PD: Research

When it comes to education, all good professional development must be rooted in research. If there are no numbers, teachers will often dismiss new ideas as trends (rightly so). Throughout this blog, I often reference research to support my suggestions. Below, you’ll find links to various studies regarding educational technology, organized by topic.

General Technology Integration

Blogging

Cell Phones in Education

  • In a series of studies from Coventry University (2006-2011), researchers found that texting actually improved primary students’ literacy development. In one study, students who used ‘textisms’ (i.e. ‘c u l8tr’) performed better on spelling tests, possibly because textisms require higher phonological awareness.
  • Speak Up (2010) surveyed hundreds of thousands of students, parents, teachers, and administrators about educational technology, and found some major disconnects. Among other things, the survey found that most parents are supportive of students using mobile devices in school, with even more parents willing to buy the devices for their kids. However, 65 percent of administrators oppose allowing students to use their own devices in classrooms.

Social Networking

Video Gaming

  • Brain Plasticity and Video Games (2002-2010) includes a series of studies from the University of Rochester. Among other things, researchers have found that video gaming can close the gender gap in spatial reasoning skills and can even improve vision. In addition to the above direct link to the studies, the research is outlined in this National Public Radio report.