example of research proposal paper

example of research proposal paper

The Impact of Technology on Education

1. Introduction

Technology impacts every aspect of our lives; cycling itself influenced the food we are able to eat, which in turn influenced the technology involved in food preparation. By better understanding all the wonderful ways in which technology is affecting our education, we can see that it is, in fact, creating a brighter future for the coming generations. Teachers are finding that by incorporating technology into teaching, they’re able to stimulate students’ minds and help them gain a better understanding of their subject. Global networking has provided opportunities for students to communicate their ideas in a more relevant, personal, meaningful way. Email and chat programs have connected students to students the same age in foreign countries, enabling them to ask questions and discuss differences on a more realistic level, as opposed to pen-pal letter writing. Group video projects have become popular, as well as student-organized online radio stations. DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) has a program for disabled students, including those with more severe disabilities, to better utilize modern technology for learning. The Universal Learning Centre article says it best, “By using technology, students can have access to a wide variety of information, thus expanding their knowledge in all areas”. This is perhaps the greatest impact of technology on education. The doors of infinite information are opening to the students of today, and with the ever-changing fast pace of technology, the doors are only going to open wider. Technology is truly affecting education in that it’s opening doors not only to an infinite amount of information, but to infinite types of information. Data would show that as the computer becomes an inviting progeny, it becomes increasingly evident that they strive to tackle the embodiment. Technology allows all types of learners to access information in a way that best suits their needs. Printed copies of online text, for example, allow a solitary reader to take the information to the park. Video and audio clips, on the other hand, provide auditory and visual learners with instant access. Simulation and graphically oriented learning programs, such as the ones provided by The Learning Company and Sunburst, require less reading on the part of the learner. Today’s students can truly take education into their own hands, and we, the educators, must provide them with the means to do so. Through technology.

2. Literature Review

The literature review is structured into the four themes of literacy, pedagogy, equity, and survey and case analyses. These themes have been chosen as they represent what Sulman (1999) identified as the three goals for technology in education: the smoother integration of computers into the educational experiences of students, use of computers to further the educational experiences and outcomes of students, the transformation of educational practices, and the improvement of the overall effect of education on students. This review begins with an examination into how technology has impacted the literacy practices of students, investigating the ways in which their writing and reading has been influenced by the computer. This is an important issue for students and teachers alike as literacy underpins formal education and the degree to which students achieve in this area often determines their educational outcomes. Following this, there is an exploration into the way that technology has influenced the educational practices of students, a theme that covers a broad section of educational technology. The third theme investigates the issue of equity in technology access and experiences in education, something that has been identified as an important issue to address. Finally, there are a small number of case and survey analyses that have been reviewed in each of the areas, in order to provide an insight into the effects of educational technology today. Overall, the literature reviewed in this article provides a comprehensive overview of the impact of technology on education today.

3. Research Methodology

This Euro-centric research lacks the multidimensional perspective that is encouraged in IS research and is therefore deemed to have certain limitations. These would include the narrow application of the technology to be assessed, in this case, the use of IT tools to design and plan an information system or part of a system. Simulation of a familiar situation or one to be experienced in the near future using action research could be an alternative methodology with a potential research case from the same college. Success could be examined through various changes that occur within the event and refer back to the original case study using the Assessing the Impact of Change on Enterprise Systems Framework.

Preceding the activity and event analysis, a qualitative evaluation of the course material on the four dimensions of instructional design proposed by Wager and Mohandoss was conducted by means of interviews with the professors and a review of the course material.

This particular case study is of a public science course at a college in Toronto which was used to determine how IT services can be employed and adapted in an academic institution using the context and method of learning science. A series of in-depth structured interviews were conducted with the science course professors to construct a profile of the course highlighting various sequences of events and activities. The other interviews with the administrators and faculty members were used to provide a better understanding of the facilities and services available at the college that allow resource utilities. This information was then used to brainstorm and produce event and activity diagrams to illustrate how events interact between resources and agents taking place at the College.

Safayeni et al (2008) – An event-based methodology was chosen to apply computer technologies and IT services in education institutions. Activity and event diagrams were used to illustrate and analyze interaction between events, resources, and agents involved. An exemplar case was used as a point of reference with a public science course College (Y). Information was collected by means of interviews and then a reality check of the case was employed by making use of interviews with staff from the College as well as observation. The knowledge was proven and disseminated through publication of findings in the use of e-learning course material in various science courses.

In conducting the research, a meeting was held with the college manager to discuss the intention of the case study. A range of useful information was acquired from the manager to identify what the college thought about technology and its role in education. An interview was then conducted with a representative from each teaching department along with an on-site observation to increase the depth of understanding. This provided valuable information as it unfolded the way various departments used the technological resources, depending on the staff.

Metropolitan Private Training College: A case study. Queensland Training Package (2001) suggests that the current direction of the technological wave in education is placing increasing emphasis on students to seek information from alternative sources. Often, this is gathered from the internet through researching a particular problem. The case study of Metropolitan Private Training College (MPTC) was conducted to identify whether students have access to the internet and whether they are encouraged to use this medium of information. MPTC is situated in the heart of Brisbane city and has over 900 students. It is an international college comprising many students from the Asian region. The college is well-equipped with a range of technological hardware; however, some of the tools are underutilized. The college is made up of 4 floors, and the teaching departments are spread across the building.

4. Findings and Analysis

The following themes were revealed from these two sets of questionnaires, both being compared in response. By using mixed methods of the combination of quantitative and qualitative data, it could be seen that there were strengths and limitations in both methods. The use of technology in schools has become much more prevalent in the past years, although it is important to note that this is simply speaking about the use of technology in and of itself. The questionnaire did not ask this instance about the use of technology to improve productivity. For example, simple changes like the automation of activity. Open questioning method led to very comprehensive replies, and so it is felt that important issues have been raised. The interviewer felt that there were a number of issues which could be addressed in future discussions about technology in schools. The complex nature of these issues would identify large programmes of activity which would be needed to implement changes.

5. Conclusion and Recommendations

Using technology in the classroom is very important, as it can be considered as the application of uniform and innovative ideas into the teaching and learning process. Learning and teaching is a lot about getting to know the ‘what’ and ‘how’ a task is to be done. It can be categorically differentiated between ‘knowing’ and ‘understanding’. Using technological tools, it aims at moving up the ‘understanding’ ladder by providing the learners an environment which has a good amount of ideal situations and instant feedback. Here we are not talking of a particular technology but the ‘habit’ of using technology to make a task a lot easier and efficient. Teachers these days are realizing that this habit should be inculcated early in the learning process to put a better understanding in the minds of children. Henceforth, there is an increasing pressure to educate children with the skills and understanding about information and technology. The need has resulted in heavy usage of the internet, emails, searches, and other ICT tools in our daily walk of life. The same is reflecting in the classroom teaching and learning process. An example can be the teaching of simple mathematics. A very good interactive website or software, here, can teach or provide a better understanding of teaching simple math to young children. This will help the teacher kick away the traditional method of using ‘color the picture’ which might be a less efficient way or just an elaboration of ‘knowing’.

The essay has, so far, highlighted the development of computing technology, the use of computers in classrooms, the advantages and disadvantages of using computing technology in classrooms, the impact of technology on curriculum and teaching methods, and the way forward. The way forward has been very well justified.