IN MY OPINION (YES)

Technology rich classrooms with teachers who have received proper technology PD can produce resullts-driven outcomes. Matched with basic how to apply relative core courses lesson plans application with classroom teaching and learning at K-12 grade levels.

Willing to bet that the tests used to assess the students were not administered through tech. In my experience, students are much more engaged using tools more similar to to what they are used to, which are most often tech based. However, we continue to assess students for the most part without tech (pen and paper tests), which turns them off and they tune out. Common sense says if we assess them the way we teach them, we will see improvements in thier scores.

And this just goes to show that nothing can beat a meaningful curriculum being taught by an effective teacher. Chalkboard or whiteboard? Makes no difference if the person in charge doesn't have a clue about how to engage a student.

This point has been made over and over again:
http://www2.citypaper.com/news/story.asp?id=1887

And yet, students need the specific technology skills that being a part of the digital generation assumes. Jobs (if they exist) rely on a basic comfort level with computers and the technology that exists. Even running a food truck requires one to be able to tweet and post and respond to stuff on line. Being able to create the content has become more important in many ways than finding what already exists.

There is no definitive research because it is difficult to isolate technology as the sole factor. Instead, with effective pd for the teachers, what should happen is a transformation in the way the teacher delivers instruction. He or she will begin to guide students to discover knowledge rather than spit out rote facts. Actual learning will occur and students will learn to think more analytically. Unfortunately, our current assessments don't measure this type of thinking particularly well. They really just measure how well students test. Additionally, technology is a tool with which students have a high degree of comfort and interest. I find them much more engaged and motivated when technology is infused into the instructional process because I'm using something they think is "fun".