The Invisible Researcher: Using Educational Technologies as Research Tools for Education

As educational technologies become more commonplace, they are often created with the intention of benefiting students through some novel approach, or to fill a perceived educational gap. While these rationales are good ones, it should also be realized that through the use of innovative technologies educators and researchers alike are presented with a unique and powerful opportunity to conduct laboratory-like research in a naturalistic environment. Thus giving the „invisible researcher‟ the ability to test the desired effectiveness of the tool, and to use the tool as a vehicle to understand learning, all in an unobtrusive manner. This not only ensures that new educational technologies are doing what they were designed to do, but also promises to create pedagogically superior tools and an improved learning environment for both students and educators. To illustrate how this can be successfully implemented, two evidence-based technologies are discussed (the webOption and peerScholar) where research has assisted in tool development and also furthered our understanding of educational theory.