Over the past decade, the amount of technology available to students has increased considerably. Internet resources and educational computer software have become more readily available to students within their classrooms. As a result of these changes, many educators have begun to ask how to implement aspects of these technologically‐advanced tools and resources into their curriculums. In addition, many districts are actively encouraging teachers to adopt and put into practice technology‐based resources and applications.
As the Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI) enters its seventh year of implementation, the need to expand upon the current research is essential. In an effort to gather information about implementing technology within various educational contexts, the Center for Education Policy, Applied Research, and Evaluation (CEPARE) at the University of Southern Maine collaborated with a science teacher from Bristol Consolidated School to conduct an action research study to determine how the use of technologicallyadvanced tools and resources might affect academic achievement and student engagement in the science classroom.
Pre‐ and post‐assessments illustrated greater comprehension levels among the students who were assigned to complete a technology‐rich project in comparison to students who were asked to complete a more traditional science project. In addition, a retention assessment revealed greater retention of information among those who had completed the technology‐rich project. Lastly, student engagement appeared to be higher among those who were working directly with their laptops to complete their science projects.
The post‐assessment and the student interviews revealed that many of the students found the technology‐rich project to be more challenging and time‐consuming; however, many of the students also agreed that the project was more fun and engaging. These statements are illustrative of Seymour Papert’s concept of “hard fun”, by which Papert describes the idea that children enjoy being challenged and that they have greater learning outcomes when they are given the opportunity to actively construct new knowledge in an exciting way.