Technology in the Classroom Research

I have to admit to feeling a little defensive when teachers refuse to use new technology in their classroom.  Obviously I love new gadgets and tools and yes, the fun toys that technology brings.  But I also love the enthusiasm and risk-taking children demonstrate when using technology.  I also worry that maybe, in 10 years we will have research that proves that the use of technology has harmed our children.  

So, occasionally I browse the internet and other media sources for any research or reports about technology and children.  Here are some of the findings (of course any teacher/student should know to take "research" with a grain of salt and consider the methods and who is reporting the information) I have heard as well as my own observations.  Some of the info and links to the sites are below.

Opinion: Students who use technology are more engaged; prepared for future employment; take risks and are more confident.

Article from net:

"...Reverting once again to the confidence arena, it is imperative that educators understand why technology can be such a positive tool overall. Surveyed students not only said they used computers regularly; they also believed that computers were beneficial to their writing.

They reported that a computer made it easier for them to correct mistakes (89%), allowed them to present ideas more clearly (76%), and that computers allowed them to be more creative, concentrate more and even encouraged them to write more often (60%). In contrast, two of the most common reasons why youngsters indicated they were not good writers involved an inability to write neatly (23%) or not being very good at spelling (21%).

Simply stated, technology gave these youngsters greater confidence. Combine that with the ever-present desire of students to use technology and we have a clear indication as to why teachers would do well to incorporate social media and blogging opportunities into their basic literacy programs."  http://www.openeducation.net/category/technology/

AND
"The data indicates that young children are entering early childhood settings with dispositions that may not have been part of their repertoire of skills in past decades. As such, there would seem to be an imperative for early childhood educators to be cognisant of this and to develop new learning experiences for young children. As noted in the earlier sections of this paper, this may require considerable input in terms of resources––computer and human. As noted by Downes et al. (2001), the provision of professional development for the uptake of computing technologies will represent a challenge. In part, the fragmented structure of the early childhood sector means that a concerted reform will be quite difficult to implement. Funding such reforms is equally difficult because of the wide range of providers and funding bodies. However, if early childhood educators are to cater for these digital natives, digital experiences need to become part of the everyday practice of centres. Just as the home corner and block corners are an important aspect of the early childhood setting, so too the digital corner may need to be built into the practices. The injection of capital funds into provision of computers with contemporary capacity and programs may need to be built into future planning and budgets."
from http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/australian_journal_of_early_childhood/ajec_index_abstracts/computer_use_by_preschool_children.html

Some reports I came across (I will read and summarize another time.)
http://www.joanganzcooneycenter.org/Reports.html

lastly; here is a link to a report from Canby School District which includes data graphs that compare classes that uses 1:1 models versus traditional.  WOW!

http://wiki.canby.k12.or.us/sandbox/groups/ipodusergroup/weblog/6a110/attachments/daa48/ipodachievementdata-20092010.pdf?sessionID=ce76f4bd163b934541fb3d7467215dd5e7e7fd34