A Concept Paper On Transformation In Learning Through Digital Literacy Dissertation Proposal Examples

Not much research has been done on the effectiveness of innovations in technology and there is also no consensus among experts on how the impact of technology in education can be measured. However, what is not in doubt is that American children continue to use cyberspace for “hanging out” (Erstad & Sefton-Green, 2013). Thus, it is surprising that adults continue to remain ignorant about these experiences, and what impact they have on the children (Nasah, DaCosta, Kinsell, & Seok, 2010). This lack of documentary evidence has led many an expert to question how efficient incorporation of technology in learning, especially for digital media and social networks would be. These technologies have been branded unproven strategies. However, those who advocate for technology driven approaches are of the opinion that digital media is already permanently entrenched in the lives of students. If anything, this dependency can only grow in future. Hence, to wait until research confirms the obvious would be fallacious (Spalter & van Dam, 2008).
Education technology when integrated in teaching and learning has quite a few advantages. Firstly, technology improves access to education and expertise. This it does through providing disadvantaged students with access to the internet and computing. Secondly, it supports instruction and intervention (Miller & McVee, 2012). This is because teachers can offer personalized intervention to all students hence boosting underperforming pupils. Technology strengthens learning and research. This is especially true for the core Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields (Stergioulas & Drenoyianni, 2011).Technology also creates additional learning hours. Access to computers and internet connection can allow for virtual classes which need not be confined to normal school hours. Technology also promotes development of technical and career skills. These are in high demand in the increasingly technology reliant job sector. It is a fact that the children of the 21st Century are deeply immersed and engrossed in technology. Hence, to be able to reach out to them and engage them, it is this imperative that this passion be harnessed and integrated in education. Adoption of this technology will enhance the global outlook of the children and improve their collaboration skills (Erstad & Sefton-Green, 2013).
There are various steps that need to be put in place for this idea or concept to come to fruition. Firstly, there is a need to install data systems to monitor learning and assess improvement. Databases and the use of analytic software can help the School management team pinpoint the needs of the students, create solutions and track progress. Use of Open Source management tools for example Moodle can be employed. These data systems would enable the teachers, students and administrators to observe their progress (Stergioulas & Drenoyianni, 2011).
The next step is to improve effectiveness of teaching staff. The effectiveness of a teacher has a direct relationship with and impact on, student performance. This means that if we want to improve student performance, teacher capability must also be boosted. Sadly though, not all students have good teachers. This puts them at a disadvantage as compared to the students with the best teachers. Networked technologies present a potential way to bridge this gap. This is because they will boost the number of effective teachers. Teachers can be empowered by professional development in the form of training in which they obtain learner centered skills that make full use of the power of technology. The school should have some technologically proficient teachers who help the rest of the teaching staff to fit the latest tools such as, mobile devices, s interactive whiteboards and computer into the present day curriculum. They can also integrate learning games such as Dreambox and i-Ready for mathematics (Steinkuehler, 2010). The school leadership should also be given professional development training. This training would focus on improving their skills and also the understanding of the application of technology in learning. It is important for them to receive this training because they must have knowledge of how to assess student data, as well as that of assessing the level of success teachers are having in implementation of technology integration in classwork. This will help them to determine the strengths of the curriculum as well as possible areas for improvement. .
The next step would be to boost the technological infrastructure. This will be done by buying new computers which will run the latest version of the Windows Operating System. The computers will also come equipped with the latest edition of Microsoft Office as well as a Learning and Educational Software such as PLATO (Miller & McVee, 2012). The purchase of these computers will aim to achieve a ratio of around one computer for every four students. The school will also have a conference lab, where teachers can undergo online training in seminars. Another point here is to ensure that there are competent and qualified network administrators who will be responsible for troubleshooting of the system and also addressing software queries. Again, the school can also create Wi-Fi hotspots all around the school campus to ensure that students can access lessons and coursework from online sources through both hand held devices and personal computers (Miller & McVee, 2012).
The next step is to provide an estimate of the technology costs that would be incurred from this project. The first cost is that of establishing a videoconferencing lab where training can take place. The total cost of establishment of this lab is approximately $50,000. This is expected to fully cater for the setup costs. The second technology related expense is the purchase of new computers. An estimated 300 workstations are required and each workstation comes at a cost of $1,105 which gives a total cost of $331,500. The school will also procure laptops for each teacher to ensure that they can access the software and computer at home or at school. This will aid them in grading assignments and tests. A video projector will also need to be purchased and this is expected to cost $2500. Another cost to be incurred is that of purchasing licenses for online libraries and also for Windows Operating Systems and Microsoft Office. This software purchase and license payment is estimated at $65,000. The total cost for this project will come to $450,105.
Thus, it is quite clear that the pace of technological growth in the other sectors of the economy is rapid. Hence, the education sector should not lag behind. Otherwise, we run the risk of producing technologically inept graduates of the school system (Erstad & Sefton-Green, 2013). These students will end up having skills that have no practical application in the job market. Investigation should however be done to ensure that the expenditure supports the normal literacies of the 21st century and does not just facilitate content acquisition. Also, it is important to consider whether the technology will cause students to gain intellectual curiosity. This is important for the effectiveness of the program. All in all, the program is a good initiative and it should be supported.

References

Erstad, O., & Sefton-Green, J. (2013). Identity, community, and learning lives in the digital age. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press.
Miller, S. M., & McVee, M. B. (2012). Multimodal composing in classrooms: Learning and teaching for the digital world. New York: Routledge.
Nasah, A., DaCosta, B., Kinsell, C., & Seok, S. (2010). The digital literacy debate: an investigation of digital propensity and information and communication technology. Educational Technology Research and Development, 531-555.
Spalter, A. M., & van Dam, A. (2008). Digital Literacies in the Age of Sight and Sound. Theory into Practice, 93-101.
Steinkuehler, C. (2010). Video Games and Digital Literacies. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 61-63.
Stergioulas, L., & Drenoyianni, H. (2011). Pursuing digital literacy in compulsory education. New York: Peter Lang.