My research paper is going to deal with technology in and out of the classroom as a way to improve education. To do this I will have to first define the improvement of education. Is it better scores on standardized tests, is it better student interaction and participation, or is it advancing more students on to higher education? I have come to the conclusion that education needs to be a means for people to find greater happiness. This sounds crazy but it is becoming a,n important field of study in science and even political theory. Bhutan has become measuring "gross domestic happiness" and valuing it higher than Gross Domestic Product. Many media outlets have started making lists of the happiest countries in the world and science has begun studying what happiness is and where it comes from. Maybe I should do my research paper on teaching children to find happiness? I know this sounds simplistic and even silly but really what is more happy than the pursuit of happiness? According to the constitution the pursuit of happiness is an unalienable right that is endowed by the creator.

Well I guess teaching children how to find happiness is important but it is difficult to quantify and impossible for me to write a research paper on so I will concentrate on studies that discuss student achievement as it is linked to technology in the classroom. This will be difficult because many of the internet sources I have found are biased towards technology because they are run by technology companies that are trying to sell electronics to schools to make money.

I will also look at the technology that is being used in technology and try to determine if it is being used to greatest effect. I really need to nail this paper down before I get started. The focus of the paper is just too broad right now. The most intersting aspect of technology in the classroom to me is the emergence of social networking, Twitter and texting as a means of communication. Can facebook, Twitter, or texting be used to ehance the classroom experience? How much technology should be used in the classroom?

Well this paper is still up in the air.