| The purpose of this evaluative case study was to determine how technology-enriched instruction impacted the achievement of students at Cougar Elementary School. As a school experiencing rapid change, Cougar Elementary received help from the business community to design and implement a technology program to enhance the active participation of students academically uninvolved and to serve as a marketing strategy for the school. A specialized laptop program was developed in a wireless environment with a one-to-one student to computer ratio, software available through the Internet by a local application service provider, and with routine technical and ongoing training for teachers and students in the fourth and fifth grades. Selected as subjects were 306 fourth and fifth grade students from three different school years. Case study methodology included the collection and analyses of data from teacher surveys, student surveys, student interviews, classroom observations, and results from the North Carolina End-of-Grade test.; Prompted by the conflicting reports regarding the effectiveness of technology in the classroom and the impact on student achievement, the issues of routine accessibility to technology for teachers and students and the need for ongoing teacher training and support were investigated. Recommendations for further study are provided. |
