Kathryn I. Matthew

A Comparison of the Influence of Interactive CD-ROM Storybooks and Traditional Print Storybooks on Reading Comprehension

AbstractChanging from print to electronic text impacts the way students are reading and their reading comprehension. This article reports on 2 experiments designed to study the impact of electronic text on the reading comprehension of third-grade students. Experiment 1 involved 37 matched pairs of students reading either CD-ROM or print versions of books. The results of this study indicate that there was no statistically significant difference in reading comprehension as measured by open-ended questions. However, there was a statistically significant difference in reading comprehension as measured by story retellings for the group that read the CD-ROM versions of the stories. In Experiment 2,30 students who read the print stories in Experiment 1 read 2 additional stories in CD-ROM format. As measured by story retellings, their comprehension was statistically significantly higher when reading the CD-ROM stories.

Adoption of information communication technology by teacher educators: one-on-one coaching

Abstract Research evidence suggests teacher educators who role model the use of information communication technology (ICT) in their practice help their students build confidence and competence as ICT users. This research finding is also supported by feedback from Louisiana Tech University students in teacher education. Research also indicates that a number of factors impact the adoption of ICT in the practice of teacher educators. This research has examined one of these factors, namely the benefits of one-on-one coaching for teacher educators by technology coaches as they worked together to learn to use technology. Participants included 33 teacher educators from Louisiana Tech University and 14 pre-service teachers. The pre-service teachers served as technology coaches and worked with the teacher educators in their offices and classrooms as they learned to use technology for their personal benefit and to integrate technology into their teaching. Interviews and observations indicated that coaches as well as teacher educators benefited from the relationship and both groups increased their technology competency.