<p>Sociological and cultural analysts have noted the reticence of public secondary schooling to recognize and build academic activities around the participatory culture in which adolescents are so readily involved (Jenkins, Purushotma, Weigel, Clinton & Robison, 2009). Despite the Common Core State Standards having required students to demonstrate they can maximize technology to perform a range of skills involving targeted specialized research, organized writing, and visually intentional presentation (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices [NGA], Council of Chief State School Officers [CCSSO], 2010), very few classrooms have followed through. The avoidance and or failure of these educational technology integrations in secondary subject content classes raised questions. A survey of the literature showcases the many ways in which technologies were not fully matched to the tasks, expectations, or teacher skills. The mystery of epic technological classroom can be resolved if we apply the lens of Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge (Shulman, 1986; Mishra & Koehler, 2006) which speaks about the interactions and alignment tensions among these three areas. When one has applied this TPACK lens we can best understand a range of surveyed literature that speaks to disconnect among technology affordances, teacher pedagogies, and requirements of content knowledge. Among a range of TPACK research emerges a sub-set that advocates for the value of cognitive scaffolding through hard scaffolds and soft scaffolds (Saye & Brush, 2002). Previous research has suggested the hard scaffolds can offer a built pedagogy filled with student project expectations and that soft scaffolds can provide specific practices support that is customized and relevant for participants. This research study engages in design-based research to refine hard and soft scaffolds to support high school social studies students through a multi-phase oral history project. Engaging 2 sections of students at a progressive public high school, the researcher engaged in a two-iteration cycle of design activities between November 2014 and March 2015. A student work digital portfolio was turned in after students used the first iteration scaffolds. After a teacher-provided analysis of student work using the researchers provided rubric, tweaks were made to the scaffolds. A post-interview with participant teachers provided further refinement.

<p> This exploratory study seeks to investigate how a mathematical education game, <i>DragonBox12</i>+, effects students&rsquo; learning about algebra. Data for this research was collected from middle school 7^th grade students in the Northeast region of the United States of America. The interviews and classroom observations were recorded on videotape. The research results showed that the video game <i>DragonBox 12</i>+ affects students&rsquo; attitude of mathematics and learning of mathematics by the help of using game mechanics to teaching algebraic rules. </p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions of Missouri public school early childhood teachers and administrators in regard to technology and current practices. If educators have not analyzed their current perceptions regarding technology, they may not use developmentally appropriate technology practices with students (Dietze &amp; Kashin, 2013). According to Anderkin (2015), the position statement from the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning offers guidance for developmentally appropriate technology practices in early childhood. Participants in this study were asked interview questions to determine their perceptions of technology in early childhood classrooms. The interview questions were also utilized to identify what teaching strategies were currently being used when implementing technology and the perceptions of early childhood educators in terms of professional development regarding technology in early childhood. High-quality professional development opportunities for early childhood educators play a role in developmentally appropriate technology integration (White, 2015). The sample group for the study included nine Missouri Preschool Program (MPP) teachers affiliated with public schools in southwest Missouri and nine administrators affiliated with public schools in southwest Missouri with a minimum of one MPP classroom. Results from this study indicated most early childhood educators are in favor of technology in the classroom in moderation. Both teachers and administrators reported a lack of professional development opportunities specific to implementation of technology in early childhood. </p>

<p> Technology should play an important role in K-12 education, according to most educators and policymakers (Hastings, 2009). However, despite numerous classroom technology initiatives, supplemental funding, increased availability, encouragement by stakeholders, and urgency to develop 21st-century skills needed for the technology age, students and teachers are not making use of technology effectively in classrooms (Hastings, 2009). In this qualitative study, the researcher detailed how perceptions of technology coaches and teachers in sixth- through eighth-grade southwest Missouri classrooms related to the best model for implementing a technology coach. The duties and qualifications perceived to be important for the position of technology coach were reviewed. Eight technology coaches and eight classroom teachers were interviewed to learn how the position of technology coach has impacted the participants and their schools. Common perceptions were found after data were reviewed. Teachers noted advantages to having a technology coach in the building included the following: troubleshooting support, professional development, research of new programs, support with incorporating technology into curriculum, and an accessible person when there is a technology need. Technology coaches reported the importance of teachers having support in classrooms as an advantage to the position. Teachers and coaches both supported the concept of a coach in the classroom modeling technology integration and working directly with teachers. Professional development was also noted as an important part of a coach&rsquo;s job duties. Conclusions from this study may help school leaders better address the job responsibilities of a technology coach.</p>

<p> Video games are more than just entertainment. In fact, video games like <i> Minecraft</i> develop &ldquo;Four Cs&rdquo; skills in young gamers. These 21st century skills include critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration (National Education Association, 2010) and are considered essential skills for future employment by workforce executives (Sardone &amp; Delvin-Scherer, 2010). This study explores predictors of academic success and the 21st century skills gamers are learning through video game experiences. </p><p> This sequential mixed model study analyzed descriptive data to explore the video game experiences of 3D Modeling and Animation students enrolled at a South Texas area high school. The study analyzed data collected from 66 quantitative subjects and 4 qualitative participants. Three classes engaged in four weeks of gameplay to complete a modeling project in <i>Minecraft </i>. Data was collected during both phases of the project study through survey and case study methods.</p><p> The findings revealed that the Group Project Grades were heavily skewed indicating a significance that prior gaming experience affected the students&rsquo; academic performance. The significance was supported by the unexpected high frequency of perfect scores (65%) and the high concentration of experienced gamers. Over half (54%) reported to have played video games for over 10 years. It was also noted that gender was statistically significant with Class Rank. Females had higher class ranks overall then the males. The qualitative data analysis led to the development of five major findings: 1.) The Strategist: Accomplishing the Mission, 2.) The Creator: The Art of Gameplay, 3.) The Communicator: Building Relationships and Communities, 4.) The Hero: To Be the Hero of a Great Adventure, and 5.) I am an &ldquo;Elite&rdquo;: A Digital Native. These major findings represent trends of the gaming phenomenon, gamer traits, and 21st century skills learned through playing video games.</p><p> The findings for this study have implications on teachers&rsquo; perspectives and attitudes toward video game integration. Recommendations for future research include a longitudinal study with the four participants to provide a better understanding of applied 21st century skills over time, a content analysis of various video games, and a mixed model study exploring the reading habits, literacy skills, and genre interests of gamers.</p>

<p> Student achievement has acted as the metric for school accountability and transparency. Administrators are becoming more innovative as they examine methods that will increase student achievement. However, research has shown little achievement gains in student achievement with regard to technology applications in schools. The theoretical framework of the digital divide guided this study. The original divide separated those who had technology and those who did not. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in achievement scores between students who participated in a one-to-one technology program and students who participated in a traditional high school. The data generated for this study was from the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP). This study examined 428 scores in mathematics and 429 scores each in reading and writing. To determine whether the one-to-one students outperformed the traditional students in mathematics, reading, and writing, the researcher conducted a t test. The t test indicated that no statistically significant difference existed between the achievement scores of the one-to-one students and those of the traditional student.</p>

<p> In the last 20 years online virtual high school has become a viable alternative to traditional high school. The dropout rate for online programs rivals that of brick and mortar high schools. Among the reasons students drop out of online virtual high school programs is the experience of isolation from teachers and peers. Moore (1972, 2013) described this sense of isolation as transactional distance and created a theory of how this phenomenon can be countered to promote academic success. Transactional Distance Theory stated that the sense of isolation could be reduced by carefully balancing interaction between student and teacher, student and student, student and course content, course structure and student autonomy. The research question was whether or not a group of experts would reach consensus on which instructional design strategies could reduce transactional distance and increase student engagement for virtual high school students. An exhaustive literature review found that very little is written about this topic. However, the literature does provide information about transactional distance theory, instructional design strategies, the characteristics of high school students, and the role administrators and policy makers can play in supporting these instructional design strategies. A three round Delphi study was conducted with a nationwide panel of instructional design experts with online virtual high school experience via an Internet based research software. The results of the research study indicated that there are a number of instructional design strategies that could be used to for this purpose. This research study led to the creation guidelines that could be used with a variety of instructional design models. Ultimately these guidelines could become an instructional design model.</p>

<p> The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the relationship between student access to a computer at home and academic achievement. The 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) dataset was probed using the National Data Explorer (NDE) to investigate correlations in the subsets of SES, Parental Education, Race, and Gender as it relates to access of a home computer and improved performance scores for U.S. public school grade 12 science students. A causal-comparative approach was employed seeking clarity on the relationship between home access and performance scores. The influence of home access cannot overcome the challenges students of lower SES face. The achievement gap, or a second digital divide, for underprivileged classes of students, including minorities does not appear to contract via student access to a home computer. Nonetheless, in tests for significance, statistically significant improvement in science performance scores was reported for those having access to a computer at home compared to those not having access. Additionally, regression models reported evidence of correlations between and among subsets of controls for the demographic factors gender, race, and socioeconomic status. Variability in these correlations was high; suggesting influence from unobserved factors may have more impact upon the dependent variable. Having access to a computer at home increases performance scores for grade 12 general science students of all races, genders and socioeconomic levels. However, the performance gap is roughly equivalent to the existing performance gap of the national average for science scores, suggesting little influence from access to a computer on academic achievement. The variability of scores reported in the regression analysis models reflects a moderate to low effect, suggesting an absence of causation. These statistical results are accurate and confirm the literature review, whereby having access to a computer at home and the predictor variables were found to have a significant impact on performance scores, although the data presented suggest computer access at home is less influential upon performance scores than poverty and its correlates.</p>

<p> The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore student engagement in higher education by evaluating training provided by experienced faculty members for those faculty desiring to implement a flipped classroom. A case study was utilized; data were collected in the form of online observation, in-class observation, student focus group interviews, faculty individual interviews, and artifacts. The researcher used the utilization-focused evaluation (Patton, 2008) as an implementation evaluation framework for the study. Data were analyzed using deductive analysis that depended on five implementation evaluation elements as general components (effort, monitoring, process, component, and treatment specification). The participants in this study included three trained faculty members from three different disciplines (anthropology, sociology, and business) and 14 students from these three faculty participants&rsquo; classes. The findings indicated faculty experiences of successful implementation of a flipped classroom were related to whether these faculty members fully provided the main flipped classroom elements for the lesson or only tested a partial implementation. Faculty and student perceptions of student engagement were positive and supportive of the idea that the flipped classroom enhanced student engagement. Students who experienced all the elements of the flipped classroom in the lesson extended their engagement from just inclass activities to embedded online activities. The findings also provided valuable recommendations from faculty and student participants related to improving student engagement in the flipped classroom. The study presented limitations of the study and recommendations for future research. Generally, this qualitative study with all the resources used to collect the data reflected successful practices and components of flipped classroom examples that could benefit educators in terms of enhanced student engagement.</p>

<p> Adding technology to the classroom has been an instructional strategy used by many higher-education institutions to increase student success, but merely adding computers, multimedia devices, and other technology to the classroom with pedagogical arbitrariness has proven to have little effect. The purpose of this study was to determine if using the adaptive learning technology (ALT) tool, LearnSmart, in seated introductory business courses would result in a statistically significant difference in unit exam scores, to analyze changes in exam performance through different time increments used of the ALT, and to investigate correlations between the student&rsquo;s metacognition in the ALT module and his or her performance on the unit exam. The population of this study consisted of students in nine sections of introductory business courses at three large community colleges in the Midwest. The first group of students did not use LearnSmart before the exam, the second group of students completed a 20-minute LearnSmart module for each chapter before the exam, and the third group of students completed a 40-minute LearnSmart module for each chapter before the exam. From the data collected and analyzed in this study, there was a statistically significant positive difference in exam scores of students in an introductory business course who completed the 40-minute LearnSmart modules prior to the exam compared to students who did not use LearnSmart. There was also a statistically significant correlation between a student&rsquo;s metacognitive score and his or her exam score.</p>