Literature Review 1: Teacher Perceptions of Tech. Integration

In her 2008 article, A Study of Teacher Perceptions of Instructional Technology Integration in the Classroom, Lynette Molstad Gorder examined the degree to which teachers perceived they integrated technology into their classrooms.  Gorder surveyed K-12 teachers who had received advanced training in technology integration at the Technology for Teaching and Learning Academies in South Dakota.  Of the 300 teachers invited to participate in the survey, 174 replied.  Gorder analyzed the data she received according to the gender, age, teaching experience, grade level taught, content area taught, and educational level of said teachers. 

Gorder divided her survey into three phases of technology integration.  Phase one measures a teacher’s perceived use of technology for his or her professional productivity.  This includes activities such as using technology to manage files, communicate, and locate educational resources.  Phase two measures a teacher’s perceived use of technology to facilitate and deliver instruction.  This includes such activities such as managing student learning activities and demonstrating strategies to assess the validity and reliability of information gathered with technology.  Phase three measured a teacher’s perceived use of technology for integration into teaching and student learning.  This phase includes activities like using technology with students to solve authentic problems and engaging learners in the development of electronic portfolios.        

Based upon the responses she received, Gorder found little difference in perceived integration of technology based upon the aforementioned demographics and personal attributes.  The only difference worth noting is that High School teachers tend to integrate and use technology more often that Middle School or Elementary School teachers.  Gorder’s research does indicate that, overall, teachers are more comfortable in the first two phases of technology use (for professional productivity as well as to facilitate and deliver instruction) than they are with the third phase (integration into teaching and student learning).  She recommends that teachers seek further opportunities for professional development to enhance the ways they integrate technology into their classrooms as well as collaborate with their colleagues to share ideas and strategies for better utilizing technology.  Administrators also can help by providing teachers with more time and resources to enhance their knowledge and skill levels as they pertain to technology integration. 

This study both surprised me and reinforced what I had already thought.  I was surprised to learn that age, in particular, was not a factor when determining a teacher’s perceived use and integration of technology in the classroom.  The 60 year-olds were on par with the 25 year-olds.  Prior to reading this study, I assumed that digital natives would have a much higher percentage of utilization and integration in their classrooms than digital immigrants.  I was wrong. 

The study did reinforce what I thought would be true of most teachers.  They are more comfortable using the technology for professional productivity and delivering instruction than they are integrating that technology into their teaching and their students’ learning.  Teachers know how to use their technological tools in the classroom but they don’t always know why they are using them.  The why question is essential and one teachers must learn to address when engaging their students in the classroom.

Gorder, Lynette Molstad.  Delta Pi Epsilon Journal, v50 n2 p63-76 Spr-Sum 2008. 14 pp.

http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?hid=14&sid=84215260-37fa-4c92-9cb0-d8b23ebe5ace%40sessionmgr14&vid=6

About Me

Ok, it’s been a few weeks.  I’ve added some posts.  And you know a little about me.  But now it’s time for an “about me” post.  As I mention in my little blurb, I am a parent (two wonderful boys, 4 and 1), a partner (married 8 years—how time flies), a student (at SNHU and everyday out in the world), and a teacher (my official job title is Pastor and Teacher of a mainline protestant church).  I am a digital immigrant who did not own a computer until I left for college or a cell phone until a year after I graduated from seminary.  I have purposefully avoided technology.  I do not have a facebook page.  I do not text.  I don’t even have cable television.  I am pretty content being out of the loop and unplugged.  However, I do want to teach students in a public school.  So I’m learning.  I’m plugging in.  And I’m having fun. 

Equal Access

Right now we do not have a level playing field when it comes to technology and our learners’ access to the digital world.  Some folks have and some folks don’t.  For example, some have high speed internet access, some have dial up, and some don’t have any connection at all in the home.  While everyone should have access to a public library where the internet is available, it’s not always that simple.  In the current economic environment, we know that staff positions and library hours are being reduced (thus affecting access!).  This doesn’t even address the question of whether a family has a computer in the home on which they can use the internet.     

Knowing that our students do not have equal access in their homes begs the question, what does it mean for  teachers to provide equal access in the classroom.  And, just as importantly, how do teachers accomplish it.  First and foremost, I believe it is essential for teachers to know their students and understand their life situations.  In the case of a student whose parents are divorced, having access to a computer at one parent’s house does not mean they have access at the other.  A student who relies on public transportation may have certain limitations around doing homework at the library.  And some students might not understand how to use the tech tools that are available to them.  Learning about student needs will help a teacher prepare, plan and develop lessons designed to engage all of their learners.   

Once a teacher knows what s/he is dealing with in terms of student access and knowledge, s/he can begin to integrate technology into the classroom in ways that enhance all of their students’ education.  They can provide adequate time for projects and assignments if they are to be completed outside of class time.  They can properly teach students how to use tools, programs, websites, etc. in an effort to acquaint those students for whom such things are new.  They can participate in professional learning communities to pick up new ideas and best practices from their colleagues.  They can advocate for broader access to technology within their school and their district.  And they can fully utilize the technology that is already available within their school (sign up for all the tech goodies and use them when they enhance your lessons!).     

Digital Parent Engagement

In her presentation, Digital Parent Engagement (http://k12onlineconference.org/?p=628), Lorna Costantini reminds us just how influential parents can be in the success of their children’s education.  When parents are supportive, students perform better, drop out less, and achieve higher grades.   Even with this knowledge, Costantini suggests that it is still difficult to get parents and schools on the same page when it comes to educating students.  This is where technology can be useful. 

Costantini differentiates between parental involvement and parental engagement.  When parents are involved in their children’s schools, it typically looks like staffing fundraising events, organizing meetings, attending field trips, or reading in the classroom.  These types of activities promote an agenda which the school has already set.  When parents engage with teachers and administrators of schools, they set the agenda and make decisions together.  Parents become more involved as they participate and that’s a good thing.

Throughout her presentation, Costantini provided examples of technology which can be used to engage parents .  These examples come from teachers and schools in the USA, Cananda, and England.  One school used a “Parent Portal” to provide parents with secure, online access to their child’s grades, courses, and resources.   This tool eliminated the need for paperwork, ensured quicker and more convenient access to information, and allowed parent to sit down with their kids when it was convenient for them to talk together.  Other teachers utilized Web 2.0 tools like Twitter, Voicethread, Youtube, and Facebook to engage parents.  One parent shared that Voicethread provided her a window into the classroom, allowing her to see what her daughter was learning and, importantly, allowing her to reinforce the classroom’s lesson at home using the same language as the teacher.  Clearly Web 2.0 tools can increase access and parental support at home.

Overall, this was a useful presentation that got me thinking about ways to engage parents in their children’s education.  It also provided useful links to other video’s and websites where I could further explore the topic.  I would be interested to learn about Web 2.0 tools gone “wrong.”  Is there such a thing as too much access and engagement from parents?    

I really like the access that the K12 Conference Online site provides.  If it is good, keep watching.  If it isn’t, move on.