Applications of Instructional Technology

Tiana C. Tibbs

215 Oxford Lane

Warner Robins, GA 31088

Article Summaries Submitted to:

Dr. Kenneth Clark of Georgia Southern University

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for

FRIT 8530 – Y02

Fall 2010

Friday, September 24, 2010

Statesboro, Georgia
Citation

Fengfeng, K., & Grabowski, B. (2007). Gameplaying for maths learning: cooperative or not?. British

Journal of Educational Technology, 38(2), 249-259. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2006.00593.x.

Identification

Research Article

Summary

This article is about if game playing can an effect a student’s math performance and attitude. There is a

problem of low achievement in education dealing with math for many years. Some propositions to

increasing math achievement were using computer games. Past research reported that computer

games were used in support of learning the basic arithmetic and problem-solving skills. In this article,

there was a study done with fifth graders who were either assigned to a cooperative Teams-Games-

Tournament (TGT) or with no game playing condition. A math exam with state-standards based

questions and an inventory on attitudes toward math were used as a pre and post test. The results

indicated after the study was that game playing was more effective than drills in promoting math

performance and cooperative game playing was most effective in promoting positive math attitudes.

Critique

I like that this article used a pre and post test to compare their results. I feel that it is important to get a

true accurate account on whether if the game playing was effective or not. However, even though they

reported that they used an exam with state-standards based questions, I was curious to know if the

students were able to score high on the real state test. Students can do really well after a particular

time period of learning certain material but when it comes to the end of the year and taking that state
test, usually many students forget about some of those topics. I wished the article would have looked at

how it affected their actual scores on the state test compared to previous years.

Citation

Ke, F. (2008). Computer games application within alternative classroom goal structures: cognitive,

metacognitive, and affective evaluation. Educational Technology Research & Development,

56(5/6), 539-556. doi:10.1007/s11423-008-9086-5.

Identification

Research Article

Summary

This article is about if educational computer games have an effect on learning based on different

classroom situations. They focused on math learning to see if computer games were more effective

than the traditional paper-and-pencil drills. There was skepticism about using computer games for

learning because of the classroom and lesson time. There were concerns that the learning does not

demand knowledge of a particular subject area and lacked connection to curriculum in school.

However, after this study, they found that computer games were more effective in promoting learning

motivation but not significantly different in facilitating cognitive math test performance and

metacognitive awareness. They also looked at whether alternative classroom goal structures would

enhance or reduce due to the effects of the computer games. It was found that the alternative

classroom goal structures mediated the effects of computer games on math learning outcomes. Also,

cooperative goal structure enhanced the effects of computer games on attitudes toward math learning.
Critique

They mentioned in this article that the web-based educational game, ASTRA EAGLE was used to

reinforce academic math standards. I think this was a good article to see how computer games affect

the student’s learning but I think they should have looked at what kind of affect it had on certain math

standards. Was there an increase in just the number sense standards? Was there little or no change

before and after the implementation of the computer game with a certain standard? I think it would be

interesting to see how this educational game had an effect on certain math standards.

Citation

Kodippili, A., & Senaratne, D. (2008). Is computer-generated interactive mathematics homework more

effective than traditional instructor-graded homework?. British Journal of Educational

Technology, 39(5), 928-932. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2007.00794.x.

Identification

Research Article

Summary

In this article, the author looks at the effectiveness of computer-generated interactive math homework

compared to traditional instructor-generated homework. This study was done using an online

homework program called MyMathLab. The author was trying to see the use of technology in education

was important when it came to homework and the school learning environment. There was not enough

evidence in this study to say that students who had computer-generated homework performed better

than the ones who had the paper-based, instructor-graded homework. However, there was a higher
success rate for students who passed the course that used MyMathLab compared to the ones who

didn’t.

Critique

This was not a good study, in my opinion, because there were so many errors that prevented to draw

conclusions successfully. Some of the errors they mentioned that prevented the authors to draw

inferences were failure to control extraneous influences and other intervening variables such as gender

and age. I think this study would have been more successful if they used students in a high school

instead of college. I believe it is easier to control some of the influences and other variables when you

have a group that is in the same generation. In college, you have different generations of people and

that does have an effect on this study especially when it comes to using technology. Many older college

students may not feel as comfortable using MyMathLab compared to someone who is younger. I

believe if they controlled that part of the study, they would be able to draw better conclusions when it

comes to testing their hypothesis.

Citation

Kortenkamp, U., & Fest, A. (2009). From CAS/DGS Integration to Algorithms in Educational Math

Software. Electronic Journal of Mathematics & Technology, 3(3), 261-273. Retrieved from

http://atcm.mathandtech.org/EP2008/papers_full/2412008_15283.pdf.

Identification

Professional Practice Article

Summary
In this article, it talks about three major software pillars that emerged within the last 15 years. There is

the Computer Algebra Systems, CAS, which constitutes the symbolic counterpart to calculators, the

Dynamic Geometry Software, DGS, which is the modern replacement for rulers and compasses, and the

spreadsheet applications that is used for organizing and structuring data for easier handling and

analysis. All three has found its way in teaching but the ones who do use it only focuses on one of the

products while many other teachers do not have the time or the confidence to master using these

products. The authors believe that using these products in the classroom allows for explorations of

algorithmic functions. It is believed that algorithmic functions are crucial to the learning process. This

can help understand mathematical models and how they are used to find solutions to real world

problems. This in turn will motivate students to explore problems and questions which they introduce

on their own.

Critique

I feel like this article and the software they talked about will go over many teachers’ heads. I had to

read the article a couple of times to understand it and I went to school for Information Technology. I

believe for teachers to use this software and understand how to incorporate it in the math classroom,

they will need to have knowledge on programming, which is not an easy topic to go over. Not only that,

having to relay it back to the students, I feel will be a little complicated even though they are in the time

where they are more technological savvy. As I was reading this article, I was trying to picture myself

going over and using this approach with my students and I can see them being confused at the end of

my discussion. I feel like for these products to be used in the classroom successfully, they need to be

broken down in a simpler format using user-friendly language when it comes to this software because

like the article stated, many teachers do not have the time or the confidence when it comes to using this

software.
Citation

Mendicino, M., Razzaq, L., & Heffernan, N. (2009). A Comparison of Traditional Homework to Computer-

Supported Homework. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 41(3), 331-359.

Retrieved from http://teacherwiki.assistment.org/wiki/images/1/13/Jrte_layout.pdf.

Identification

Research Article

Summary

This article looked at fifth grade students learning in two different math homework conditions. One

condition was the traditional paper-and-pencil homework and the other condition was web-based

homework. The ones who were receiving the traditional paper-and-pencil homework would review

their problems in class the following day. The ones who were receiving the web-based homework were

given immediate feedback in the form of hints on demand and step-by-step scaffolding using a web-

based system called ASSISTment System. Every student was provided with the exact homework

problems and in the same format (multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank). The only difference was that

some of the student’s problems were on ASSISTment and the others were on a worksheet.

What was found that the students who were receiving the web-based homework scored higher on their

post test than the ones who received the paper-and-pencil homework. They gave the students a pre-

test before doing this study and a post-test after the study was completed to compare their scores and

that is how they were able to say that the students who received the web-based homework scored

higher. Not only did they say immediate feedback is essential to these students learning, but it also gave

teachers an advantage to get immediate feedback on how their students are doing and saves on time

when it comes to grading.

Critique

As a math teacher, I found this article very interesting. I started reflecting on the times that I went over

the previous night’s homework and it still appears that my student’s were not learning anything as they

check their work. It has been proven that with homework, if a student does not know how to do it, they

are basically practicing making the mistake over and over and it will take a long time for them to learn

how to undo it. I do believe that immediate feedback is essential when students are doing their

homework so they can stop making that mistake in the first problem instead of the tenth problem on

their homework worksheet. However, it will be impossible to implement this type of homework. First

of all, not everyone have access to the computer or internet. Let’s say that the student is provided with

his/her personal laptop to take home to do their homework at home. That is money right there and

with all the budget cuts in the education system, it is impossible to provide the students with that

resource. Then you will always run into technical difficulties when it comes down to technology.

With this article, they formed their opinion using just one web-based system. I believe they should have

tested their hypothesis using other web-based systems too to see if they get the same results. I also

wonder if the pre-test and the post-test was the same exact questions as the worksheet or if they used

similar problems to give to the students.

Citation

Oliver, K., & Corn, J. (2008). Student-reported differences in technology use and skills after the

implementation of one-to-one computing. Educational Media International, 45(3), 215-229.

doi:10.1080/09523980802284333.

Identification

Research Article
Summary

This article was about a study that was done with students at a private middle school and their use with

technology after implementing a new one-to-one tablet computing program. The purpose of this one-

to-one tablet computing program was to increase individualized learning. The students would receive

customized learning plans based on their needs from this program. Through previous researches, they

found that these programs have improved communication with teachers, behaviors and attitudes, and

even attendance. When this study was conducted, they found that there was more use of technology

used in specific subjects such as math and science, an increase in communication, and an increase with

technology skills on competencies such as editing wikis. Not only did they reported that all of that was

happening after the experiment, but also reported student-centered activities starting to emerge

regardless of the lack of professional development in this area for teachers.

Critique

I thought this article was pretty interesting with the fact that even with the lack of professional learning

from the teachers, they still saw changes in students use with technology. I agree with the article that

using a one-to-one computer program can increase individualized learning. Some of the problems that

lie with these programs are that it does not necessarily cater to the student’s needs. Most of them

consist of a general topic and a student can easily get bored if they already know about that topic. I

wished the article went into more detail about what the students did more of that was technology

based instead of mentioning one or two things like editing wikis. I am curious to know what other

technology tools they are doing more of that they were not doing before.
Citation

Peacock, S., Gordon, L., Murray, S., Morss, K., & Dunlop, G. (2010). Tutor response to implementing an

ePortfolio to support learning and personal development in further and higher education

institutions in Scotland. British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(5), 827-851.

doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2009.00986.x.986 827.

Identification

Theory in Practice

Summary

This article is about how electronic portfolios also called ePortfolios, can have a positive impact on a

student’s learning experience. However, there are some pedagogical and technological challenges that

may limit their effectiveness. They talked to a group of tutors and had each one complete a

questionnaire regarding ePortfolios. Some examples of the responses from the tutors regarding the

positive impacts of an ePortfolio were that it supports transition from education to employment or

further studies, the learning and supporting formative/summative assessment, and promotion of work

to potential employers. The following are some barriers that the tutors reported with having an

ePortfolio which were: protection of personal data held within an ePortfolio system, ownership and

intellectual property rights of the material contained in the ePortfolio system, misuse of ePortfolio

systems by learners, and the lack of access to information technology.

Critique

I really like this article regarding ePortfolios. I do think it is important that students, online or

traditional, have some type of portfolio to show how they are progressing in their education. I do

believe that a portfolio does encourage personal development, assist student transition, and support
assessment. One of the barriers they did listed, however, was the lack of access to information

technology. I do not believe that would be a barrier because of the wealth of knowledge and resources

that is provided to do an ePortfolio. Also, if it comes down to it, then just have a paper –based portfolio.

Information can be printed. I would equate that barrier to the person is who is putting it together, with

their amount of motivation to getting it done because it is possible regardless the amount of knowledge

you have.

Citation

Slagter van Tryon, P., & Bishop, M. (2009). Theoretical foundations for enhancing social connectedness

in online learning environments. Distance Education, 30(3), 291-315.

doi:10.1080/01587910903236312.

Identification

Theory in Practice

Summary

This article is about getting students who are in an online learning environment to negotiate social

information and maintain a social connectedness with other online students. When someone is in a

face-to-face learning environment, that person can process social information about others easily in

order to assess traits, predict behaviors, and determining who can assume certain responsibilities within

a group. Students in online learning environments reported feelings of social disconnectedness and

missing interpersonal interactions that they have when learning face to face which they call e-

mmediacy. The authors offer a theoretical foundation on how social information processing and group

structure theories may be used to help instructional designers in exploring social issues by the online
learner. However, previous research says that the only thing that changes in an online learning

environment is the channel that learners communicate, not the social information processing

mechanism. Well the authors found in their study three categories of expert-recommended strategies

for overcoming social connectedness problems in the online learning environment. The first strategy

deals with increased interactions. They suggested that the online instructor must supply sufficient

interaction opportunities for students to gather the information they need to assess status, develop

norms, and differentiate roles. The second strategy deals with comprehensive technical support. When

technologies fail, this can increase stress levels amongst the student than it would in a face-to-face

interaction. Experts recommend that the online instructor be prepared to fill the technology support

role. Also the last strategy deals with persistent follow-up. Online students cannot easily check around

the room to see how many others have assignments or judge for themselves how to keep pace with

their coursework by comparing themselves to others. The suggestion for that is to have the online

course instructor to incorporate course elements that dictate pace.

Critique

This article hit right at home. I feel like after years of taking online classes in undergrad and also

graduate school that I know what to expect in the typical online class. Every now and again, depending

on the class, I will feel a lack of social connectedness because of how the class is offered. I usually

expect more interaction and more activities and when there is not much of it going on in a class, I feel

lost and wondering if I am doing what is necessary to keep up with the class. I disagree with the part in

the article where they said previous research says the only thing that changes is communication. I feel

social information processing does have an effect on a student especially if he/she is not used to taking

online courses. That is why many people do not take online classes for that simple fact. I wanted to see

them compare students who were used to taking online classes to the ones who have not taken many

online classes to get their thoughts and feelings regarding this topic.