Balanced is Best

Based on a blog by Heather Wolpert-Gawron

Original Publication Date:  3/17/2009

Many schools are infusing technology into the classroom and this is improving student success.  However, if the technology is just given to teaching staff without training them on usage students will not make significant gains.  Robert Marzano has researched using an interactive whiteboard in the classroom.  According to his research results, classrooms that implement interactive whiteboards and “voting technology, there was an immediate increase of 17 percent in scores” (Wolpert-Gawron, 2009).  In addition, if teachers have advanced training and time to refine their skills student scores showed greater improvement.   Marzano also disclosed that providing “weaker teachers” instruction in the technology combined with effective teaching strategies students showed the greatest increase.  

Marzano continues to state that there can be too much technology and “diminishing returns” (Wolpert-Gawron, 2009) will result.  To effectively utilize interactive whiteboard and voting technology Marzano suggests the following:

• Clear focus on content, just using technology for using technology’s sake only proves to be a distraction.

• Use a voting component.  A classroom performance system will help the teacher keep track of students and provide necessary formative assessments.  This allows the teacher to readdress content for students who aren’t “getting it”.

Wolpert-Gawron, H. (2009, March 17). Technology combined with good teaching leads to success [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/cellphones_in_the_classroom_distraction_or_tool.php