Abstract
This chapter is designed to inform teachers, administrators, educational policymakers, and researchers on the role of technology in a project-based learning (PBL) environment. Because technology and PBL are so intertwined, it is impossible to discuss one without the other. It is still unclear the impact technology has on student achievement, but it is clear there are new and additional ethical concerns that have arisen due to the increased use of technology. The primary concern is privacy. The chapter provides an introduction, background information, and relevant research available regarding the role of technology in a PBL environment. Additional resources are provided as well.
TopBackground
The term project based learning is becoming synonymous with technology, but college and university instructors need to make sure that technology has earned its metaphorical seat at the learning table. One-to-one technology in colleges means that the number of students without access to the internet and learning technologies will decrease significantly, thus ensuring more students have equal exposure to the same learning material and thereby decreasing and hopefully eliminating the digital-use divide.
As a national voice for educational technology implementation, The National Education Technology Plan (NETP) builds upon and extends the work professors and researchers accomplish to compile examples of effective uses of technology based upon both researched evidence and emerging strategies. The benefits of technology include offering greater flexibility and learning opportunities. Use of the internet allows colleges and universities as well as students to access resources that previously would have been impossible because of distance. Students can access distance learning opportunities, online mentoring, school-to-school collaboration, and connecting with institutions who have more resources. Using technology provides instructors and students the opportunity to rethink how, when, and where learning is taking place.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL): Teaching and learning through the use of technology.
Public Domain: Creative work to which no intellectual property rights apply.
Self-Regulating: Students determining how to spend their time on the project doing research, interacting with peers and college instructor
Digital Citizenship: Safe, ethical, and informed use of technology.
Digital Divide: The gap between those students who have access to the internet and technology at home and those students who do not.
e-Portfolio: Electronic portfolio.
Open Education Resource (OER): Free, accessible text, media, or other sources that may be used for education, assessment, or research purposes without needing a specific usage license.
Creative Commons License: Allows users access to share, use, and build upon a work that an author created.
Digital-Use Divide: The gap between those students who use technology to transform their learning and those students who are completing the same learning tasks but not only using an electronic tool.
Blended Learning: Using both face to face and online learning to research and work on the project.