Executive summary

The Emerging Contribution of

Online Resources and Tools to K-12 Classroom Learning and Teaching:

An Update

Executive Summary

TeleLearning Network Inc.
A not-for-profit organization

Prepared by Thérèse Laferrière, Université Laval

Robert Bracewell, McGill University

Alain Breuleux, McGill University

June 2001

Documentary Review (Full Text)

Version française (sommaire exécutif)

Introduction

This review updates the significant effects of online network technologies on student learning for the period from 1997 to 2000, identifies research gaps on the impact and effective uses of network tools and resources in the K-12 classroom, and presents recommendations for future research and development initiatives.

The reviewed research literature continues to indicate that in elementary and high school classrooms the most innovative and promising practices center around authentic problem-solving, inquiry-based learning, and collaborative knowledge-building. These findings imply that in order to meet the expectations of a knowledge society, the teaching profession has to rely less on teacher-centered methods such as lecturing, and more on learner-centered methods. Innovative teaching practices, however, must be closely linked to the school curriculum in order to reach any significant number of students (criteria of sustainability and scalability). Here, distributed leadership could lead to distributed change as teachers exercise leadership in their school with the support and encouragement of the school principal.

In order to understand the conditions that promote student learning, researchers have begun to apply more comprehensive theoretical frameworks which examine the contributions of students, teachers and other contextual factors. Application of these frameworks provides a more adequate description of what is required for effective integration of online resources (and ICTs generally) and also brings this research and its application into the mainstream of educational research and professional practice.

Chapter 1. The organization framework

The review relies on a number of constructs to organize the findings. The first of these has to do with the nature of change in educational practices involving online technology. Change can be characterized as being either incremental or transformative: Incremental change refers to the use of technology to carry out already existing instructional tasks in more effective and efficient ways; transformative change refers to the use of technology to instruct in new ways (Maddux, Johnson, & Willis, 1997). In addition, the implementation of change can be characterized as either isolated or distributed--it is clear from the findings that effective use of online technologies is education requires distributed change involving all the constituents of educational activity. The second set of constructs has to do with the educational constituents, which are characterized in terms of Schwab's (1973), four commonplaces (or dimensions) of the educational situation: The teacher, the content, the learner, and the context. With respect to the use and effect of online resources, the four constructs vary in the following ways:

The learner, who at one extreme, may have only limited access to online technology and network capabilities through a school-based lab and, at the other extreme, may have full access via laptop and modem;

The content, which, at one extreme, may be a fact or already existing body of knowledge and, at the other extreme, may be a theme or project that is being built up by the learner(s);

The teacher, who, at one extreme, may be primarily concerned with delivering content information to the learner using online technology while, at the other extreme, may be concerned primarily with facilitating network activities of the learner that result in learning;

The context, which, at one extreme, would provide minimal support with respect to leadership and knowledge for the use of online resources and, at the other extreme, would involve participation and support from all stakeholders (teachers, administration, and parents).

Chapter 2. The K-12 networked classroom

These constructs serve as the organizing framework of the following observations about the conditions and practices that are required for the effective use of online and network technologies in the classroom.

First, with respect to the learner:

2.1.1 Observation 1:	Higher levels of control by learners are called for as classrooms are getting more online. The student is found to play a more active role in the networked classroom.
2.1.2 Observation 2:	Online resources boost student interest and motivation in the classroom through a greater diversity of learning goals, projects, and outcomes. Student motivation is increased, and this is consistently found across diverse groups of learners.
2.1.3 Observation 3:	Learners’ thinking becomes more visible. Computer applications facilitate the construction of knowledge representations that can be seen by the teacher and classmates.

Second, with respect to the content:

2.2.1 Observation 4:	Internet and learning projects are broadening the curriculum. An increasing number of educational services are being offered online, and these include drill-and-practice learning activities as well as more open-ended activities such as telecommunication exchange.
2.2.2 Observation 5:	There is a greater range of construction of content by school learners. In the networked classroom where the teacher has a powerful repertoire of pedagogical strategies, the content is more diverse and there is more student input. More advanced topics are studied.

Third, with respect to the teacher:

2.3.1 Observation 6:

Learning situations become more realistic and authentic as classrooms are getting online. Both access to online resources and learners' increasing engagement in the construction of content is conducive to better and more authentic learning situations in the classroom.

2.3.2 Observation 7:

The successful online classroom combines information technology with appropriate pedagogy. The more engaged teachers have students do more collaboration and communication, carry out more and longer work on projects and have students tackle more open-ended problems.

2.3.3 Observation 8:

New online practices by educators are adopted through adaptation. The dissemination and implementation of effective uses of online technologies in classrooms take account of local contexts of instruction.

Fourth, with respect to the context:

2.4.1 Observation 9:	Cooperative and collaborativeon classroom processes are increased online. Small group learning with computer technology has positive effects on group task performance, individual achievement, and attitudes toward collaborative learning.
2.4.2 Observation 10:	The education of educators is broadened to include just-in-time or collaborative learning. Teachers have had the opportunity to join virtual interest groups and learning communities for nearly a decade, but teachers are far from taking full advantage of such opportunities.
2.4.3 Observation 11:	The online classroom challenges the locally-established curriculum. Transmission of the curriculum by the teacher gives way to more approaches where the learner interacts more directly with online content.
2.4.4 Observation 12:	Educators use online learning as a key enabler of educational reform. Evidence has been building on the mutual dependency between the use of online tools for learning and school renewal efforts.

Chapter 3. Shortcomings and research gaps

These observations point to a number of shortcomings in educational practice and research gaps that need to be addressed. First, with respect to instructional practice:

3.1.1	The pressure for evidence on a large scale: Evidence is needed on how to implement effective practices on a profession-wide scale which maintains the fidelity of innovations and recruits teachers who are hesitant to use online and network technology.
3.1.2	A lack of comprehensive R & D projects: Design experiments that take account of all the educational constituents--learner, content, teacher, and context are required.
3.1.3	A lack of congruent assessment tools: The kinds of learning supported by online and network technologies require new types of assessment procedures that measure complex knowledge and its application

Second, with respect to gaps in current knowledge about online use of technology in the K-12 classroom:

3.2.1	Connectivity and access:Surveys are needed on the true extent of student access to and use of online and network technologies.
3.2.2	The characteristics of learners: More data are needed on how student learning styles and abilities interact with use of online and network technologies for learning.
3.2.3	How to upscale professional development in the use of online resources and tools: To upscale professional development, evidence is needed on the complete range of teachers’ beliefs about online and network technology and how these beliefs affect the uptake and use of these technologies for instructional purposes.
3.2.4	Stable versus dynamic content of curriculum: More information is required on whether this more dynamic content conflicts with traditional curriculum content and goals or assessment methods, and, on how to reconcile these conflicts where they do.
3.2.5	Performance indicators for evaluating the use and impact of online technologies: Indicators are needed to monitor changes in what students learn and contextual factors of student learning (e.g., types of resources available, and access to them, professional development efforts, and changes in teaching and learning practices).

Chapter 4. Synthesis and recommendations

In view of the above shortcomings and gaps, the review recommends that policy and research initiatives be guided by the following new approaches

· the collaborative teaching/learning/research approach. The rapid evolution of online technology implies that the traditional knowledge transfer model of research followed by dissemination will not be a flexible nor fast enough process to respond to the emerging needs. A coordinated effort among teachers, administrators, and researchers forming communities of practice and learning is required.

· a reflective approach to teaching (teachers-as-researchers). The use of online resources and tools by teachers should be informed by reflective practice that takes into account empirical evidence, rather than personal theories-in-use. This entails a revised approach to teaching that views, for instance, the learner as an agent responsible for constructing his or her knowledge while making use of pedagogical strategies that support him or her in the acquisition of intellectual autonomy.

· professional development programs that respect the profession of teaching: The changes in student learning, instructional approaches, and assessment practices that online and network tools can bring about call for a conceptualization of professional development as an integral part of teachers' professional activity.

· a design experiment approach. Design experiment frameworks promote vigorous discussions of the contexts, contents, and processes that ensure the attainment of proper conditions for online learning. For such conditions to be established, it is recommended that the following research procedures be adopted:

the implementation of projects with a high level of coordination among stakeholders responsible for education, to be achieved by fostering a communities of practice and learning approach among participants;

In conclusion, it is important to remember that the classroom is a place where order prevails. The infusion of information and communication technologies (ICTs) creates a zone of uncertainty for both teachers and learners, one that will engage them in a process of risk and exploration for some time to come. This uncertainty may be reduced by a better understanding of the socio-technical framework needed to take full advantage of available ICTs. Research on one or the other of the four basic constituents (learner, content, teacher, context), while neglecting the others, is bound to lead to partial and confusing results that tend to raise superficial questions and unproductive debates. The interdependence of the four constituents that this review takes into account (and highly recommends for consideration in all further inquiry) should be progressively documented with respect to the impact of online technologies on teaching and learning in the classroom. More recent conceptual developments occurring in other fields such as the learning organization framework and the new domain of knowledge management, seem to point in the same direction. The Review Team expects that those countries that develop rich conceptions of teaching, learning, content, and context as they provide knowledge-building opportunities and shared social experiences to learners in the elementary and secondary classrooms will simultaneously enhance their research capacity.