As an emerging educational tech leader, you are expected to articulate the relationship between tech and the factors that influence student learning. Create the policy brief outlined below.

  

Part I: Using Hattie's six categories of factors influencing student achievement, consider the following questions.

Which of Hattie’s factors of student achievement is most influenced by tech?

Several factors guide me towards the believe that the child is most influenced by technology. We can begin by agreeing with what was mentioned by Hattie (2008) “[t]he child brings prior knowledge of learning to their classroom” (p. 31).  Most children born in the last 10 years will learn to use a piece of technology before learning how to write. This is something most likely learned at home, since most children that have and use technology at that age would have received it from a family member, typically their parents. I don’t agree with Hattie and how his only points for student achievement in the home are parental expectations and aspirations for their child and parental knowledge of the language of schooling. He is blatantly ignoring many influential factors that parents bring in like education, but that is a different conversation. The next factor that guides me to believe that the child is most influenced by technology is how teachers can use technology to set more challenging goals, engage students, and give them the confidence and knowledge on how to set and attain their goals. Lastly, another way that achievement is most influenced is by providing an opportunity to influence students with a technologically rich environment that allow for clarity, decreases confusion, aids in focus, and defeats boredom.

 

Which factor is least influenced?

If we look at Maslow’s Hierarchy of human basic needs, shelter is the second most important and the effects that school provides extends to more than what is claimed by Hattie (2008) “the climate of the classroom, such as welcoming errors, and providing a safe, caring environment, [and] peer influence.” (p. 33). A school is the secondary shelter to a learner, it is the “third teacher” to students and is the factor least influenced when it comes to technology. I completely disagree with Hattie regarding the importance of schools as a factor influencing student achievement and his statement that the effects of school are overplayed. If anything they are severely underplayed to the point that just about everything has changed in education except for the look of schools and classrooms. Schools are so underused as an influential factor that can help in providing a more complete educational experience to learners. The “coat of paint” to which Hattie refers to is responsible for aiding students in understanding general factors which are important in their development beyond school, like the ability to collaborate and take criticism by creating an environment where they are free to engage with multiple individuals through different technological mediums and extend their views and open their exposures to others.

 

Which factor offers the most promise from technology?

For the simple reason that schools are the least influenced by technology, it stands to reason that schools have the most promise from technology. Schools for the most part are very un-evolved when it comes to technology, the lack of attention to schools from educators is  proven to be even more interesting, since most of the technology oriented changes that have been made to schools are not done by individuals involved in education but those in design and architecture. The cases have been made regarding the impact that school and classroom innovations can have on the academic development of students, and it is much more than the opinion stated by Hatties (2008) “...the most powerful effects of the school relate to features within schools, such as the climate of the classroom, peer influences, and the lack of disruptive students in the classroom...” (p.33). Because of the vision of architects, designers, and few academics there are some schools that have integrated technology in seamless ways in order to provide students with a more challenging, engaging, and rewarding learning environment.

 

Which factor has the most problematic relationship with technology?

When thinking about education I always find myself thinking in the long run, this is why I don’t believe that neither the child, the curriculum, the teachers, nor the the approaches to teaching have a problematic relationship with technology. In the near future enough teachers and individuals in administration  will retire, helping put aside some of the antiquated views on teacher responsibility, curricula development, and approaches to teaching. The issues of home and school both have to do with economical involvements. Learners with parents that are not educated or under educated do not have a high household income and therefore access to the same advances in technology, as learners from families that have acquired higher education. So, if children live in homes with low income it is hard for technology to be introduced, assimilated, and applied. On the same accord, technological improvements for schools hinge largely on economics. From basic internal and external structural improvement that would easily accommodate technological changes to continuous school and classroom modifications. The problematic relationship with technology and schools is tied to the learners home and the families income. As we have seen in many instances, there are many school in inner cities and poor areas that are barely standing while schools in affluent neighborhoods are buzzing with changes and structural modifications to accommodate what ever technology comes next.

Part II:  In the second part of your policy brief, complete the table below with Hattie's 6 factors influencing student achievement, common technologies representative of those factors, the opportunities that those technologies present, and the challenges or problems created through technology.

 

 

Factor

Common technologies

Opportunities

Challenges

Child

Digital Tools, Desk/Laptop, Digital Textbooks, Web 2.0 & 3.0 tools

The digital tools allow learners the flexibility needed to continue work on Web 2.0 & 3.0 materials away from a desk/laptop.

First, is the possible lack of knowledge and ability to participate by the learner. Second, is the lack of economic wealth needed to purchase the technology.

Home

Desk/Laptops, Digital Tools, Digital Textbooks, Web 2.0 & 3.0 tools

At home (with their desktop) or in areas with wifi (with their laptop or other digital tool,) the learners can access Web 2.0 & 3.0 materials.

First, is the possible lack of knowledge and ability to participate by the learner. Second, is the lack of economic wealth needed to purchase the technology.

School

Connected Classrooms, Digital Tools, Desk/Laptop, Web 2.0 & 3.0 tools, Digital Textbooks

Schools have classrooms wired with in ways that facilitates the use of digital tools, desktops and laptop computers.

Economic challenge and possible lack of support for the changes and modifications needed to build and use new technology.

Curricula

Web 2.0 & 3.0 tools, Visualizing and Modeling Software, Multi Media Use

Curriculum, with the use of web 2.0 & 3.0 tools, can deepen and enhance the learning process. With the use of modeling and multimedia tools curriculum can activate engagement, promote more group work, provide feedback, and lend a real world feel to class.

First, is not properly embedding technology into the material and not properly using the technology. Second, are individuals that do not agree with the new type of curricula and delay the development material.

Teacher

Microphone, Display System, Digital Tools, Desk/Laptop, Multimedia Use, Digital Textbooks

With assignments from digital textbooks and the use of microphone and display tools the educator can enhance their interactions with learners. The educator can also use desktops, laptops, and other digital tools like cellphones and/or iPads to promote interactions between students in or out of the classroom.

The biggest challenge is the teachers ability to know, use, apply, and learn technology. It is important for the educator to know the technology that will be used with the learner better than the learner knows it. This includes the use of web 2.0 & 3.0 tools.

Approaches to teaching

Digital Textbooks, Microphone, Display System, Hybrid and Blended learning

New angles for teaching and approaches to students can take place with the use of digital textbooks, auditory and visual systems. Also, educators can diversify their techniques by presenting the material as face to face, blended learning, or hybrid. By engaging in chat rooms, discussion rooms, distant learning, and virtual classrooms.

Communication between administration and teachers needs to be clear because everyone needs to be on board with the changes made. Also, it is important for the educator to know the technology that will be used better than the learner knows it.