Research Issues in Educational Technology

Introduction: The Neutrality Debate

"Technology is neither good nor bad, nor is it neutral." Melvin Kranzberg, "The Information Age: Evolution or Revolution?" (1985)

One of the classical questions in the study of modern technology concerns the degree to which a technology compels certain choices and behaviors, as opposed to simply facilitating choices and behaviors the responsibility for which resides solely in the subject/user. The articles by Stumpf and Turkle, inspired by Tufte's Powerpoint essay, represent two different approaches to this question, and we'll begin today's session with reactions to those articles. Some further questions we might consider are:

• Is "neutrality" a desirable quality in (educational) software?
• What does Turkle mean when she writes that "Information technology is identity technology"? Do you agree?
• How do Turkle's claims square with your experience as a student in the computer age?

The Role of Educational Research

Each of the teams has identified interesting articles from contemporary journals, and in the time remaining I want to discuss why the teams chose the articles they did and which aspects of the research seemed most interesting/provocative. At the very least, this will help us understand some of the questions/issues each team is trying to address in the design of their program.

The articles are:

Word Expander:
• "A Study of 5- and 6- year old children's peer dynamics and dialectical learning in a computer based technology-rich classroom environment."
• When Do Computer Graphics Contribute to Early Literacy Learning?

Bridge Design and Construction

• Gender, Task Scenarios and Children's Computer-based Problem Solving
• Opening Technology Up for Both Genders

English Standards

• Chang, K., Sung, Y., & Chen, I. (2002). The effect of concept mapping to enhance text comprehension and summarization. The Journal of Experimental Education, 71(1), 5-23. Electronic version at: http://search.epnet.com/direct.asp?an=7217342&db=aph

• Le Fevre, D., Moore, D., & Wilkinson, I. (2003). Tape-assisted reciprocal teaching: Cognitive bootstrapping for poor decoders. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 73, 37-58. Electronic version at: http://taddeo.ingentaselect.com/vl=2864936/cl=87/nw=1/fm=docpdf/rpsv/cw/bpsoc/00070998/v73n1/s4/p37

For Thursday: We'll begin the storyboards on Thursday.