Technology and Teaching............and Research
No Child Left Behind requires that educators use “scientifically-based research”
to guide decisions on programs and resources to use in the classroom.
To help educators sort practices backed by rigorous evidence from those that are not, the
U.S. Department of Education has provided the resource, “Identifying and Implementing Educational Practices Supported By Rigorous
Evidence: A User Friendly Guide”. I have found this guide to be most interesting. The Guide explains that in order
to identify “strong evidence of effectiveness,” well-designed and implemented randomized controlled trials are
needed; however, this type of research has not been very common in education.
Until randomized controlled trials are more widespread, existing research studies can be
mined for “possible evidence of effectiveness." See the Guide referenced above for a checklist on things to consider
when evaluating research evidence.
Below, you will find recent educational technology research available online, organized
in nine categories. I hope that it will be helpful to you.
