Research Windows nation,diatantagedsthudentbn Crades 4-7 achie ed twice the gains on readin isan esential part of thes effecti also is achieved honor roll status in 1994.sug teachers integrate a health care theme chnolo sesting a transfer of the students'cogni into acadamic als Th tive development to learning specific rch indica content.The students who used HOTS mbined effor also increased performance on measures ages students to analvze forces and of reading comprehension.metacog- angles in physical therapy.design a dants'a2 nce (Fo nition writing components of I building to house a health clinic transfer to novel tasks,and grade and determine the amount of money play.se point average (Coley et al.1997: a medical assistant must save in five Pogrow.1996) years to pay for college tuition. wwwiste.org/L&L) Technology can be useful in linking Workforce Preparation work experiences with academic sub- Preparing students for the workforce is jects.In a nationwide review of school- K (1999)School re a third area where technology plays a to-work programs.Olson (1998)found 2 pivotal role in helping school commu 148-153 or bas hat w ng sch ogy to com .90. ork The ing in 13961 Online gram nd the In ment pro of theprereq ing 20011. www.electronic. nd on the state school.com/200 anted education sta reases mastery of vorational and the benefits of usine information tech workforce skills and helns epare stu e world of work ofnchoredinstnucdiorT dents for work (Cradler 1994) om (lohnson 1996) Integration of technology with the matic and interdisciplinary roiects car Con nhance career prepa aration.A study of The research and evaluation studies four health career programs in Califor- cited in this article represent highlights nia (Stern rahn 1995)demon- from a larger body of evidence reviewed strated the effectiveness of work-based by CARET and available online.In San Mateo.CA:Educational Support learning models such as Tech Prep and sum,research is providing more and career academies that integrate student more clarity about how to use technol SyCraer() work experience with academic subjects ogy effectively within our school com- such as math.English.science,and so- munities to support and enhance the N 55 Sar CA:Educatio al studies.I hese programs allow higl mic performance of today's youth. school students to gain valuable knowl Collaborative activities and formative Technology continued on page 56 Research and evaluation shows that technology can enable the development of critical thinking skills when 网 students use technology presentation and communicatior tools to present,publish,and share results of projects. May 2002 Leamning&Leading with Technology May 2002 Learning & Leading with Technology 49 nation, disadvantaged students in Grades 4–7 achieved twice the national average gains on reading and math test scores. Ten to 15% of the students also achieved honor roll status in 1994, sug￾gesting a transfer of the students’ cogni￾tive development to learning specific content. The students who used HOTS also increased performance on measures of reading comprehension, metacog￾nition, writing, components of IQ, transfer to novel tasks, and grade point average (Coley et al., 1997; Pogrow, 1996). Workforce Preparation Preparing students for the workforce is a third area where technology plays a pivotal role in helping school commu￾nities reach their educational goals. Re￾search shows that when students learn to use and apply applications used in the world of work, such as word proces￾sors, spreadsheets, computer-aided drawing, Web site development pro￾grams, and the Internet, they acquire some of the prerequisite skills for workforce preparedness. When content and problem-solving strategies meet ac￾cepted education standards, technology increases mastery of vocational and workforce skills and helps prepare stu￾dents for work (Cradler, 1994). Integration of technology with the￾matic and interdisciplinary projects can enhance career preparation. A study of four health career programs in Califor￾nia (Stern & Rahn, 1995) demon￾strated the effectiveness of work-based learning models such as Tech Prep and career academies that integrate students’ work experience with academic subjects such as math, English, science, and so￾cial studies. These programs allow high school students to gain valuable knowl￾edge about how to conduct themselves in actual workplace environments. Re￾flection is an essential part of these work-based learning programs where teachers integrate a health care theme into academic assignments or interdis￾ciplinary projects. For example, the math teacher in one program encour￾ages students to analyze forces and angles in physical therapy, design a building to house a health clinic, and determine the amount of money a medical assistant must save in five years to pay for college tuition. Technology can be useful in linking work experiences with academic sub￾jects. In a nationwide review of school￾to-work programs, Olson (1998) found programs where students were learning the new basics or basics plus skills. These skills include the ability to use technol￾ogy to communicate ideas and infor￾mation orally, as well as in writing. The new basics also include working in groups, solving problems when answers aren’t always self-evident, understand￾ing how systems work, and collecting, analyzing, and organizing data. In a re￾port on the state of technology integra￾tion in Minnesota, schools document the benefits of using information tech￾nologies to bring the world of work into the classroom (Johnson, 1996). Conclusion The research and evaluation studies cited in this article represent highlights from a larger body of evidence reviewed by CARET and available online. In sum, research is providing more and more clarity about how to use technol￾ogy effectively within our school com￾munities to support and enhance the academic performance of today’s youth. Collaborative activities and formative feedback are key components of in￾structional strategies that accompany effective technology implementation. Leadership also is pivotal in aligning available technology resources with sys￾temic school improvement goals. The research indicates the need for under￾standing the combined efforts necessary for technology to positively influence students’ academic performance. (For more on the roles collaboration, leader￾ship, and technology planning play, see the article supplement online at www.iste.org/L&L.) References Bain, A., & Ross, K. (1999). School reengi￾neering and SAT-I performance: A case study. International Journal of Education Reform, 9(2), 148–153. Bain, A., & Smith, D. (2000). Technol￾ogy enabling school reform. T.H.E. Journal, 28(3), 90. Center for Applied Special Technology. (1996). The role of online communications in schools: A national study [Online]. Available: www.cast.org/udl/RoleofOnline CommunicationsinSchools121.cfm. CEO Forum. (2001). Year 4 STaR Report [Online]. Available: www.electronic￾school.com/2001/09/0901ewire.html#forum. Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt. (1992). The Jasper series as an example of anchored instruction: Theory, program description, and assessment data. Educational Psychologist, 27, 291–315. Coley, R., Cradler, J., & Engel, P. (1997). Computers and classrooms: The status of technol￾ogy in U.S. schools. Princeton, NJ: Policy Infor￾mation Center, Educational Testing Service. Cradler, J. (1994). Summary of research and evaluation findings relating to technology in edu￾cation. San Mateo, CA: Educational Support Systems. Cradler, R., & Cradler, J. (1999). Just in time: Technology innovation challenge grant year 2 evaluation report for Blackfoot School District No. 55. San Mateo, CA: Educational Support Systems. Research Windows Research and evaluation shows that technology can enable the development of critical thinking skills when students use technology presentation and communication tools to present, publish, and share results of projects. Technology continued on page 56. 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