Understanding Educational Research & Assessment

The purpose of this research is to determine the influence of technology on achievement in the public school system. Using technology is not a new form of teaching in the school systems, but the question are how effective is technology in the classroom and does it really help in some academic subjects. A classroom teacher has to use different learning methods in order for the students to understand the concept being taught. Unfortunately, computers cannot teach some academic areas such as literacy skills, math skills, writing and reading skills. Using technology can enhance learning in the classroom by helping the teacher generate ideas to keep students motivated to do their work.
Sharon Judge (2005); tested the connection between academic success among young African American children and their access to computers in their school and in their home. Her study focuses on 1,601 African American public school children who went to kindergarten and first grade. The results show that access to a home computer, computer areas within classrooms, child to computer ratios, software, and computers in schools were certainly correlated with academic achievement. In addition, constant use of software for literacy and math games were positively connected with academic success during kindergarten. High achievers that used software for literacy and math more often than both low and average achievers put together during kindergarten. Sharon Judge (2005) also examined the fast expansion of children access to computers and the internet in the United States is extraordinary. As of 2001, statistics say that about three-quarters of children between the ages of five and seven use computers at school, and fifty-six percent use computers at home. DeBell &Chapman (2003). On the other hand, countless studies were written about the topic that showed that technology access and use in U.S. schools is a bit negative in schools serving Black, Hispanic, and low socio-economic