4.++Literature+Review

  
 * __Literature Review __****: **
 * Throughout the past decade there have been many studies completed, articles written and seminars given which clearly show student achievement and technology can be tied together. Schools, parents, educators and even students have been forced to step back and look at education in a different light. According to Joan Cunningham, “ The promise of technology in education is significant. Technology offers the potential of individualized instruction for every student as students become actively engaged in and responsible for their own learning ” (Cunningham, 2003). Technology offers a better use of collaboration. This means the students, parents and teachers can all connect in a much easier fashion. According to a study performed by Susan Kardos and Susan Moore Johnson, School leaders who foster collaboration among novice and veteran teachers can improve teacher retention and teacher satisfaction (McClure, 2008). Sticking with the old system of lecture followed with a test is no longer a realistic format for education in the twenty first century. Nancy Sindelar said it best when she commented, “All students need to be technologically literate” (Sindelar, 2003). **
 * When used properly, technology will help students acquire the skills they need to survive in a complex, highly technological knowledge-based economy (Edutopia staff, 2008). In order for this to be achieved, state standards will need to be changed and include a greater push for technological advancement. Dr. Bob Marzano clearly stated why education needs to change expectations and redefine the expected outcomes when he said, “We are going to be dinosaurs in about five to ten years if we don’t consider the use of technology” (Marzano, 2009). In some ways school have realized Dr. Marzano is correct as they have pushed for more technology courses and offer better technological equipment. They need to realize most educational technology experts agree that technology should be integrated not as a separate subject or as a once-in-a-while project, but as a tool to promote and extend student learning on a daily basis (Starr, 2009). We must consider the effects our teaching methods are having on all students. Are we teaching them information that will help set them up for a bright future? This can only be determined by careful analysis. Consider the information offered by Nancy Sindelar. Teachers receive objective information about what students have learned and begin to address the question, “What will we do if students haven't learned?” More frequently than not, the answers to this question are obvious: Spend more time on a topic, change textbooks, or use a different teaching method (Sindelar, 2003). In this case the change in our teaching method needs to be the use of technology. Many see technology as the new dynamic in the traditional student-teacher relationship (Cunningham, 2003). If our students are to truly be effective in the future we will need to accept this fact. **
 * It seems clear student achievement improves with greater collaboration through the use of technology. Making the proper adjustment to this system is the difficult part of the process and one that must be addressed. How will we bring this all together? In what form can we increase collaboration and achievement through technology? In this instance the proper method would be to incorporate the use of wikispaces. Over the past few years they have been considered a simple and effective way for everyone involved to communicate on a much broader scale. A wikispace offers the staff, student or family a way to communicate through one site. According to John Wilson, “Educators are finding that use of technology increases student engagement and empowers individualized instruction” (Nagel, 2009). Wikispaces allow students and teachers to communicate online. The website offers several different options which can allow teachers to collaborate and students to find the necessary information on the site. A wikispace allows for a common coordinating and organizing with group inputs (Lefever, 2007). This is exactly what schools and students need. It removes the issue of gathering and giving information. Now we don’t need every student present because we can communicate through the wikispace. Additionally we no longer need to worry about lost information. The wikispace offers the ability to bring everything together and unite it as one. It does not take away the teachers ability to give information but instead allows it to be grouped in various formats on one site. Students will have the opportunity to view, interact and participate in all of the work through the site. A wikispace allows the class to run itself through the site (Lefever, 2007). In the end schools will improve as teachers and students have gained a tremendous advantage through the wikisapce. They can now use this piece of technology to enhance their entire educational experience. **