This collection presents expert commentary on current research in middle level education on the timely topic of technology use in classrooms.
Featuring four recent studies from leading middle level education research journals, this volume furthers critical conversations on questions about technology use in the middle grades. Asking who technology serves, and how does it transform learning opportunities and outcomes, the studies and commentaries explore topics such as the impact of technology on student learning, the social development of youth in digital learning spaces, and the implementation of rapidly developing technologies such as generative AI.
The contributions to this volume generate new lines of inquiry in areas such as technology use and diverse populations, technology implementation, and design-based studies of technology and career exploration. Together, they help to advance the ongoing dialogue about emerging technologies in education, offering both methodological insights and implications for classroom application.
Recommended reading for researchers, doctoral students, and academics in middle level education, educational technology, and research methodology.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
1. Enriching Dialogue in Middle Level Education Research, by David C. Virtue
Part 1: Supportive Middle Level Leadership
2. How Can Middle School Leaders Support Instruction During a Crisis? by Susan C. Badger & Carol A. Mullen
3. Leadership Support in a Pandemic: Middle School Teacher Perceptions of Emergency Remote Teaching, by Carol A. Mullen & Susan C. Badger [Originally published in RMLE Online, 46(4), https://doi.org/10.1080/19404476.2023.2184628]
4. Response to “Leadership Support in a Pandemic” title TBD, by TBD
Part 2: Prospective Middle Grades Teacher Beliefs
5. Companion essay title TBD, by Vecihi S. Zambak
6. Connections Between Prospective Middle Grades Mathematics Teachers’ Technology-Enhanced Specialized Content Knowledge and Beliefs, by Vecihi S. Zambak & Andrew M. Tyminski [Originally published in RMLE Online, 46(1), https://doi.org/10.1080/19404476.2022.2151681]
7. The Only Constant is Change: The Challenges of Changing Technologies in Best Practice Mathematics Instruction, by Holly H. Pinter & Meghan Rector
Part 3: Near Peer Mentoring with Young Adolescents
8. Companion essay title TBD, by Brooke B. Eisenbach
9. Reading, Reflecting, and Collaborating: Eighth Grade Readers’ Experiences in a Virtual Book Discussion, by Brooke B. Eisenbach & Caitlin C. Augusta [Originally published in RMLE Online, 45(9), https://doi.org/10.1080/19404476.2022.2127639]
10. Literacy Learning with a Secret Twist: The Use of Near-Peer Mentorship at the Middle Level, by Chelsea Rivera, Cheryl R. Ellerbrock, & Lindsay Persohn
Part 4: Supporting Girls in the Middle Grades
11. Empowerment or Perfectionism? by Kendall L. Beeman
12. The Quiet Girl in a Virtual World: Learning from the Virtual Classroom to Better Support Quiet Girls in the Middle Grades, by Kendall L. Beeman [Originally published in RMLE Online, 45(7), https://doi.org/10.1080/19404476.2022.2106082]
13. Empowering the Voices of Middle School Girls in a Virtual World: A Reflection on Research, by Bridget Coleman & Nancy Ruppert
Conclusion
14. Conclusion title TBD, by TBD
About the Author :
David C. Virtue is the Taft B. Botner Distinguished Professor of Middle Grades Education at Western Carolina University.
