Exploring Technology Use in Middle Level Education

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.

David C. Virtue is the Taft B. Botner Distinguished Professor of Middle Grades Education at Western Carolina University.

Introduction 1. New Directions in Research on Technology Use in the Middel Grades David C. Virtue Part I: Social Media as a Tool in Preservice Teacher Education 2. Beyond the Classroom Walls: Social Media Integration in Middle Level Teacher Education Toni M. Williams and Susi Long 3. Tweeting Over Time: Twitter/X for Communication, Assessment, and Growth in Middle Level Teacher Education Toni M. Williams 4. Supporting Middle Grades Preservice Teacher Learning: A Response to "Tweeting Over Time" Hilary Dack, Daniel G. Maxwell, and Olivia Apple Part II: Technology-Enhanced Teacher Learning in Middle Grades Mathematics 5. Re-tracing Teacher Learning: Interconnections among Beliefs, Content Knowledge, and Technology Integration in Middle Grades Mathematics Education Vecihi S. Zambak 6. Connections between Prospective Middle Grades Mathematics Teachers' Technology-Enhanced Specialized Content Knowledge and Beliefs Vecihi S. Zambak and Andrew M. Tyminski 7. The Only Constant Is Change: The Challenges of Changing Technologies in Best Practice of Mathematics Instruction Meghan Rector and Holly Pinter Part III: Technology-Mediated Near-Peer Mentoring 8. Looking Back and Considering the Future in Virtual Book Collaborations Brooke B. Eisenbach and Caitlin Corrieri Augusta 9. Reading, Reflecting, and Collaborating: Eighth Grade Readers' Experiences in a Virtual Book Discussion Brooke B. Eisenbach and Caitlin Corrieri Augusta 10. "Unbound Literacy": A Comparative Analysis of Two Near-Peer Mentoring Programs at the Middle Level Chelsea Rivera, Cheryl R. Ellerbrock, Lindsay Persohn, and Lucy Monette Part IV: Young Adolescent Learning in Virtual Spaces 11. Rethinking Confidence and Perfectionism in Adolescent Girls' Classroom Participation: Reflections and Advice for Educators 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 Kendall L. Beeman 13. Empowering the Voices of Middle School Girls in a Virtual World: A Reflection on Research Bridget Coleman and Nancy Ruppert