Finally, for the case study to be able to truly have merit the researchers should have observed the same grade level and both of the researchers should have observed each teacher to prevent any divergent conclusions. This article shows that no matter what pedagogy or teaching style is used; instructional technology, i.e. digital documentaries can be used in the classroom. Each teaching style achieves a certain goal. One does not need to completely change their teaching style to integrate technology. Objectivism and constructivism both have their place in the classroom. The article also shows that technology must be chosen to meet the goal of the lesson and carefully planned in order to meet the needs of the students and the time that can be allotted to the activity. Further investigation into how digital documentaries impact student learning is needed and examples of student-generated digital documentaries are need. References: Manfra, Meghan M., & Hammond, T.C. (2008). Teachers' instructional choices with student created digital documentaries: Case studies. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 41(2), 223-245. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/ journals/jrte.aspx

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