To succeed in today's information-rich society, students must utilize technology effectively. Online tools present unique opportunities to create and share knowledge. It was unclear if the use of these tools impacted student motivation, since many teachers were not incorporating technology of interest into lessons. Another concern was the influence of gender on motivation to learn with regard to the tools; in the past, research has shown that males have exhibited greater confidence with technology in the classroom. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the use of online collaborative tools had an impact on student motivation toward learning, and if there was a difference based on student gender. A pretest-posttest control group quasi-experimental study was conducted with 156 students in a suburban high school in Pennsylvania. Motivation was measured through the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) intrinsic goal orientation and self-efficacy subscales. Results of nested ANCOVA analyses indicated that, while no significant differences were found in intrinsic goal orientation (F(1, 147) = 1.45, p > 0.025), significant differences were observed in self-efficacy for students in treatment classes (F(1, 141) = 2.93, p = 0.007), indicating that self-efficacy may be influenced by the use of online tools. Although differences were not found with regard to gender for the intrinsic goal orientation subscale (F(1, 73) = , p > 0.025), significant differences were discovered favoring females in self-efficacy subscale (F(1, 74) = 2.2, p = 0.010), suggesting that gender may have an influence on motivation with regard to online tools. Providing meaningful learning opportunities is critical to successful implementation of the tools. Teachers should develop a variety of instructional strategies to meet all student needs. While staff development was not a primary focus of this research, ongoing staff training is crucial in ensuring that teachers can use the tools in an authentic, relevant way. Future research could include a more diverse population from different geographical areas. Conducting a qualitative or mixed methods study may offer a more comprehensive perspective and provide richer results to help shape future use of the tools with students. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]