Numerous dissertations
have been written or are currently in progress using or referencing the LoTi Framework and the online LoTi Questionnaire as the basis for identifying variables associated with instructional technology.
Title: Factors Related to Technology Implementation of K-12 Principals and Teachers
Author: Moses, Rhonda René
Description: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between principals' leadership styles and principals'/teachers' implementation of technology. The Leadership Effectiveness and Adaptability Description (LEAD) Self was used to identify the primary and secondary leadership styles of principals. The Level of Technology Implementation (LoTi) Questionnaire was used to identify the level of technology implementation (LoTi), personal computer use (PCU) and current instructional practice (CIP) scores for both teachers and principals. Data collected from 390 K-12 teachers and 22 principals of three large suburban districts in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex was included in data analysis. The findings suggest that differing leadership styles do play a role in the LoTi, PCU, and CIP scores among teachers. Based on descriptive statistics it was determined that teachers with participating principals had higher mean LoTi and PCU scores than those with telling and selling principals. The difference in the mean PCU scores was statistically significant (p<.05) for teachers with selling and participating principals. Results also showed there was a statistical significance (p<.05) in the mean PCU and CIP scores of teachers working for principals with weak and high adaptability. Due to the low number of principals participating in this study, there is a need to conduct the same research using a larger more diverse sample of principals. The majority of principals in this study had either a primary leadership style of participating and a secondary leadership style of selling or vice versa. A larger population of principals would hopefully allow for the study of additional leadership styles and their effect on teacher use and implementation of technology.
Title: Technology Adoption and Integration Levels: A Comparison Study Between Technology-minded General Educators and Technology-minded Deaf Educators
Author: Parton, Becky Sue
Description: The purpose of this study was to determine whether working in the field of deaf education, as opposed to general education, results in a higher level of technology integration. A secondary goal was to determine if deaf educators who are deaf integrate technology at a higher level than their hearing counterparts. The instrument chosen for this study was the LoTi Technology Use Profile, a tool used to explore the role of technology in the classroom. A total of 92 participates were included in the study of which 48 were regular educators and 44 were deaf educators. The participants were selected from a population pool whereby teachers were presumably pre-disposed to using technology based upon their attendance at a technology training session in the form of a conference or a class. Deaf educators as a whole did not perform as well as general educators on the LoTi scales. Given the fact that the technology-minded general educators who comprised the sample population of this study scored exceptionally high on the LoTi scales, further research is needed to ensure comparability between the two groups. The findings of the current study do suggest, though, that deaf educators who are deaf have the potential to integrate technology to a greater degree than deaf educators who are hearing. Thus, a primary recommendation is to conduct a national LoTi survey of typical, rather than technology-minded, deaf educators as a comparison to the 2004 national survey of typical general educators.
Title: Educators' Technology Level of Use and Methods for Learning Technology Integrations
Author: Griffin, Darlene Ann
Description: The purpose of this study was to describe technology learning methods that teachers attend and perceive as effective. The goal was to provide district personnel data that may be utilized when planning for more effective technology staff development. This study examined (1) the methods of learning instructional technology that are being utilized by teachers and administrators and (2) why these methods are being utilized in two Texas school districts. Data was collected from educators via an online survey consisting of demographics, technology training methods, level of technology use (CBAM 1 item), stages of adoption and technology level of use (LoTi, 50-item). Educators with different technology levels of use (high, low) differed on their perceptions and utilization of technology training methods. Specifically, educators with different technology levels of use differed in their perceptions of independent online help, and learning through trial and error technology training methods. Results from the study showed that educators tended to use the technology training method that they perceived as most effective. Educators tended to utilize learning by trial and error, peer support, and technology personnel support the most frequently for learning technology integration Educators' in the study had varying technology levels of use based on their educator categories. Administrators tended to score much higher than both elementary and secondary teachers on their technology levels of use. Participants gave a variety of reasons for utilizing certain technology training methods most frequently. The most popular reason was that the method fit into their time schedule followed by the location of the training. The least given reason was that it was the best method for learning the technology skill.
Title: The Use of Journaling as a Means of Reflection for Greater Technology Implementation among Teachers
Author: Worrell, Paige Lea
Description: The purpose of this multiple case-study was to determine whether the use of reflective journals during graduate coursework impacts the level of technology implementation in instructional settings for experienced teachers. This study examined the relationships between: (1) levels of reflection demonstrated in journal responses, (2) the level of technology implementation, and (3) teachers' attitudes about technology implementation. The coding scheme used to determine levels of reflection in the journals was based on the framework of Leung and Kember. The LoTi questionnaire, developed in 1995 by Chris Moersch, was used to determine the levels of perceived technology implementation. The goal of this study was to provide information that may be utilized to plan more effective technology staff development. By providing insights on how to evaluate written work consistently for reflective thinking and on teachers' perceptions of technology implementation, university programs and school districts can develop better strategies for technology professional development. The findings suggest that teachers who demonstrated the characteristics of high levels of reflection also demonstrated characteristics of higher levels of technology implementation. Four of the five cases demonstrated a relationship among their scores on the Level of Reflection, Level of Technology Implementation (Loti), and Current Instructional Practice (CIP) measures. This study adds to the research regarding evaluation of reflection, the use of journals for reflection, and the impact of this strategy on technology implementation. The results of this qualitative study illustrate the process of using the theoretical framework of Lueng and Kember to evaluate the levels of reflection in written journal responses during professional development programs. The findings suggest that the use of reflective journals, in the context of the action research process during technology training, has a positive impact on technology implementation for practicing teachers.
Title: Staff Development Methods for Planning Lessons with Integrated Technology
Author: Heine, Jennifer Miers
Description: This study compared cooperative and individual staff development methods for planning lessons with integrated technology. Twenty-three teachers from one elementary school participated in the study. The sample was the entire population. Nine participants were assigned to the control group, and fourteen participants were assigned to the experimental group. Names of participants were randomly drawn to determine group assignment. Participants in the control group worked individually in all three staff development sessions, while participants in the experimental group chose a partner, with whom they worked cooperatively in all three staff development sessions. Each participant or pair of participants submitted a lesson plan prior to participation in three staff development sessions. Following the sessions, each participant or pair of participants submitted a lesson plan. Three independent raters rated lesson plans to determine the participants' respective levels on the Level of Technology Implementation Observation Checklist (Moersch, 2001). The ratings of the lesson plans submitted before the training were compared to those collected after the training using a two-by-two mixed model ANOVA. The occasion (pre- vs. post-test), group, and interaction variables were all statistically significant at the .1 level; however, only the occasion variable had a strong effect size. These data suggest that (1) all teachers who participated in the training, whether individually or cooperatively, were able to develop lesson plans at a higher level of technology implementation and (2) cooperative staff development methods had no advantage over individual staff development methods with respect to teachers' ability to write lessons with integrated technology.
Title: The Relationship of the Learning Styles of High School Teachers and Computer Use in the Classroom
Author: Hunnicutt, Robert Lane
Description: This study sought to determine if the dominant learning styles of high school teachers is related to the amount of time computers are used in the classroom by students. It also examined the types of software used by those teachers, and their levels of technology adoption. Subjects (N=177) were from high schools in a large urban school district. Instrumentation included the Gregorc Style Delineator, a modified version of the Snapshot Survey and the Stages of Adoption of Technology. An ANOVA showed no statistical significance between teachers with different dominant learning styles in the numbers of minutes per week that computers were utilized in their classrooms with students. A chi square test showed no statistical significance in the types of software used in the classrooms of teachers with different dominant learning styles. A chi square test showed no statistical significance in the Stages of Technology Adoption of teachers with different dominant learning styles.
Title: Cognitive Playfulness, Innovativeness, and Belief of Essentialness: Characteristics of Educators who Have the Ability to Make Enduring Changes in the Integration of Technology into the Classroom Environment
Author: Dunn, Lemoyne Luette Scott
Description: Research on the adoption of innovation is largely limited to factors affecting immediate change with few studies focusing on enduring or lasting change. The purpose of the study was to examine the personality characteristics of cognitive playfulness, innovativeness, and essentialness beliefs in educators who were able to make an enduring change in pedagogy based on the use of technology in the curriculum within their assigned classroom settings. The study utilized teachers from 33 school districts and one private school in Texas who were first-year participants in the Intel® Teach to the Future program. The research design focused on how cognitive playfulness, innovativeness, and essentialness beliefs relate to a sustained high level of information technology use in the classroom. The research questions were: 1) Are individuals who are highly playful more likely to continue to demonstrate an ability to integrate technology use in the classroom at a high level than those who are less playful? 2) Are individuals who are highly innovative more likely to continue to demonstrate an ability to integrate technology use in the classroom at a high level than those who are less innovative? 3) Are individuals who believe information technology use is critical and indispensable to their teaching more likely to continue to demonstrate an ability to integrate technology use in the classroom at a high level than those who believe it is supplemental and not essential? The findings of the current study indicated that playfulness, innovativeness, and essentialness scores as defined by the scales used were significantly correlated to an individual's sustained ability to use technology at a high level. Playfulness was related to the educator's level of innovativeness, as well. Also, educators who believed the use of technology was critical and indispensable to their instruction were more likely to be able to demonstrate a sustained high level of technology integration. Further research is recommended to investigate numerous personality traits, such as playfulness, innovativeness, creativity, and risk-taking that might relate to technology adoption. Doing so may lead to modifications of professional development, assisting individuals in adapting better and faster to systemic change.
Title: E-Learning and In-Service Training: An Exploration of the Beliefs and Practices of Trainers and Trainees in the Turkish National Police
Author: Zengin, Selcuk
Description: This targeted research study, carried out by an officer of the Turkish National Police (TNP), investigated the perceptions and beliefs of TNP trainers and trainees towards the potential adoption and implementation of e-learning technology for in-service police training. Utilizing diffusion and innovation theory (DOI) (Rogers, 1995) and the conceptual technology integration process model (CTIM) (Nicolle, 2005), two different surveys were administered; one to the trainers and one to the trainees. The factor analyses revealed three shared trainer and trainee perceptions: A positive perception towards e-learning, personally and for the TNP; a belief in the importance of administrative support for e-learning integration; and the belief in importance of appropriate resources to facilitate integration and maintain implementation. Three major recommendations were made for the TNP. First, the research findings could be used as a road map by the TNP Education Department to provide a more flexible system to disseminate in-service training information. The second is to establish two-way channels of communication between the administration and the TNP personnel to efficiently operationalize the adoption and integration of e-learning technology. The third is the administrative provision of necessary hardware, software, and technical support.
Title: Third-year Evaluation of the University of North Texas/ Dallas Independent School District/ Southern Regional Education Board Leadership Development Program
Author: Jordan, Mary Ann
Description: Under No Child Left Behind legislation of 2002, school principals shoulder the burden of school success determined by test scores of students. Challenges principals face demand school leaders possess greater knowledge and skills than administrators of the past. The need for well-trained, skilled school leaders makes it important to study the subject of school leadership training. This study examined a school leadership preparation partnership between the University of North Texas and Dallas Independent School District. Primary supporting references include work by Bottoms and O'Neill (2001) calling for the 16-member states of the Southern Regional Education Board to train a new breed of principal to meet the current demands for student achievement in public schools. This research adds to the body of knowledge of school leadership development programs, particularly those that involve cohort-based study groups and shared service partnerships between school districts and universities. Major questions investigated: 1) How did participation in the program change the involvement of administrative interns in campus-based decision-making? 2) How has participation in the program changed the ways participants perceive themselves? 3) What actions have members of the cohort group taken in their teacher-leader/administrative positions to affect student achievement? 4) What are the strengths and weaknesses of the UNT/DISD/SREB Leadership Development Program partnership? Information was gathered from 16 of the 26 program participants through questionnaires, interviews, and document study.
Title: The Impact of Instructional Technology on Student Academic Achievement in Reading and Mathematics
Author: Middleton, Betty M., and Murray, Richard K.
Description: This study examined the relationship between levels of technology implementation in the classroom and standardized test scores in reading and mathematics in grades four and five. A sample of teachers (n=107) were surveyed using the Levels of Technology Implementation (LoTi) Instrument to determine their personal level of technology implementation in their classroom. Standardized test achievement scores in reading and mathematics were gathered from the teachers' students (n=2574) for analysis to determine whether a significant difference existed in achievement between students from teachers who characterized themselves as low level users of technology in their classroom. Results showed a significant difference in both math and reading scores among the fifth grade students. However, no significant difference was found among the fourth grade students. Article Title: The Impact of Instructional Technology on Student Academic Achievement in Reading and Mathematics. Contributors: Betty M. Middleton -
author, Richard K. Murray - author. Journal Title: International Journal of
Instructional Media. Volume: 26. Issue: 1. Publication Year: 1999. Page Number:
109. COPYRIGHT 1999 Westwood Press, Inc.; Copyright 2002 Gale Group
Title: Attitude toward Instructional Technology Following Required versus Optional WebCT Usage
Author: Johnson, Genevieve M., and Howell, Andrew J.
Description: The current study sought to understand the mechanisms that facilitate improvement in preservice teacher attitude toward instructional applications of computer technology. Participants comprised two groups: education students whose use of WebCT was required for completion of course assignments (n = 42) and education students whose use of WebCT was entirely optional (n = 82). All students made pre- and postcourse ratings of the perceived value of instructional technology. Across groups, positive changes from pre to postcourse occurred on seven of the ten items that evaluated attitude toward instructional technology. Additionally, students required to use WebCT showed a greater overall change in attitude from pre to postcourse and made greater use of optional online course material relative to those whose use of WebCT was optional. Requiring the use of technology in course work may generate favorable attitudes toward technology and thereby foster greater utilization of other available computer-based applications. Article Title: Attitude toward Instructional Technology Following Required versus Optional WebCT Usage. Contributors: Genevieve M. Johnson - author, Andrew J. Howell - author. Journal Title: Journal of Technology and Teacher Education. Volume: 13. Issue: 4. Publication Year: 2005. Page Number: 643+. Copyright 2005 Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE); Copyright 2005 Gale Group
Title: The Use of Technology in Portfolio Assessment of Teacher Education Candidates
Date: 2006
Author: Evans, Sam; Daniel, Tabitha; Mikovch, Alice; Metze, Leroy; and Norman, Antony
Description: The current focus on accountability and high stakes assessment at the P-12 level and the subsequent criticism being leveled against higher education for the quality of classroom teachers has increased the urgency for teacher education programs to develop systems of accountability to ensure the quality of their graduates. One response to this demand for teacher quality has been the use of electronic portfolios designed to document teacher candidate performance. Critical performances aligned with Kentucky's New Teacher Standards have been developed by program faculty and are integrated into courses throughout the various teacher preparation programs. These performances are hierarchical in nature and provide evidence that teacher candidates possess the requisite knowledge and skill for the culminating performance, the Renaissance Teacher Work Sample. Performances are entered electronically and scored by faculty members as the teacher candidates progress through their program and the accountability system is designed to provide evidence of teacher candidate progress as well as feedback to the program areas. Article Title: The Use of Technology in Portfolio Assessment of Teacher Education Candidates. Contributors: Sam Evans - author, Tabitha Daniel - author, Alice Mikovch - author, Leroy Metze - author, Antony Norman - author. Journal Title: Journal of Technology and Teacher Education. Volume: 14. Issue: 1. Publication Year: 2006. Page Number: 5+. Copyright 2006 Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE); Copyright 2006 Gale Group
Title: Learning through CyberApprenticeship (LTCA): Robust Evaluation Predicated on Stakeholder Engagement
Author: Bober, Marcie
Description: San Diego State University's (SDSU) Learning through Cyber Apprenticeship program, awarded in 1999 under the Preparing Tomorrow's Teacher's to Use Technology (PT3) initiative, was built on a simple but challenging premise: to establish and develop a system through which preservice teachers enrolled in EdTec 470 (1) work directly with technologically skilled teachers (TMTs) in the field to create projects (activities, lessons, units) for classroom implementation that depict best practices in technology use. Over the grant's nearly four years, project staff have necessarily engaged with a wide range of external and internal stakeholders--a challenging task, given their varying (and occasionally contradictory) needs, interests, and expectations.This article turns to theory and the author's own experiences to explore ways to ensure that stakeholders are fully integrated into assessment processes. The obligation is two-fold. The evaluator must, of course, be cognizant of his or her professional obligations, as specified in the Program Evaluation Standards (1994). As important, however, is her or her awareness of the ways stakeholders (a) are defined in the literature--and how that definition has changed over time; (b) may be differentiated by level of investment and stake in the program; (c) are influenced by the authorizing, sociopolitical environment in which they operate; (d) are affected by the phase of the study itself (divergent, convergent); (e) and respond to different techniques for connecting with them. Specific examples of this evaluator's own journey--and her perceptions of success at building and maintaining stakeholder interest--are also provided. Article Title: Learning through CyberApprenticeship (LTCA): Robust Evaluation
Predicated on Stakeholder Engagement. Contributors: Marcie Bober - author. Journal Title: Journal of Technology and Teacher Education. Volume: 12. Issue: 2. Publication Year: 2004. Page Number: 159+. Copyright 2004 Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE); COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group
Title: Teacher Inquiry: A Vehicle to Merge Prospective Teachers’ Experience and Reflection During Curriculum-based, Technology-enhanced Field Experiences
Author: Dawson, Kara (University of Florida)
Description: Experience combined with reflection results in professional growth (Posner, 2005) and professional growth and preparation is a goal of all field experiences (McIntyre et al., 1996). Data from a four-year effort to facilitate curriculum-based, technology-enhanced field experiences is analyzed in terms of prospective teachers’ experiences and reflective activities. Results suggest that teacher inquiry is a viable strategy for systematically and intentionally merging experience and reflection for professional growth during such experiences. A
case is made for leaders in the field of Information Technology and Teacher Education to recognize teacher inquiry as an important strategy to support prospective teachers as they become technology using educators.
Title: Beliefs About Technology Integration Support Factors held by School Leadership and School Faculty: A Mixed Methods Study
Author: Williams, Katherine (Georgia State University)
Description: Teachers’ beliefs have been identified as a barrier to classroom technology integration. School leadership support that reduces or removes integration barriers can assist teachers in the move from traditional teaching beliefs and practices towards successful classroom technology integration. This mixed methods study investigated beliefs of school leaders and teacher participants concerning support factors that affect technology integration from a mid-sized suburban public school system in the southeastern United States. The quantitative phase of this study included 556 school leaders and teachers. The quantitative survey Beliefs about Teaching with Technology (BATT) measured the school leaders and teachers’ beliefs concerning support factors that affect technology integration. A MANOVA was used to identify significant differences between the two groups and to select the extreme cases for the second phase of the study. An extreme case was defined as one in which the school leaders and teachers had a statistically different view of the beliefs about teaching with technology. Significance was found at the p = .001 level in all categories of beliefs investigated.
This qualitative phase of the study included participants from three extreme case schools. Interviews with key informants further explored the differences in beliefs between three leaders and nine teachers and identified differing perspectives between their beliefs about factors that support technology integration in their schools. These interviews also provided descriptions of behaviors related to individuals’ beliefs about these factors. The constant comparative model was used for interview analysis.
If classroom technology integration is to be successful, leaders and teachers in a school should possess similar beliefs about the availability and nature of the school-based support, resources, professional development, vision, and incentives necessary to encourage change within a school environment. This study identified the existence of differences in such beliefs between these two groups in one school system, a necessary step before conducting further research on the impact these differences in beliefs could have on individuals’ behaviors related to the successful integration of technology into classroom instruction.
Title: Adoption, Diffusion, Implementation, and Institutionalization of Educational Technology
Author: Surry,Daniel W. (University of South Alabama) and Ely, Donald P. (Syracuse University)
Description: Educational technology is a field of innovation and change. Many of the most important products and practices developed by educational technologists require dramatic shifts in the way we think about, deliver, administer, and assess instruction and training. Studying the adoption, diffusion, implementation, and institutionalization of innovations is essential to the field of educational technology because the field has suffered from a lack of widespread acceptance of technology (Burkman, 1987). While it’s possible to point to some notable exceptions, such as the common use of electronic mail or word processors in higher education (Green,1996) or the growing use of performance technology in industry (Desrosiers & Harmon, 1996), the way that education and training are conducted has changed very little during the past few decades.
Title: Diffusion of Innovation: Technology in the High School Jounalism Classroom
Author: Kalkowski, M.
Description: The purpose of this study was to explore the diffusion of technological innovation stages present in high school journalism classrooms across the state of Nebraska and to describe the high school journalism teacher’s perception of technology in the classroom. After a review of relevant literature on technology in the classroom, in the workplace and in the journalism profession, the researcher developed a self-response questionnaire sent to 100 members of the Nebraska High School Press Association. A response rate of 55 percent allowed analysis at a descriptive and basic interpretative level. The results of this limited sampling indicate that high school journalism programs have access to many technological innovations but that availability does not equal usage or automatic incorporation in to the journalism curriculum. A demographic description was developed on the average Nebraska high school journalism adviser and many of the advisers’ perceptions of technology were identified through both scaled items and open-ended responses. Analysis of these responses suggests that some Nebraska high school journalism classrooms are more likely to have certain technologies available and likely to have journalism teachers who perceive technology in certain ways. This study serves to motivate educators to challenge their current stage of technological innovation and analyze their own perceptions of technology.
Significance of the Study
After a review of diffusion and innovation concepts, some of the additional literature in the areas of technology in education, technology in the workplace and technology in journalism careers will be explored. The literature review will establish research questions to guide this exploratory study of technologies available in the high school journalism classroom. This was a cross-sectional study of the journalism teachers in Nebraska in spring 2000. The population is a purposeful sample (Babbie, 1998) and thus, limited as far as generalization is concerned, but it will still provide a clear snapshot of technology in a classroom organization. The results obtained may help explain why some high school journalism classrooms are more likely to have certain technologies available. The study may provide valuable information to educators in evaluating their own perceptions and attitudes toward technology and help educators identify their own biases and preconceptions. It may also show who the successful change agents in a school system can be and it may motivate educators to challenge their current stage of technological innovation, thus making the business of education and the communication of technologies more available to students. Finally, this study will explore successful strategies used by journalism educators striving to integrate technology into their curriculum in the hopes of inspiring others.
Title: Pre-Service Teacher's Perceptions of Student-centered Approach to Integrating Technology in Content Areas
Author: Cyrus, Jacquelyn D., M.A., M.Ed.
Description: Texas Tech University This research study investigated two concerns. First, with what technology skills did pre-service teachers enter the technology applications course? The self-reported technology skills knowledge mean gain scores increased on all of the 10 subscales of the Technology Questionnaire. Secondly, what did pre-service teachers perceive their roles to be in the classroom without computer use compared to the classroom within a computer environment? The study results showed no significant difference in mean gain scores between pre-service teachers’ perceptions of teacher-centered roles and their perceptions of student-centered roles in classrooms without computers. There was a significant difference for student-centeredness in environments using computers. The expectation was for there to be a shift in perspective back to teacher-centeredness when asked for choice of computer uses. However, when asked to report on their choice of computer uses in classrooms using computers, pre-service teachers maintained their student-centeredness approaches. The pre-service teachers would more likely use the computer as a student-centered tool after instruction in a learner centered technology integration class.
Title: The Integration of Learning Technologies in the Elementary Classroom: Identifying Teacher Pedagogy and Classroom Culture
Author: Orlando, Amy Diane
Description: The world’s dependence on technology is redefining computer literacy and the meaning of technology integration in schools (Brogan, 2000). Increases in Internet connectivity, National Educational Technology Standards (ISTE, 2002) and recent government legislation have been well documented in the literature (U.S. Department of Education, 2003; Snyder & Hoffman, 2002; Pennsylvania Department of Education, 2002; New Jersey Department of Education, 2003). Teachers are expected to develop independent, creative, computer-knowledgeable students that can learn in dynamic environments (Gemeinhardt, 2002; McCullen, 2001). However, with all the attention on instructional technologies, the influence of these technologies on the elementary classroom has not been fully assessed. This study examined a Grade 4 and Grade 5 classroom with instructional technologies in place. The examination details the cultures of each classroom and identifies pedagogical strategies used. A mixed-method case study design allowed the researcher to triangulate data from the professional literature, 24 classroom observations, Level of Technology Implementation (LoTi) Questionnaire (Moersch, 1995), Classroom Culture Inventory (Furtwengler, 1986) and student, teacher, and administrator interviews. The collected data pointed to several interesting patterns. Communication was primarily through email, especially with home, inner-district, and family/friend communication. Connectedness with parents kept families informed and promoted parental involvement, a critical key to student success. Benefits of having email to communicate also help justify money toward technology initiatives. Six pedagogical dimensions from the Computer-Based Education Framework (Reeves, 1994) were apparent: (a) constructivism, (b) teacher as facilitator, (c) easily modifiable programs, (d) accommodation of individual differences, (e) generative user activity, and (f) cooperative learning. Identifying practices provides models for how children are being taught to learn with computers and helps outline necessary curriculum training. The dimensions also describe the range of skills expected of today’s technology-proficient learner. A high level of independence is required as students and teachers learn together and work in a variety of groupings. Ultimately, survey results in combination with teacher and administrator interviews reflect the need for professional development and pre-service training at universities in applying technology in instruction and addressing technology standards. Teachers need to understand how to utilize learning technologies in ways that are most efficacious to student learning.
Title: The Influence of Teachers' Technology Use on Instructional Practices
Author: Rakes, Glenda C. (University of Tennessee); Fields, Valerie S. (Louisiana Campus Compact); Cox, Karen E. (University of Memphis)
Description: This study investigated the relationship between technology use and skills and the use of constructivist instructional practices among teachers in rural schools. Teachers in this study responded to Moersch's instrument, the Levels of Technology Implementation (LoTi). The LoTi was administered to the fourth and eighth grade teachers in 11 school districts to determine if levels of classroom technology use and personal computer use predicted the use of constructivist instructional practices. Results indicate that there is a significant, positive relationship between both levels of classroom technology use and personal computer use and the use of constructivist instructional practices, with personal computer use being the strongest predictor.
Title: Evaluation of the Texas Technology Immersion Pilot: First Year Results 2006
Author: Texas Center for Educational Research
Description: The Technology Immersion Pilot (TIP) sets forth a vision for technology immersion in Texas public schools. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) directed nearly $14 million in federal Title II, Part D monies toward funding a wireless learning environment for high-need middle schools through a competitive grant process. A concurrent research project funded by a federal Evaluating State Educational Technology Programs grant is evaluating whether student achievement improves over time as a result of exposure to technology immersion. The Texas Center for Educational Research (TCER)—a non-profit research organization in Austin—is the TEA’s primary partner in this landmark effort.
The overarching purpose of the study is to conduct a scientifically based evaluation at the state level to test the effectiveness of technology immersion in increasing middle school students’ achievement in core academic subjects. Technology immersion encompasses multiple components, including a laptop computer for every middle school student and teacher, wireless access throughout the campus, online curricular and assessment resources, professional development and ongoing pedagogical support for curricular integration of technology resources, and technical support to maintain an immersed campus.
Title: Digital Stories for Professional Learning: Reflection and Technology Integration in the Classroom
Author: Ramage, David Edward (Drexel University)
Description: A case study design was used to gain understanding of the interactions, practices, and contexts that are hindering or fostering the integration of technology. Qualitative methodology was used to gather detailed data of teachers' beliefs, experiences, reflections, goals, and interactions while they created learning environments that integrated technology resources with their existing curriculum. Data collection included field observations, formal and informal interviews, videotaping, artifacts, student work, and an online questionnaire. Documents and instructional practices were assessed using the Levels of Technology Integration (LoTi) framework and National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETSS) criteria. Results indicate, culture and context; coaching; evaluation of current integration practice; goal setting for lesson/ unit planning and examining current practice through reflection positively influenced the process of creating high quality integration.
