From the “Who da Thunk” department: U.S. Department of Education Study Finds that Good Teaching can be Enhanced with New Technology.
From the press release:
“A systematic search of the research literature from 1996 through July 2008 identified over 1,000 empirical studies of online learning. Of these, 46 met the high bar for quality that was required for the studies to be included in the analysis. The meta analysis showed that “blended†instruction – combining elements of online and face-to-face instruction – had a larger advantage relative to purely face to face instruction or instruction conducted wholly online. The analysis also showed that the instruction conducted wholly on line was more effective in improving student achievement than the purely face to face instruction. In addition, the report noted that the blended conditions often included additional learning time and instructional elements not received by students in control conditions.”
And:
“This new report reinforces that effective teachers need to incorporate digital content into everyday classes and consider open-source learning management systems, which have proven cost effective in school districts and colleges nationwide,†said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “We must take advantage of this historic opportunity to use American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to bring broadband access and online learning to more communities.”
Check it out.
Learning is messy!
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Tags: technology
Brian, thanks for the resource. For those early adopters teaching in school districts with curriculum departments that still don’t get the connection between the Internet and teaching and learning, there’s nothing like have some data from the feds to initiate meaningful conversations!
Wishing you a great beginning to the new school year,
Gail Desler
Thanks for sharing. It is refreshing to see someone sharing research. There is so much out there. It drives me crazy when folks say there isn’t much research being done around these ideas. I think a truer statement is no one is sharing research or reading research. Thanks again.
“The analysis also showed that the instruction conducted wholly on line was more effective in improving student achievement than the purely face to face instruction.”
The above statement is extremely interesting and thought provoking for me.
I had no idea that there had been a study coming to this conclusion. For years I have found it easier to learn online than in the traditional classroom, but I thought that was only me.
Thanks for this info,
Kim
You know if you go to AERA you really get to see so much great research.
I teach 1st grade, i wonder if it might be that this is shaped by the ages of children.