Our Research
Tarrant Institute faculty and researchers examine a wide variety of
topics pertaining to the changing lives of middle school students in
Vermont, and how integrating technology in the classroom changes that
experience.
Recent Publications
Educators Engage Digital Natives and Learn from Their Experiences with Technology: Integrating technology engages students in their learning.
John Downes & Penny Bishop. May 2012
Middle School Journal (AMLE), 43:5: p.6-15.Beyond Success: 1:1 As A Transformative Journey
John Downes. September 2012.
VT 1:1 School Conference, Lake Morey VT.Engaging learners through participatory action research
Meredith Swallow. November 2012.
AMLE 2012, Portland Oregon.ARIS in Wonderland and through the programming class: how we're building mobile, place-based games with students
Susan Hennessey and Audrey Homan. November 2012.
VT Fest, Killington VT.
Areas of interest
While our research interests cover a wide range of topics, they all focus on gaining a more complete understanding of how the specifically middle grades identity, when combined with thoughtful technology integration, can inform meaningful school change. We look at how, especially with the new generation of digital natives, middle school classrooms can evolve to better prepare middle school students for high school, college and beyond.
Some of our specific areas of research interest include:
- student voice as an agent of social change
- educational gaming
- 1:1 implementations
- action research in the classroom
- the importance of family and community involvement
Select Publications
Our research is informed by a variety of different sources, but some articles we've found of especial use in our work and reference on a continual basis include:
- Teaching Digital Natives: Partnering for Real Learning (Prensky 2010)
- Middle School is Not a Building: Educating Vermont's Young Adolescents in the 21st Century (VT Dept. of Education, 2009, pdf)
- Harnessing the Power of Technology to Engage Learners (Downes & Bishop, 2010. ppt.)
Last modified February 08 2013 03:38 PM