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  Technology and education: ICT in Ugandan secondary schools (2013) by Newby, L.S., Hite, J.M., Hite, S.J. et al.

  “If schools in these developing countries do not have ICT resources or cannot use them effectively, then the quality of student education is at risk in terms of both the personal investment of the student as well as the social return on investment”

             While the title of this piece might be confusing in terms of my research proposal, I decided to include it as one of my research sources due to the fact that it provides a varied viewpoint from the “Western,” white perspective. I am tempted to do research only on U.S. cases because I am someone living in the U.S., who wants to do a project for an American university. However, I should not assume that just because I live in the United States and adapt to its culture that my audience/ users would be in the same position. Furthermore, in order to avoid taking a centralized or bias approach to my research, I wish to learn more about how other global populations interact with technology and education, and how the two variables intertwine in varied ways internationally. I believe that this will allow me to gain a more holistic perspective while carrying out research and eventually a potential prototype.  
              This study takes a qualitative approach to the collection of data, and argues that ITC (Information and Communication Technologies) is not equally accessible globally. As a case study, the researchers show that many Ugandan schools do not have access to the amount of ITC resources that they need to successfully maximize their curricula. Furthermore, the researchers state that access to a broad range of ITC resources is equated with better schooling practices, and thus, children in developing countries who go to school without receiving these resources are essentially at a disfavor. While the findings are many, I was specifically interested in that the researchers found that at least 4 of the 11 schools they tested had no computers accessible to students, while some of them had computer labs with extremely limited access, and other had fewer than 5 computers, who’s use was restricted to administrators only. They also found that schools in rural areas tended to have fewer ITC resources, and lacked a modern infrastructure in terms of access to educational technology. So, moving forward, I want to make sure that any media or program I create does not disfavor those of varying means, cultures and accessibility 

  How to identify e-learning trends in academic teaching (2017) Helge Fischer, Linda Heise, et al. 

          This piece from the Interactive Technology and Smart Education  asks a very loaded question: What comes next in the field of academic e-learning? While some may argue that the answer is simple, others might see this as a debate with many discourses, all of which could hold potential truth. Some of the findings that I found relevant included the observation that within a German school system, researchers found that 3D printing had a lesser time of adoption than a virtual assistant in terms of technology applied in classrooms. They also found that game-based learning was relatively easy to adapt to and fast to adopt. This makes me think I should definitely include educational games in my prototype program, or make the medium feel like a game itself. 

  Augmented reality, the future of contextual mobile learning (2017) 

  Roopesh Kevin Sungkur, Akshay Panchoo and Nitisha Kirtee Bhoyroo

         The authors of this research argue that Augmented Reality serves as a driving force for innovative and engaging learning in academia. As a technology, AR has the potential to introduce students to new ways of engaging with the material at hand, providing a more unique perspective to learning. Furthermore, the authors argue that this technology will also favor instructors, for it will equip them with new tools for the engagement of students, and will allow for a more flexible and interactive teaching approach. An idea I really liked from their Lit review was the quote from a study siting that “The concept of augmented books provides additional illustration and reflection for a deeper understanding of the context through additional perspectives.”
  
  I had never really thought of augmented books as a technology before, so knowing that AR can be applied to more “traditional” forms classically associated with academia provides me with a good example of how technology can be used to enhance methods that have been used to educate children for years. AR technology could be used for a multitude of subjects, from human biology to math and literature. While programs already exist that incorporate such elements together, it would be interesting to explore how I can use these concepts within my own project aspirations.  Also, the research study did find that “Through AR, learning has been brought to a new dimension where the students can easily visualize what is happening and easily understand complex concepts.  (124). So, it seems that AR can be helpful in making the process of learning more engaging to children, and serves as a great medium due to its flexible nature and the wide range of things you can do with it.

  Mobilizing learning: a thematic review of apps in K-12 and higher education (2017) Michael Stevenson & John Helberg 

            This research study differs a bit from my previously discussed ones in that it makes a diligent effort to study and discuss two sides of the technology-in –schools debate. The authors state that this study explores both the positive and negative implications of using app-based learning in K-12 schools, taking into consideration the viewpoints of those who claim that mobile learning is better fitted for passive consumption of material, while others see apps as modernized tools for customized learning experiences. Some of the results discussed in this research piece are that apps ran through mobile devices (i.e. iPads) worked particularly well with cooperative learning, as it facilitated interaction and collaboration among students in classroom settings. This made me think of collaboration as something I could potentially include in any future prototype, and also think about collaborative learning as an experience that can be enhanced and facilitated through various computational tools. However, other results also labeled the mobility of these technologies as potentially detrimental to a learning environment, for so much content is accessible from the tool that it might potentially discourage students from focusing on what the instructor is trying to get across.  
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