Increased Motivation and Self Esteem
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:- The kids that don't necessarily star can become the stars. [with technology]. My favorite is this boy . . . who had major problems at home. He figured out a way to make music by getting the computer to play certain letters by certain powers and it changed the musical tone of the note and he actually wrote a piece. He stayed in every recess. . . . When I asked him what he was working on, he wouldn't tell me. Then he asked if he could put his HyperCard stack on my computer because it was hooked up to speakers. I said "sure" and at recess. . . he put it on my computer and played his music and literally stopped the room. And for months he had kids begging him at recess, every recess, to teach them how to make music. And for that particular kid it was the world because he really was not successful academically and was having lots of problems. . . . This really changed him for that school year. -Elementary school teacher
- Kids like the immediate results. It's not a result that you can get anywhere else except on the computer. . . . For them it really is a big deal. Much more so than I ever though it was going to be. --Elementary school teacher
- Technology is the ultimate carrot for students. It's something they want to master. Learning to use it enhances their self-esteem and makes them excited about coming to school. --Fifth grade teacher
- The computer has been an empowering tool to the students. They have a voice and it's not in any way secondary to anybody else's voice. It's an equal voice. So that's incredibly positive. Motivation to use technology is very high. --Elementary school teacher
A related technology effect stressed by many teachers was enhancement of student self esteem. Both the increased competence they feel after mastering technology-based tasks and their awareness of the value placed upon technology within our culture, led to increases in students' (and often teachers') sense of self worth.
- I see more confidence in the kids here. . . . I think it's not just computers, it's a multitude of things, but they can do things on the computers that most of their parents can't do and that's very empowering and exciting for them. It's "I can sit down and make this machine pretty much do what I want to," and there's something about that that gives them an extra little boost of, "Wow, I'm a pretty special person." --Elementary school teacher
Technical Skills
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.Accomplishment of More Complex Tasks
Teachers for the observed classes and activities at the case study sites were nearly unanimous also in reporting that students were able to handle more complex assignments and do more with higher-order skills because of the supports and capabilities provided by technology.More Collaboration with Peers
Another effect of technology cited by a great majority of teachers is an increased inclination on the part of students to work cooperatively and to provide peer tutoring. While many of the classrooms we observed assigned technology-based projects to small groups of students, as discussed above, there was also considerable tutoring going on around the use of technology itself. Collaboration is fostered for obvious reasons when students are assigned to work in pairs or small groups for work at a limited number of computers. But even when each student has a computer, teachers note an increased frequency of students helping each other. Technology-based tasks involve many subtasks (e.g., creating a button for a HyperCard stacks or making columns with word processing software), leading to situations where students need help and find their neighbor a convenient source of assistance. Students who have mastered specific computer skills generally derive pride and enjoyment from helping others.In addition, the public display and greater legibility of student work creates an invitation to comment. Students often look over each others' shoulders, commenting on each others' work, offering assistance, and discussing what they are doing.
- I've also seen kids helping each other a lot at the computer. The ones that pick it up faster, they love teaching it to someone that doesn't know it yet. --Fifth-grade teacher
- The ones who have used it from the beginning have become peer coaches. --Fifth-grade teacher
Students' ability to collaborate on substantive content can be further enhanced through the use of software applications specifically designed for this purpose. Students in several classes at one of our case study sites used a research package called CSILE (Computer Supported Intentional Learning Environment), for building a communal database and exchanging comments about each others' ideas.
One of our teacher informants made the point that the technology invites peer coaching and that once established, this habit carries over into other classroom activities:
- It's a much more facilitating atmosphere because the kids help each other so much on the computer. It changes the style and the tone of the classroom a lot. --Elementary school teacher
Increased Use of Outside Resources
Teachers from 10 out of 17 classrooms observed at length cited increased use of outside resources as a benefit of using technology. This effect was most obvious in classrooms that had incorporated telecommunications activities, but other classes used technologies such as satellite broadcasts, telefacsimiles, and the telephone to help bring in outside resources.
Improved Design Skills/Attention to Audience
Experiences in developing the kinds of rich, multimedia products that can be produced with technology, particularly when the design is done collaboratively so that students experience their peers' reactions to their presentations, appear to support a greater awareness of audience needs and perspectives. Multiple media give students choices about how best to convey a given idea (e.g., through text, video, animation). In part because they have the capability to produce more professional-looking products and the tools to manipulate the way information is presented, students in many technology-using classes are reportedly spending more time on design and audience presentation issues.
- They also do more stylistic things in terms of how the paper looks, and if there is something they want to emphasize, they'll change the font . . . they're looking at the words they're writing in a different way. They're not just thinking about writing a sentence, they're doing that, but they are also thinking about, "This is a really important word" or "This is something I want to stand out." And they're thinking in another completely different way about their audience. --Elementary school teacher
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