Learning First, Technology Second: The Educator's Guide to Designing Authentic Lessons - Softcover

Chapter 5
Defining Enhancement
EDUCATORS OFTEN ASSERT that new or innovative technology
tools enhance their students’ learning. Yet, in reality it is unclear whether this assertion is true (Price & Kirkwood, 2010). One problem is that the term “enhancement” has not been clearly defined in its relation to education technology. Linda Price and Adrian Kirkwood (2010) describe the difficulty with defining the term as follows:
Technology-enhanced learning implies a value judgment: the word “enhancement” suggests an improvement or betterment some way.
However, it is rare to find explicit statements about its meaning.
How does technology enhance learning—what is the “value added?” Although there are many examples of innovative uses of technology in learning and teaching it is not clear whether these actually enhance student learning. More readily observed is the use of technology to support or replace existing teaching practices, with limited evidence to confirm any enhancements to the status quo. To date there has been an over-emphasis on technological manifestations and this has led to the omission of pedagogical considerations (Beetham, 2007; Conole et al., 2008; Kirkwood, 2009). (p.771)
Knowing that terms can easily be tossed around, it is important that enhancement of learning through technology tools has a measurable definition. This chapter highlights some practical ways to define the characteristics of enhancement when it comes to integrating technology tools with learning.
Adding Value
One essential aspect of measuring enhancement is focusing on the value added in content-specific learning goals. Many content-area experts agree that technology should move beyond engaging students in learning and actually change the learning experience so that it is improved over traditional methods (and not just an expensive substitution). One such example is the Technology Principle from the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Principles and Standards for School Mathematics, which states, “Teachers should use technology to enhance their students’ learning opportunities by selecting or creating mathematical tasks that take advantage of what technology can do efficiently and well—graphing, visualizing, and computing” (NCTM, 2000, p. 25). Price and Kirkwood (2014) found that “enhancement” could be defined under three types of improvement on traditional teaching methods: operational improvement (e.g., providing greater flexibility for students or making resources more accessible); quantitative change in learning (e.g., increased time-on-task or student improvement in test scores); and qualitative change in learning (e.g., promoting reflection on learning and practice or helping develop a richer understanding of content).
Experts in the four major content areas (social studies, ELA, math, and science)  seem to agree that opportunities for operational improvement by building knowledge based on students’ prior knowledge, skills, and interests is important for better comprehension of the content (NCSS, 2016; National Council of Science, 2007; Anthony & Walshaw, 2009; Duke & Pearson, 2002). Consequently, technology should support opportunities to leverage students’ skills and interests into content learning. Examples of this would be integrating technology tools that help to either differentiate or personalize instruction to add value to learning. In addition, content experts call for integrating technology tools that allow students to develop a more sophisticated understanding of the content by eliciting higher-order thinking skills, such as inquiry and reflection (NCSS, 2016; National Council of Science, 2007; Anthony & Walshaw, 2009; Duke & Pearson, 2002). An example of this would be students testing their own scientific hypothesis by engaging with Google Earth’s Timelapse and Layers features to analyze and gather evidence of what environmental change looks like over time and ask questions about why it is happening.
Scaffolds and Supports  to Deepen Learning
Technology should create opportunities for students to move beyond engagement with content; that is, technology should somehow aid, assist, or scaffold students’ learning in ways that improve on traditional methods. At this level, learning can become differentiated, personalized, and more relatable to the learner and the technology is helping students think more deeply about content with higher-cognitive skills.
The Triple E Framework defines enhancement as technology adding value to students’ traditional understanding of learning goals through scaffolds or other supports. The technology or tool:

• supports students in developing a more sophisticated understandingof the content (higher-order thinking skills);
• creates ways (scaffolds) to make it easier to understand concepts or ideas;
• and creates paths for students to demonstrate their understanding of the learning goals in a way that they could not do with traditional tools.

A Look at Tools  That Promote Enhancement
Table 5.1 lists possible instructional strategies to use when features of enhancement are organically part of the tool. One example is software that differentiates the same content based on reading levels to allow students to read the same content as their peers but at their “just right” reading level. Table 5.1 also lists strategies teachers can use to create enhancement around the use of the technology tool when enhancement is not present within the tool. For example, students working with a “drill and practice” piece of software could be given a checklist of higher-level probing questions to stop and ask each other as they work.
Table 5.1  Enhancement Take-Away Strategies
Characteristic  of EnhancementWhen Instructional Strategies for Enhancement Are Built into Tool When Instructional Strategies for Enhancement Are NOT Built into Tool
Scaffolds to reach more sophisticated understanding through higher- order thinkingOpportunities exist for inquiry learning, to investigate an idea, collect data, and show understanding.
Tool has built-in ways for students to reflect (and use higher-order thinking) on what they are doing on the device, not just consume knowledge.Students participate in classroom discussions or turn-and-talks to construct hypotheses and new ideas from what they are learning through the tool.
Students practice reflective thinking strategies and self-questioning.
Tool allows visual representations of thinking (graphic organizer).
Characteristic  of EnhancementWhen Instructional Strategies for Enhancement Are Built into Tool When Instructional Strategies for Enhancement Are NOT Built into Tool
Added value beyond traditional
tools (differentiation and personalization)The technology allows teachers to easily differentiate learning (e.g., assign students to reading level groups, allow students to get synchronized individual feedback based on their mathematical problem-solving).
The technology allows teachers to personalize learning for each student’s interests (e.g., students can choose to pursue a problem based on their interests, students can choose a way to share their knowledge based on their skills).Teachers give students checklists or support sheets based on their learning level.
Teachers assign students to work in similar interest teams around the technology.
Students can select “just right” tools.
Tool allows students a choice in how to represent their work.
Note: Strategies for “outside of the tool” are explained in detail in Chapter...