Anne Plagge

My final project for the Instructional Technology Cohort was a descriptive research paper exploring technology integration and family support services. My specific topic investigated the effects of a web-based parenting support tool, Parentivity, on rural families in Iowa. Rural families face specific challenges that impact the quality and availability of family support services. These challenges include the geographic nature of service provision, parent engagement, and perceived barriers in accessing services. This research explores how web-based support can be used as a tool to support these challenges and improve access to parenting information for rural families. The results show that participants found benefits from engaging in Parentivity, although overall usage was relatively low and did not have a significant impact on connection to resources for rural families. Additionally, this research identified the need for further exploration into parent engagement with online parenting supports.