Walking through the school grounds before and after school, I am always dumbfounded, and a little saddened, by the prevailing sight of ‘digital natives’ slowly, and yet assuredly, turning into ‘digital zombies’. Their heads are bowed. Their gait, a cautious shuffle. Their minds transfixed on the cyber world beyond their physical borders. Social media is being checked. Friends are being messaged. Snapchat streaks are being maintained. Their self-worth wrapped up in the number of Facebook or Instagram likes their latest post received or how many re-tweets on Twitter they managed to get. They are the most connected generation, and yet physically disconnected from the modern world. They have the ability to manipulate technology, to achieve things that no generation before them has been able to do, but this preoccupation with the digital world is impacting their capacity to comprehend traditional methods of information dissemination employed by the majority of educational institutions.

As an experienced classroom educator, I have witnessed the demise of the exercise book and the dawn of the iPad. I have observed an increased reliance on technology in the classroom and I have perceived a decrease in the ability of students to comprehend written text. Such a revelation lead me to conduct an action research, using students within my own classroom, to determine if the manner by which students took notes as part of learning activities had any bearing on comprehension of written text. This research project consequently became the foundation for my Master of Education thesis. My thesis, entitled The Effect of Typing Notes on a Personal Computer Device on Comprehension of Written Text – An Action Research Focusing on Years 8-10 Students in a Western Australian School, provided statistically significant, quantifiable results proving that there is a direct correlation between the use of computers in the classroom as a substitute for paper and student understanding and achievement. The results show that handwriting notes in a classroom had a positive effect on comprehension and that the effect becomes more pronounced as students progress through their school years. My thesis, which one examiner commented “…presents a significant implication towards embedding digital technologies into classroom practice – possibly arguing against some published best classroom practices in using digital technologies in the classroom” achieved a High Distinction and resulted in me being appointed to the Tabor College President’s Academic Honour Roll in recognition of my level of excellence.

To be a successful recipient of an ACEL New Voice Scholarship would provide me with the instrument and impetus to disseminate my research to individual teachers as well as other educational institutions and organisations. Support from ACEL would add substance to my research and would provide networking opportunities far beyond my current sphere of influence. It would afford the opportunity to positively affect student outcomes on a grander scale and give weight to the notion that digital technologies are not a panacea to cure classroom ills, in fact, they may cause a decline in student achievement.