Factors Affecting Technology Uses in Schools

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Article Analysis

This article was first published in the American Educational Research Journal. The article explores how technology is used in schools. The authors of this article are active educators. The article chronicles a study that was carried out to determine the level of technology use in a sample of nineteen schools. The authors of the article employ the symbolism of an ecosystem when investigating the level of computer use in schools. The study was conducted in nineteen schools that were spread in over four districts.

The article begins by addressing the concerns raised by ecological imbalances caused by the rising population of zebra mussels (Zhao and Frank 810). The article juxtaposes this scenario with the one in schools across Canada. The authors of the article argue that while changes in ecology are a cause for concern, changes in technology in the school environment are rarely addressed. The article notes that just like the zebra mussels, computers are foreign entrants in the school system. The authors recognize that none of the previous attempts to introduce computers to the school system has had a lasting effect. The article also explores how previous studies have covered this matter.

The authors of the article take time to explain the metaphor of the zebra mussels. The underlying ecological system that enables their rapid multiplication is likened to the school system. Therefore, for the computers to thrive, the school system has to provide for certain conditions. In this case, the teachers are considered as members of a different species. This makes it likely for these two species to clash.

The study found that teachers consider computers to be members of a stronger social system. The findings also assert that the success of technology integration in schools depends on how well the ecosystem and its species blend.

Article Briefs

I found this article using an online database that contained sociology-related articles. The abstract provided an insightful overview of the subject matter covered by the article. The reason this article was selected for review was that it had strong sociological ties. This is in spite of the fact that the articles main area of study is technology. The article also deals with education a topic that is easy to relate to and synthesize.

The authors of this article conducted their study in a social setting. In addition, they used the ecosystem metaphor as the basis of their paper. These two factors relate to various sociological theories. The article conforms to sociological studies in many ways. One important concept of these studies is that technology is shaped by both human needs as well as social factors. The findings in this article seem to conform to this assertion.

The paper finds that one of the reasons technology has not quite penetrated the education system is because of the social aspect of the traditional system. In addition, technology use is not a prioritized human need according to the authors. The paper also conforms to the inductive research methodology. This method is often used when proving a sociological theory. For instance, in this article, there was no hypothesis to be proved. The paper also relies on various observations to deduce changes in the pattern. The paper is an effective tool for testing and studying sociology and its surrounding theories.

Works Cited

Zhao, Yong and Kenneth Frank. Factors Affecting Technology Uses in Schools: An Ecological Perspective. American Educational Research Journal 40.4(2003): 807-740. Print.

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Factors Affecting Technology Uses in Schools

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