Journal #9

O’Dwyer, L, Carey, R, & Kleiman, G. (2007). A study of the effectiveness of the. Journal of Research on Technology in Education,, 39(3),

In my 9th Journal entry I read an article about the effectiveness of online teaching for Algebra.  I found that the article to be enlightening to say the least.  Many of the tests that were conducted in the study showed that, within the small population that was surveyed, there was a vast improvement in the student’s ability to learn Algebra.  The Mean for those students using the web in the pretest was 14.91 and jumped to 15.27 in the posttest.  Whereas, the students who did not use the web average Mean was 14.99 in the pretest and 14.61 in the posttest. 

                I found those stats interesting because I would have thought that they would have been closer together.  What was most shocking was that the students who were not a part of the web based teaching actually did worse on the post test than what they did on the pre test.

Question #1:  How would the stats help teachers in the class room? 

I would say that, based on the stats, the information could be helpful to administrative and teachers alike because it shows that students who take web based classes in their education can improve their understanding of any given subject. They can also apply it their own individual teaching styles by giving the stats a serious look and adjusting their teaching to include what they feel is best for the student.  Maybe a teacher can apply technology in the classroom in a most basic way because students may be learning the material better through technology because they are seeing it, hearing it, and experiencing it through the means that they are most comfortable with as students.  That is probably the best way for teachers to give the tests.  To apply their knowledge to the technology in the most attractive way for the student. 

Question #2: There are a lot of generational differences between learning.  What are those differences?

There really wasn’t much information beyond a small number of socioeconomic data.  In the generational gap of learning the teaching of subjects were different for each generation.  But what is very interesting is that going into the future it seems like young children have found their own nitch and are learning quicker and easier with technology than the generations before them have.  Since they are growing up with it all around them it is a great way reach students in the classroom as a whole.          
When it comes to individual learning differences is the key to teaching the student through technology.  Obviously, a student who has ADD is going to learn differently than a "normal" student will.  Yet, the trick is to learn through experience on how to conduct yourself in the classroom in ways that each student can at least learn the material that is presented to them.  Help from other teachers who have been in the system a while can always help but you also have to develop your own personality within the system so that the students will respond to you as a teacher.