Running Head: Ditching the Traditional Paper Textbook to Speed Up Tech Integration 1

Assignment 1

Ditching to traditional paper textbook to speed up

technology Integration

By: Herbert Dunbar

MEDT 8484
Spring 2017
Running Head: Ditching the Traditional Paper Textbook to Speed Up Tech Integration 2

Objective and Purpose

“One of the most important aspects of technology in education is its ability to level

the field of opportunity for students.” (John King, U.S. Secretary of Education). In today’s

schools, teachers teach to predetermined standards on a set timeframe. E-Textbooks and

related materials can be designed and easily updated to meet given standards. The purpose

of my research will be to look into how taking paper (non-digital) textbooks out of the

hands of students and replacing them with electronic textbooks would speed up the

integration of technology in our schools. It is my theory and belief that once a school or

school system shifts to digital books then every thing else would be forced to adapt.

Teacher and administrators would have to figure out how to teach, review and assess

students with this new type of E-Textbook. Systems and strategies would have to be

developed to catch up or keep up with the new way in which information would be

delivered to students. Today’s students are pretty savvy and easily adapt to technology. For

students, the transition to an all-digital school environment should be similar to adopting

to a new game or any of the new technologies that come out every year.

Though the mandate to integrate technology has existed for over 10 years, relatively

few meaningful and permanent changes have been made. Many teachers still mostly use

computers as a research tool and that’s pretty much it. This problem of seemingly little

progress in spite of the millions that have been poured into technology integration has to

be solved. The purpose of my research will attempt to find out if making teachers only use

E-Textbook packages that come with reviews, exercise and assessments would accelerate
Running Head: Ditching the Traditional Paper Textbook to Speed Up Tech Integration 3

technology integration in our schools. My research will be conducted my surveying

students, teachers, building and county level administrators. My survey questions to

students will be about their preference between analog and a digital environment. My

survey questions to teachers will surround their ability to use and manipulate an all-digital

environment. Their perceptions and/or thought on how the environment would impact

student learning. My survey questions to administrators would be about cost, current

conflicting contracts and the needed infrastructure for an all-digital environment.

Literature Review

E-Textbooks have many advantages over traditional paper textbooks. E-Textbooks

are cheaper and several e-books can be stored on a relatively small device. In his article

The 9 Benefits of E-Books, Daryl Sessoms of Secure Edge (2017) states that “tablets can

hold hundreds of textbooks on one device, plus homework, quizzes, and other files,

eliminating the need for physical storage of books.” E-Books also come with font flexibility

making reading easier. According to John Kelly (2016), EBooks accommodate more

learning styles. Students can watch videos, finding info graphics or diagrams, or following

along with a narrator, a digital book makes possible that students get an enriching

experience. Richard Mayer (2005) principle known as the “multimedia principle” states,

“people learn more deeply from words and pictures than from words alone”. By using

eBooks, they are able to expand immense learning opportunities.

E-Book also has a search/find feature that is hard to beat. This feature allows readers to

type in a key word a quickly find sections of desired texts. It is one of the things that I

personally love about E-Books. Going digital could free up the yearly money that schools
Running Head: Ditching the Traditional Paper Textbook to Speed Up Tech Integration 4

use to buy and update books. In a Washington Post article, Fairfax County public schools

Assistant superintendent Peter Noonan said, “The pilot program (social studies classes)

will be of no additional cost to the school system, and a full-scale program likely would save

the schools money in the long run because online books cost less than new, printed books.

“(Hobbs, 2010) In addition to the pilot program at Fairfax County Public School, Stepinac, a

Roman Catholic school for boys has gone digital. All 40 textbooks in their curriculum can be

access using computer devices. Nicholas Dadario, a student at this school said that out of

curiosity weighted his back pack the previous year and found that it was 35 pounds (Stern,

2013).

References

Clark, R. E. (1994). Media will never influence learning. Educational Technology, Research
and Development, 42(2), 21-29.

Mayer, R. E. (2005). The Cambridge handbook of multimedia learning. Cambridge, U.K.:

Cambridge University Press.

Daryl Sessoms (2017). The 9 Benefits of E-Books. Secure Edge,

http://www.securedgenetworks.com/blog/9-Benefits-of-e-Books-That-Make-Them-
Valuable-Classroom-Technology

John Kelly (2016). The Benefits of Using eBooks by Students. Teachers with Apps,
http://www.teacherswithapps.com/the-benefits-of-using-ebooks-by-students

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/09/12/no-more-books-high-
school-goes-all-digital-/2807577/
Running Head: Ditching the Traditional Paper Textbook to Speed Up Tech Integration 5

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2010/08/04/AR2010080402849.html
 Running Head: Ditching the Traditional Paper Textbook to Speed Up Tech Integration 6

Assignment 1: Introduction, Research Questions, and Literature Review (20p)

Directions:

The purpose of Assignment 1 is to write the first two sections of your research
proposal: Objectives and Purposes and Literature Review. These sections should include an
introduction, the goals of your study, the research questions and hypotheses/ propositions
of your study, and a brief literature review. Make sure that your research topic is
relevant to the field of media and instructional technology. The narrative should follow
the American Psychological Association (APA) writing and formatting guidelines, and be up
to four pages long. The rubric below will be used to grade your work. This rubric is very
detailed to give you more information on the topics that need to be addressed in each
section, and the criteria for evaluation. Use this rubric to make sure that you address every
component/criterion. Please paste this rubric at the end of your document.

Save your document in Microsoft Word format and use your last name as the name of
the file. Upload the file in D2L, using the Assignment 1_Research Proposal I
submission folder (under the “Assignments” tab).

Assignment 1 Rubric (20 points):

Section Not Evident Emerging Proficient Exemplary

I. Objectives and Purposes (2 pages)
This section should include: 0 1 2 3
 Background Information Information Information Information
not provided. is provided is relevant is relevant,
but is and adequate sufficient,
unclear, for the and clearly
insufficient, proposed supports the
or irrelevant. study. proposed
study.
 Statement of the research 0 1 2 3
problem and rationale for Information The research The research The research
the study not provided. problem is problem is problem is
stated, but is clearly stated clearly
unclear, too and is stated,
broad/narro researchable. relevant, and
w or Strong researchable.
irrelevant. rationale Rationale is
The rationale provided. extremely
for the study The rationale clear,
is unclear or statement compelling,
weak. generally and clearly
 Running Head: Ditching the Traditional Paper Textbook to Speed Up Tech Integration 7

justifies the supports the

research research
questions. questions.
There is a
clear link
between the
rationale and
the research
questions.
 Purpose 0 1 2 3-4
The goals are Purpose is Purpose is Exceptionally
not stated. not clearly clearly clear in
described. described. purpose.
Goals are Goals are Goals are
stated but realistic, realistic,
are unclear, adequately clearly
irrelevant, or stated and stated, and
too generally clearly
broad/narro aligned with aligned with
w. the research the research
problem. problem.
 Research Questions and 0 1 2-3 4-5
Hypotheses/ Propositions Information Questions/ Generally, Research
not provided hypotheses/ questions questions are
or no basis for propositions have proper clear,
judgment. are missing, scope, are concise,
weak, or realistic, feasible, of
unclear. feasible, and proper scope,
Questions adequately and answer
not of phrased. the purpose.
sufficient
scope or are Each
not feasible. research
question is
correctly
phrased, and
addresses
only one
aspect of the
research
 Definitions of key Key Definitions problem.
concepts used in the concepts/ter Definitions for key
research questions ms are not for key concepts/ter All key
defined. concepts/ter ms are concepts/ter
ms are provided and ms are
provided but generally clearly
 Running Head: Ditching the Traditional Paper Textbook to Speed Up Tech Integration 8

are adequate. defined/

inaccurate or explained.
 Statement and The type of unclear.
justification of the type of study is not The type of
study to be conducted specified. The type of study is
study is specified, but The type of
specified but it may not be study is
cannot be the most specified and
used to adequate or is the optimal
investigate feasible way choice for the
the stated to investigate specified
research the proposed research
questions. research questions.
questions. The
The justification
justification for this type
for this type of study is
of study is compelling.
provided, but
may include
some
inaccuracies.
II. Literature Review (2 pages)

Criteria: 0 1 2 3
 Critical review of literature Information is Findings Some Evidence of
 Relevance not provided, from leading evidence of sound
 Conceptual/Theoretical irrelevant, researchers satisfactory knowledge
framework incomplete, are included knowledge and critical
 Alignment and or with minimal with limited review of the
inaccurate. critical critical literature
commentary. review of the relevant to
relevant the study.
Cited literature,
literature but with gaps Developed a
may not be and or clear,
relevant to omissions. appropriate,
the study. and justified
Conceptual/ conceptual/
theoretical theoretical
framework is framework
included; for the
however it is research.
not fully
 Running Head: Ditching the Traditional Paper Textbook to Speed Up Tech Integration 9

developed or
justified.

Study may be
feasible.
Presentation and Writing

Criteria: 0 1 2
 Clarity Generally Reasonably Clear and correct use of
 Writing mechanics poor use of clear and English characterized by a
 APA English correct use of clear style of expression,
characterized English with few imprecise and/or
by numerous characterized incorrect statements.
errors, by generally
unclear, clear
incorrect expression,
and/or with
illogical relatively few
statements. imprecise
and/or
incorrect
statements.
Total: