The Space Between - Final Blog Post - Work in Progress

Part I: How technology shapes learning in your classroom

•                What is your research question?

•                What inspired you to come up with that question?

•                How did you collect data?

•                What did you discover while analyzing the data?

•                How will the results influence your future use of technology as a learning tool?

            In my second placement, in a junior high school, I observed teachers feeling pressure to have their students interact with technology. I wondered why these junior high teachers felt such a strong pressure to do this when I did not see the same kind of urgency in the high school setting. Mrs. Robertson, an English 3D instructor, explained “many students, in my classroom in particular, are not exposed to technology in the same way as some of their more privileged peers might be. Most of my kids don’t have smart phones and a few have to go to a relatives’ house to use the Internet.  They need all the practice they can get while at school.” Her explanation confirmed my understanding of the technology gap, and how some teachers feel the pressure to close that gap. Another instructor, Mrs. Carmean, teaches 8^th grade English and reminded me that the new common assessment, Smarter Balanced is a computer-based test, that will be given to all 8^th graders this spring. She expressed her concern, “students who don’t have much exposure to reading and writing at a computer, could test below their ability level.”

I had many different questions initially about technology and learning. They stemmed from what I observed in the classroom. I observed technology being implemented in the classroom in a variety of ways. Instructors using iPads 

Tah-may-toe/Toe-mah-toe-  My Question: Stated Three Ways

Are students cognitively overloaded when asked to perform a task that requires them to use technology? What I am looking for in this inquiry is when students are given an activity, and the activity requires the manipulation of technology does it interfere with the student’s ability to complete the task. Does the use of technology help or hinder the learning process?


Part II: Reflection on ED325

When I first entered the computer lab I felt like I was one of the less computer savvy people in the room. I knew my way around the basic process and software but that was where my comfort zone ended. I entered the room intimidated but also curious. I was curious about what other tricks I would learn, tools I would encounter and how I would learn to implement them in an educational setting. What I didn't expect to learn about was theory. I loved how open and invested the class was in discussing the benefits and pitfalls of technology in education. Though I didn't come into to the room a techie, I did enter the room a thinker, and the space we were given to explore and discuss was by far the most beneficial thing to me. 

I am still learning, and assume I will never stop learning, about different aspects of technology but now I feel equipped to investigate and evaluate each new development  with the knowledge I have already acquired and the skills I practiced in this classroom.


I have learned about a variety of tools I can use in my class. I have learned skills that will help me in my teaching, like using iMovie and QuickTime to create and edit educational shorts. In fact, I used QuickTime to record my screen to show how to go through the steps to make a copy of a Google doc and then share it. I learned how to make Prezis so that not only can I present information in an engaging was but I can also guide my students through the process of creating their own engaging material to present.