No Computer Left Behind: Getting Teachers on Board with Technology

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No Computer Left Behind Getting Teachers on
Board with Technology

• Janet Buckenmeyer
• Purdue University Calumet
• David Freitas
• Indiana University South Bend
• NECC Conference
• June 29, 2005

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Organization of the Presentation

• Review of the Research
• Results
• Conclusions
• Implications
• Next Steps

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Why?

• Why the focus on the teacher????
• It is not the technology that makes the
  difference, but rather how teachers adapt and
  apply technology (Sandholtz, Ringstaff Dwyer,
  1997).

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Significance from Research

• Conditions which have been found to encourage
  technology adoption include

• Teacher attitude
• Physical resources
• Access
• Technical support
• Administrative support
• Stated goals
• Training
• Time

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Summary of Previous Research

• Technology, used appropriately, can be effective
  for student learning
• Conditions exist which influence use of
  technology
• Simply having technology does not ensure adoption
• Teacher attitude is critical to adoption
• Change is complex, but patterns are identifiable

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Significance of THIS Research

• Technology integration is still an issue.
• Certain conditions do influence technology
  adoption among teachers.
• However, the list is lengthy and overwhelming,
  and certainly impractical to implement
  immediately.

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Purpose of this study

• The conditions studied
• 1. physical resources
• 2. teacher attitude
• 3. professional development

• What is the relationship of each condition to
  stage of use?
• Which condition or combination is more likely to
  produce technology integration?

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Who?

• Census study non-random, purposeful
• Secondary teachers
• One suburban public school district in NW Ohio
• May be generalizable to larger populations on a
  logical basis.

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Instrumentation

• Survey developed from five sources to measure the
  relationship with technology adoption between
• Staff development
• Physical resources
• Teacher attitude
• Reliability - Cronbachs Alpha .93

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Methods of Analysis

• Correlations to identify relationships between
  adoption categories and the various conditions
  identified in this research
• Regression analysis to determine relative
  contributions.

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Demographic Profile of Participants(80 return
rate!)

• Age ? 43.22
• Years of Experience ? 16.35
• Gender 56.3 Female 40.3 Male
• Masters level 56.3
• (Comparable to national averages)

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Results . . .
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Professional development

• Trial and error approach has increased knowledge
  of computer use
• Periodicals and professional literature
• Websites on the Internet for guidance on
  constructing lessons

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Physical Resources

• More training opportunities supported by
  administration
• More time
• More examples in my content area

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Attitude

• The role of the teacher will be dramatically
  changed by the use of technology
• Using technology is a strategy employed by
  effective teachers
• Using technology increases student learning

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Relative contributions

• The combination of the three conditions studied
  were powerful predictors of technology adoption
• Attitude is strongest predictor of technology
  use.
• Available resources is strongest predictor of an
  individuals stage.

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Implications . . .AKA So What ? ? ? ?
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Increase Staff Development Opportunities

• Trial and error
• Inservices, conferences
• Computer classes at local colleges
• Encourage collaboration

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2. Provide TIME

• To learn
• To integrate
• To collaborate with others

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3. Provide Prompt Technical Assistance

• Who will use the equipment if it is a hassle???

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4. Address Attitude

• Demonstrate technologys effectiveness
• Increase exposure

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Next steps

• Handhelds
• Administrative recognition through evaluation
• Meet teacher needs
• Create a support network of colleagues
• Mobile labs
• Integration of technology hardware into classrooms

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Value of this research

• Prioritizes conditions for integrating technology
• Rated by teachers
• To be used by teachers

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THE END . . .
Hope to see you in San Diego in 2006!