A Theoretical Model For Student Perception Of Technological Authority: Implementing Technology Into The Classroom

time. When the data were presented graphically, the large pixel size of the screen produced a jagged-looking graph rather than a smooth curve. Roughly one third of the students interpreted this as a true representation 2 of the cooling process. In other words, they thought that the liquid remained at a constant temperature for a period of time and then suddenly dropped in a discrete manner to the next lower pixel level. Even after direct instruction explaining that the jaggedness of the graph was due to software and hardware limitations, the students were still not influenced. Tall (1989) expresses a concern for the new obstacles associated with the technological paradigm. He states that, "the 'authority of the computer' may therefore be an impediment to learning, especially in the early stages" (p. 90). This concern for the authority of the machine is justified in examining the aforementioned study by Reys et al. (1980). In exploring the estimation skills of students, the following