Article 1:

Dean, D. (2013). The Clicker Challenge: Using a Reader Response System in the (British)
History Classroom. History Teacher, 46(3), 455-464.

Type of Article: Professional Practice

Summary:
The article was about the use of Audience Response Systems (ARS) or, clickers, in a
British history course for North American students. The author of the piece emphasized the use
of clicker devices beyond reciting and recalling factual information, but rather the use of ARS to
evaluating arguments and engaging in historiography. David Dean, the author article, used
ARS to assess students comprehension, develop perspectives (with open ended questions), and
launch student engagement. With closed ended, comprehension based questions, the author was
able to assess whether the students were understanding (or doing) the reading and whether the
material in the lecture was making sense to the students. Likewise, open ended questions allowed
the instructor to call upon students to make arguments to defend their position based on their
answer. According to the author, clickers allowed for students to consider key issues of
evidence, argument, method and approach, and are useful in developing the craft of a historian
which is to defend an argument.
Critique:
Considering I recently began using clicker devices in my classes a couple of years ago I
was eager to read about the experiences of someone else in terms of using them for a history
class. Ultimately, this article reinforced the idea of using ARS as a tool in the classroom because
many of the experiences this instructor had I also had in teaching my AP U.S. History courses
over the past two years. Based on my experiences, I was able to use the devices to instantly
assess whether students were understanding material that we were going over in class as well as
use them to help students defend their positions based on what they selected. The problem that I
had with this paper was that the instructor was teaching a college level course, which has a
different dynamic and level of accountability than what a public school teacher has. The
professor was able to cater the questions to what that particular instructor wanted the students to
know whereas the questions that I posed to my students were guestimates as to what material I
thought the students needed to know for the AP exam in that course. This is a significant and
distinct difference and is difficult to replicate this particular professional practice. With that, my
experience reflected the experience of the author of this article, which is that there are significant
benefits to using these devices for evaluating instruction, engaging all students, and using student
responses to develop and defend positions.

Article 2:

Hernandez-Ramos, P., & De La Paz, S. (2009). Learning History in Middle School by Designing
Multimedia in a Project-Based Learning Experience. Journal of Research on Technology
in Education (International Society for Technology in Education), 42(2), 151-173.
Type of Article: Research Based
Summary: This research study in this academic journal was about the use of constructivist
pedagogy in the form a multimedia project for middle school students and comparing that to a
control group which was given instruction and information about the subject in a lecture oriented
and fact-based way. Constructivists pedagogical theory is that learners actively construct
knowledge through activity, and the goal of the learning experiences designed by teachers is to
promote a deep understanding rather than superficial memorization. (152). In the study the
researcher looked to answer three questions:
1. Do eighth grade students who learn history through technology-assisted project-based
learning experiences acquire more, the same, or less content knowledge than students in a
comparison condition?
2. Is historical thinking evident in the multimedia mini-documentary projects created by
students, as a result of a six-week collaborative unit on westward expansion?
3. Do eighth grade students who learn history through technology assisted project-based
learning experiences develop positive attitudes and beliefs about social studies and the
study of history in particular?
In short, the study found that there was an improvement in academics, a slight improvement
(based on the measured criteria) in historical thinking, and a significant improvement in the
attitudes and belief about social studies.

Critique: The study reinforced the need to introduce and properly implement technology in the
class room, especially as it pertains to history courses. In my opinion, students have enormous
amounts of resources to collect and analyze using the internet and other multi-media. However,
there are limitations to project-based and multimedia learning, which is because often under
pressure from high-stakes testing, history teachers tend to emphasize the mastery of seemingly
overwhelming quantity of historical interpretations. (p.151). With that in mind, the researchers
also acknowledge that the differences in student performance on knowledge assessments (they
gave a pre and post-test) cant only be due to the use of technology-enhanced project-based
learning (169). The main problem is teachers in Georgia and across the county are, in-part,
evaluated on high-stakes tests that their students take, which are entirely knowledge and recall
based. Although project-based learning and the application of technology like that in this study
would be ideal teachers are not evaluated on that kind of student performance. Until there is an
ideologically change and acceptance in differentiated student performance, this type of learning
and application is simply ideal.

Article 3:

Heaslip, G., Donovan, P., Cullen, J. (2013). Student Response Systems and Learner Engagement
in Large Classes. Active Learning in High Education. Vol. 15 (I) 11-24.
Type of Article: Research-Based
Summary: The purpose of this study was to seek out the effects of student response systems on
student participation in large classes. The researchers of the study used surveys and semistructured interviews to collect the data from a School of Business at a small Irish university.
The device used was the i>clicker response system by i>clicker. During the semester, 120
students used the clickers. At the beginning of the semester, mid-point, and at the end students
completed a questionnaire (using the clicker devices). As part of the research, 25% of the
students were selected to do a post-semester interview in regards to their use of the clicker
devices. The study cited that the use of clicker devices:
Increased their involvement in the class, helped promote more class participation,
allowed them to get immediate feedback and enabled them to assess their understanding
relative to those of other students. (p.19)
Ultimately, the study showed that students were more engaged and demonstrated increased
interactivity when using clicker devices in the classroom than when they were not. Also, student
appreciated the anonymity of answering questions so as not to feel embarrassed.

Critique: Despite some of the limitations of the study, which included only one class/subject
being studied and the influence the individual instructor may have had on the student responses,
the study embarked on a subject that had not been highly researched. The only way to overcome
some of those limitations is for researchers to conduct large-scale studies in the future which
include many different instructors and the content of many different subjects. Also, the study
mentioned a limitation being that the research was done from the perspective of the student. It
would be interesting to know if there are limitations from one subject to another. For instance,
does Math have more difficulties implementing clicker devices than English? Does Social
Studies have as difficult of a time using SRS as Science? Although I havent conducted a study
in my classes, the responses that my student have had in regards to engagement and interactivity
were similar to the ones found in this study. In fact, recently a teacher in my department
approached me about the use of clicker devices because the students that I had last year
referenced them as a way to get them engaged and committed to material. In my opinion, the
study reinforced the idea of teachers using clickers for not only assessment, but student
engagement. The student responses demonstrated significant interest in the use of the clicker
devices.

Article #4
Maguth, B. M. (2013). The Educative Potential of Cell Phone in Social Studies Classrooms.
Social Studies, 104(2), 87-91.

Type of Article: Professional Practice

Summary: The purpose of the article was to give defend the use of cell phones for instructional
purposes in social studies class rooms as well as give suggestions about a few potential
applications that could be used. The author criticized administrators and authoritative bodies in
education from limiting the potential that cell phones have in education, stating Disallowing and
prohibiting the use of cell phones by students, especially as they grow in educational capabilities,
marginalizes their ability to get students excited about learning the social studies (my emphasis).
The author provided several useful tips about cell phone usage such as the Student Use of Text
Messaging (SMS) in order to quickly search information quickly, GOOGLE SMS for maps and
stock prices, Joopz to mass text message students and parents about assignments and important
dates, and Polleverywhere.com which allows students to input answers into an interactive poll
that can be displayed in the front of the classroom. The author concluded that the applications
and technological uses of cell phones will continue to expand beyond the suggestions in the
article, but that taking cell phones away marginalizes their ability to serve as twenty first
century tools that allow students to access information, communicate, and present new
information.

Critique: Parts of the article, although not by the fault of the author, are outdated despite being
written last year! This article unintentionally demonstrated how fast technology changes and how
much teachers have to do to keep up with the changes. For example, GOOGLE SMS and general
SMS features have been overtaken by Google Docs and the collaborative nature that makes this
service/application almost superior to others. For example, I use Google Docs to collaborate with
my students, in real-time, on service projects and volunteer opportunities. I also use Google
Forms to quiz my students and cloud-services to share information with my students and other
staff members. Remind 101, which is similar to the example the author gave Joopz, has more
capabilities and less restrictions.
The basis of the article is still relevant and was highly informative. The use of cell phones
by students should be embraced as a teaching tool. According to the article, students of low
socioeconomic status are more likely to be able to access the internet using a cell phone than a
personal computer because of the low cost of ownership. The usefulness of this article was the
points it made about this economic ability and the incorporation of technology to make the class
more engaged.

Article #5
Shriner, M., Clark, D., Nail, M., Schlee, B. M., & Libler, R. (2010). Social Studies Instruction:
Changing Teacher Confidence in Classrooms Enhanced by Technology. Social Studies,
101(2), 37-45
Type of Article: Research-Based

Summary: The purpose of this study was to determine how much experienced educations
confidence, competence, and content-specific self-efficacy could be changed as a result of taking
professional development courses geared toward the use of technology in social studies
classrooms. The focus of the study was in Indiana in which 20 schools were selected to obtain
training at workshops on three different areas of emphasis: Virtual Field Trips, various resources
and applications, and resources/approaches to teaching geography. The participants of the
workshops took pre and post surveys structured around the particular workshop they were
attending as well as their beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions before and after. The study concluded
that the teachers in these workshops appeared to gain a significant amount of confidence and
competence in regards to their abilities to use and implement technologies. The researchers
concluded that misconceptions about workshops and time required to gain knowledge about
technologies for social studies classes, which was documented in previous studies cited, was
false and that technologies including the ones used in this study should be used to foster learning
in the future.

Critique: From my personal experience, technology is an incredibly useful resource and has
made my job easier in regards to developing lessons and curating digital resources for students. I
think this study would be useful and appropriate to convince teachers that technology use for
pedagogical purposes can make the experience more enjoyable for experienced teachers, like the
ones used in this study. The problem I found with this study is that it dismissed the amount of
time it takes to incorporate what the workshops did in regards to learning the use of some
technologies for the first time and implementing them in a way that benefits a teachers
instruction. The researchers stated the participantsexperienced these changes [in self-efficacy]
in a relatively short period of time. If nearly 30 hours of training is a short period of time to
learn and develop lessons incorporating some of the technologies in the workshops, then there is
a difference in the definition between the researchers and myself as to what a relatively short
period of time is. I would have liked to seen this study developed to a point where it
incorporated the outcomes of student performance in the participants classes. If there was data to
support that what the teachers did in this study worked to increase academic progress I think
there would be more support in the academic community to the use of these technological
pedagogies. For me, this study didnt change my self-efficacy in regards to the use of
technologies, but it might encourage schools or individuals to cater to the needs to teachers that
would like to develop lessons that incorporate technologies.

Article #6
Alias, N., Siraj, S., Daud. M., & Hussin, Z. (2013). Effectiveness of Facebook Based Learning to
Enhance Creativity among Islamic Studies Students by Employing Isman Instructional
Design Model. Turkish Online Journal of Education and Technology TOJET, 12(1),6067.
Type of Article: Theory-into-Practice
Summary: The study conducted was based off the use of Facebook as a facilitator for student
creativity and design/development of Facebook-based-learning using the Isman instructional
design model in an Islamic Studies class. The use of the model for this application was based on
research conducted on the Isman design, which demonstrated the model was good for learners
that were visual, active, and reflective but not verbal. To establish a creativity score, the
students in the control and experimental group took a questionnaire. The findings of the study
demonstrated that the students that used Facebook-based-learning significantly increased their
creativity and student achievement in writing and problem solving. The implications of the study
are that the Isman Model helped to successfully design and develop a curriculum using
Facebook-based-learning. Furthermore, the use of Facebook and the Isman instructional design
not only increased student creativity, but student achievement as well.

Critique: I think that the use of social media/platforms, such as Facebook, could help students
with learning material in a creative and unique way. However, Im not entirely sure, for liability
reasons, that I would solely use Facebook as a way to try to increase student achievement and
creativity. As it was, the study focused on students in college level Islamic Studies classes, which
by virtue of the post-secondary educational setting, may have more leniency in terms of privacy
laws, something public education in non-post-secondary American schools dont have. Besides
the problem with this study in terms of its application, the study never unveiled specifically how
it used Facebook. For instance, there was no example or description of the type of material that
the experimental group received in regards to lessons, content, questions, modules, etc. just
that it happened and it was developed by the Isman model. I would have liked to see the material
because I wanted to analyze it to determine if it was something that I might be able to modify
and do with my classes.
Ultimately, to get a clearer understanding of what was done, this article needed to include
evidence in order to better analyze and replicate the study. Also, because of privacy laws this
study is limited in its application and is more useful to instructors of post-secondary education.

Article #7

Acikalin, M. (2010). Exemplary Social Studies Teachers Use of Computer-Supported Instruction

in the Classroom. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology TOJET, 9(4), 6682.
Type of Article: Research-Based
Summary: The article dealt with how social studies teachers view and apply computers in the
curriculum. The purpose of the research was to find out what teachers did with computers in the
classroom so that it can be shared and distributed for use by others. Participants in the study were
selected based a set of criteria that revolved around the integration and use of computers in their
classrooms as well as varying characteristics including experience, age, gender, and race. Data
was collected through interviews with the teachers and by classroom observations. Using the
computer as a support tool for instruction, the participants featured activities that included:
research, presentation (for video projects), PowerPoint, access to databases, tele-collaboration (to
meet and discuss history with students in other countries), web page development, and Microsoft
excel. The conclusions made by the researchers was that there were a number of uses for
computers in social studies classes and that teachers with many years of experience valued the
devices as an important teaching tool. The study also found that software outside of Microsoft
Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, were rarely used that further research needed to be done on
capabilities, accessibility, and district-level support was needed.
Critique: The researchers did an excellent job in regards to be in-depth with the subjects the
subjects they studied and providing detailed descriptions of some of the uses. For example, I
liked the newspaper assignment one of the participants did in that the participants were put into
groups and were to make a colonial newspaper that had four sections (number of group
members). The clear directions as to how to use the computer for the project made it easy to
understand and follow. Overall it was useful to learn about the various tools the computer had to
social studies teachers because the article didnt just generalize what the participants did, but
gave details so other teachers could replicate it. The circumstances to implement computer
supported instruction revolve around the idea students have accessibility, which is something the
researches conceded as a limitation to their study. That is, all students had access to a computer,
which may not be the case at other schools. The researchers believed that the limitation could be
corrected by additional support for computers in schools by people with the authorization and
ability to do so. For my use, using the computer as a teaching tool has had applications that
werent mentioned (shockingly). For example, Ive used computers to build a website to create a
central location for my students to access notes, review material, and download assignments
among other capabilities. Overall, the ideas mentioned were useful and practical, however,
because students achievement was not discussed or studied and the fact that state/advanced
placement exams dont ask students to replicate projects and tasks like those listed in this article
Im not sure as if this study will have any effect on my teaching or use of computers to support
instruction.

Article #8

Hammonds, L., Matherson, L., Wilson E., & Wriht, V. (2013). Gateway Tools: Five Tools to
Allow Teachers to Overcome Barriers to Technology Integration. Delta Kappa Gamma
Bulletin, 80(1), 36-40.
Type of Article: Professional Practice
Summary: The purpose of the article was to demonstrate to teachers how to overcome
technological barriers and offer some practical applications of technology to begin integration.
The authors of the article highlighted reasons as to why teachers do not use technology, which
may be related to technology self-efficacy. That is, teachers are uneasy to apply technology
because they only know basic skills. Another reason was teachers pedagogical beliefs meaning
that teachers that grew up without technology and have never used technology before, will not
use it. As a result, these researchers found various technology tools that would increase teacher
self-efficacy and align to teachers beliefs (in order to change habits of not integrating
technology). The implications by the researchers is that the tools mentioned in the article are a
means in assisting teachers in making instruction better, and that such integration can be help
students in benefitting technology, especially when it is centered around the students.

Critique: I think this article made many solid points about technology integration and also had
tools that, even for someone experienced with technology like myself, are practical and
applicable. This article is extremely useful because the technology listed in this article that Ive
had experience with, such as Edmodo, has an easy learning curve which would help to change
pedagogical beliefs and self-efficacy toward technology. Because this paper was centered on
professional practice and wasnt research-based, there werent any substantial problems with
what the researchers discussed. I would have like to read about research on whether what was
stated in the article increased self-efficacy or changed pedagogical beliefs. In regards to personal
implications, Im excited to learn about and hopefully implement Class Dojo, which is a tool for
providing instant feedback on group or individual behavior. At our school, we have implemented
Positive Behavior Intervention System (PBIS) which is meant to curb negative behavior and
encourage better behavior to help with classroom management. Ive personally had trouble with
trying to find a practical way of keeping track of and providing feedback to students. Class Dojo
appears to be the remedy and Im going to try it and share it with others, including our PBIS
team at the school.

Article #9

Meral, M. M., Akuner, C. C., & Temiz, I. I. (2012). Competencies of Teachers Use of
Technology in Learning and Teaching Processes. Electronics & Electrical Engineering,
18(10), 93-97.

Type of Article: Research-Based

Summary: The research study was about the use of various technologies and the competencies
which teachers of various characteristics; age, gender, level of education view their relative
importance to learning. The study used a questionnaire that asked teachers to rate traditional,
modern, and tools that could applied in future educational instruction. The data was then
analyzed to give the researchers a basis to look at which groups viewed different technologies
importance and relation to each other. The data showed that many teachers use a myriad of
technologies but often have to learn to use the tools on their own. Also, some technologies such
as a computer, demonstrated that nearly of the teachers surveyed seldom or dont use a
computer. Nearly found the internet has a no or a low relation to student success. The authors
concluded that certain groups need to be informed about teaching and learning processes as it
related to certain technologies. For example, one of the conclusions was that teachers who are in
the age groups 36-40 and 41-45 should be trained more on using a computer in teaching-learning
processes.

Critique: In context, this study was done in Istanbul, Turkey. I cant comment on the structure of
education and the facilities in that area of the world, but the reason I chose to report on this
article is because I believe it is relevant. There are schools that Ive visited that lag behind other
schools in regards to technology and there are some that encompass the digital and technological
that is needed for 21st century learners. Also, based on my experiences with people working in
the educational profession, older teacher typically ignore or do not belief in the use of numerous
technologies available even the use of computers for instructional purposes. That being said,
the study never defined what teacher competencies were. The term competencies, especially in
reference to educational technology, is a difficult term to use particularly when it is never
defined as was the case in this study. Although the data was interesting, like the responses asking
to link success to different technological tools, it was difficult to understand what the article was
trying to prove without a clear definition of competencies. To correct this, the authors of the
article need to give a definition and describe how they came to that definition.
The implications of the article is limited. I would have liked the authors to provide a definition of
competencies and then relate that to the data collected. If that was done I would at least be able
to better relate to the article and use it as a reference for the Technology Team that I am on at
our school. Without that clear definition it was more-or-less interesting to look at the answers
to the questionnaire portion of the study.