CompOutcomes

//Which of these skills have a direct impact on student outcomes?//**
 * Staff Technology Skills:


 * Thoughts/Questions**
 * Answering this question depends on how one interprets **direct** **impact** //and// how **student outcomes** are defined.
 * It seems reasonable to conclude that if student outcomes are improved by use of technology, staff training in those technology skills would impact student outcomes, though perhaps not directly.


 * Direct Impact**
 * Proving a **direct** impact between specific //staff// technology skills and //student// outcomes is difficult.
 * John Cradford and Elizabeth Bridgforth state that "The effectiveness of technology tends to vary as a function of the curriculum content and instructional strategy delivered by the technology." ([|Recent Research on the Effects of Technology on Teaching and Learning])
 * A study by the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) found that teacher technology preparation "greatly facilitates" a number of teaching methods and strategies ([|Recent Research on the Effects of Technology on Teaching and Learning]). Specific technology skills are not delineated however.
 * Student Outcomes**
 * Indications that student outcomes are improved by use of technology:
 * In their October 2000 article [|The Impact of Technology on Student Achievement], Sherry and Jessey differentiate between **process outcomes**, which are "more closely tied to the inquiry learning dimension" and **product outcomes, which are** "more closely tied to the application of skills".
 * "When technology is used as a tool in the classroom, students are learning how to learn; they are learning new skills that will help them both in school and in the workplace; they are learning how to dialogue with professionals and use feedback; and they are motivated to stay in school."
 * This approach was found to serve traditionally underserved populations Further, a statistical analysis by researchers at Westat indicated that **"in cases where teachers’ use of technology to facilitate or enhance classroom instruction was high, standardized test scores also were high".** ([|Branigan, October 5, 2000, p. 2])