Rakes,
G. C., Fields, V. S., & Cox, K. E. (2011). The influence of teachers'
technology use on instructional practices. L. Schrum (Ed.), Considerations
on educational technology integration: The best of JRTE (pp. 129-147).
International Society for Technology in Education.
This article reports the results of
a study that explored the relationship among a teachers’ classroom technology
use, personal technology use, and constructivist teaching practices. The population
of this study included 186 fourth and eighth grade teachers from rural school
districts, all of which served low-income student populations. These districts
were given technology literacy grants which collectively provided over $10
million in funding for technology equipment and teacher training. One year into
the study teachers were asked to respond to three separate assessments: Level
of Technology Implementation (LoTi) instrument, Current Instructional Practices
(CIP) scale, and Personal Computer Use (CPU) scale. The results of these
assessments made two important revelations.
First, it
was revealed that there is a positive correlation among teachers’ higher levels
of classroom and personal technology use and higher-level classroom teaching
practices. I believe this finding is encouraging because it seems to indicate
educational technology can have a positive impact on student-learning. Teachers
who are more comfortable with using technology are able to more properly
implement technology into their classrooms and, using technology as a tool, design
lessons that promote critical thinking and that are more authentic, meaningful,
and learner-centered. Although it does not explicitly describe the correlation,
the report points out that “appropriate use of technology can reinforce higher
cognitive skill development and complex thinking skills as promoted through
constructivist teaching practices.”
Secondly, and possibly most
interestingly, despite the increased access to technology and training, one year
into the study, it was revealed that overall teachers’ skill and comfort
levels, as well as classroom technology use, were surprisingly low. The
predominant level on the LoTi assessment was 0 (non use), meaning that these
teachers reported having insufficient access or time to use technology. The
report suggests that the greatest indicator of technology use by teachers may
be preexisting teacher attitudes toward technology. This would certainly be an
interesting area of future research. As a library media specialist, if I better
understand the influences on teacher attitudes toward technology, I may design professional
development sessions that better address teacher technology training and
motivation needs.
Laraine, I like the topic of your article. I have experienced a situation where a teacher, or group of teachers, was extremely proficient in the use of technology, and it was, indeed, reflected in the classroom teaching practices. I have also experienced a situation where there was an abundance of technology available, and because of teachers' limited proficience or prior attitude, the technology went unused. Most of the teachers stated that there was not enough time to incorporate technology in to the lesson plans. I think that there was definitely a lack of training as well. I am currently a middle-school librarian, and this is my first year on campus, but I still see the same issues. It is a Title I campus, so we have quite a bit of technology, but it is terribly underutilized by most departments.
ReplyDeleteI think your idea about presenting professional development in specific areas is great. From experience, it is better to present one "app" or one use at a time, or else inexperienced users will become overwhelmed.
Laraine, I enjoy reading almost any article dealing with technology and teaching. Pedagogy in the classroom has changed dramatically over the past 10 years, and with the push for more technology integration in schools and curriculum, it is critical that teachers learn how to use the technology efficiently and effectively. Like the other post, I agree that the majority of teachers who are not using technology do not use it due to time constraints, or anxiety over using it properly.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with your idea of presenting professional development on one app instead of giving an overview on several apps. Our campus had a staff development where they had us choose three apps to try out in our classes, and then choose one to present how we integrated the app into our lessons. It was a great idea, and I'm glad current research is addressing this idea.
Hi Laraine,
ReplyDeleteYour article was interesting and the results of research behind it intrigued me. I agree with your sentiment that the findings: teachers’ higher levels of classroom and personal technology use and higher-level classroom teaching practices definitely IS encouraging!! I have always believed that if the instructor is comfortable with the “lesson” – and in this case its technology, then he/she will openly embrace teaching it. However, it’s when they’re not comfortable with the tool(s) that it presents a problem, which echoes the results of the second finding: teachers reported having insufficient access or time to use technology due to preexisting teacher attitudes toward technology. In this case I believe generation (age) matters because in many cases the older the individual the harder it is for them embrace change and technology, as we know it, is ever-changing. This just makes it that much harder to embrace and even harder to 'want' to teach it.
I believe it's our duty (the enforcers) to teach the instructor and ensure that the individual "gets" it. When we take the time to make sure he/she understand the technology and why it's important, and what it does (how it all works), then the outcome might be more in our favor.
Thank you for sharing Laraine; this was an interesting article.
Laraine...I found your post very interesting. It is such a shame that so many schools and teachers have access to technology and the only thing accessing it is dust. I found an online learning activity called Ask Sensei. This is a problem-solving game where the Senseis-the assigned team, have to think critically and reflect on their thoughts to help solve others problems. Just like a Sensei would do at his dojo, so do this picked out team do for their classmates. I love this constructivist approach in the classroom as this activity helps students with reflection and searching for more info on the web in order to better assist in answering their classmates questions. Your future plans for professional development is a grand idea. Great job.
ReplyDeleteThe article you chose is very interesting although not surprising. It seems to make sense that instructors more comfortable with technology would be more willing to think of different ways to incorporate it in lessons. Other articles, such as Jennifer's showed links to increased cognitive skills when using videos. It is not a far stretch to find whether these same benefits could be realized through incorporating them in other ways. I agree with the outcomes showing a prevalence toward using media in a more constructivist type design. Usually, instructors can take the role of guide or leader rather than lecturer if the course design allows more self exploration through various types of media.
ReplyDeleteThis article is one that seems to be the talk of teachers. Some teachers aren't comfortable with effectively using technology so more professional development on technology needs to be given. Teachers who have the knowledge base are more likely to effectively use and teach with technology therefore promoting critical thinking. Our district does a pretty good job of having a variety of technology courses. These courses have allowed us to be knowledge and creative when creating our lessons and while delivering instruction.
ReplyDelete