Think back to when you were a middle school student.... Wouldn't it have been awesome to put your athletic skills up against those of a former Super Bowl athlete? Wouldn't you have been excited to hit the game-winning three-pointer against a hometown hero? Students at Hopewell Crest School in Bridgeton, NJ, did just that during the last school…

The need to prepare students to thrive in the digital world and the benefit of using instructional technology have both been widely recognized in education. As new technology becomes available, its use by both students and teachers must be carefully evaluated. Technology can help enhance learning and facilitate the teaching process, if and when it…

Reports on one-to-one (1:1) technology initiatives emphasize overall favorable results; however, comprehensive multiyear studies looked at understate the progressive experiences of teachers and students. A small body of research suggested the second year of 1:1 technology programs manifested difficulties and struggles which significantly…

Today's education technology holds immense promise, but what matters more than the tools themselves are how they are used in schools and in classrooms. In "Breakthrough Leadership in the Digital Age," Frederick M. Hess and Bror Saxberg argue that educators have tended to think of adopting technology as a way to "reform" or…

This program evaluation study examines an implementation of a one-to-one laptop initiative in a rural high school. Specifically, the researchers adopted a holistic view in evaluating the process and outcomes of this implementation by examining the interrelationships among the key participants using activity theory as a conceptual framework.…

Leadership is a skill that can be learned through professional development, mentoring, and leadership development programs. In Ontario, the Teacher Learning and Leadership Program (TLLP) helps educators develop their leadership skills through a Ministry of Education--funded project that addresses student learning needs in their classrooms. This…

This Executive Position Paper is a one-to-one laptop implementation plan for Pittsgrove Township Schools that can be used as a template for other districts with similar interests. Each of the three chapters fulfills a major purpose. In Chapter One the paper is designed to substantiate the need for the Pittsgrove Township School District to…

Public school principals must meet many challenges and make decisions concerning financial obligations while providing the best learning environment for students. A major challenge to principals is implementing technological components successfully while providing teachers the 21st century instructional skills needed to enhance students'…

A cross-case analysis of five case studies of team-based technology leadership in middle schools with laptop programs identifies systems of practice that organize teams' distributed leadership. These cases suggest that successfully implementing a complex improvement effort warrants a team-based leadership approach, especially for an improvement…

Westside Middle School, located in Omaha, Nebraska, serves 950 seventh- and eighth-grade students. Over the last few years, the school's teachers and administrators have evaluated its technology status and needs. As part of this process, the staff members engaged in many activities, including developing a building-level technology plan, organizing…

Technology implementation research indicates that teachers' beliefs and knowledge, as well as a host of institutional factors, can influence technology integration. Drawing on third-generation activity theory, this article conceptualizes technology implementation as a network of planning and integration activities carried out by technology…

This study, conducted in the Southwestern United States, investigated teacher and student uses of tablet laptop computers in a one-to-one initiative involving fifth grade through eighth grade students and their teachers. The campus initiative led to higher than expected technology integration and student-teacher and student-student collaborations.…

Based on survey data and interview data collected over four academic years, this longitudinal study examined how a ubiquitous computing project evolved along with the changes in teachers, students, the human infrastructure, and technology infrastructure in the school. This study also investigated what conditions were necessary for successful…

This ethnographic-case study explored the beliefs, context factors, and practices of three middle school exemplary teachers that led to a technology-enriched curriculum. Findings suggest that these middle school teachers believe technology is a tool that adds value to lessons and to students learning and motivation. Due to a personal interest in…

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) used Title II, Part D monies to fund a wireless learning environment for high-need middle schools through the Technology Immersion Pilot (TIP). A concurrent research project funded by a federal Evaluating State Education Technology Programs grant is scientifically evaluating whether student achievement improves…