Novice Teacher Case Studies

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Novice Teacher Case Studies
A Changing Perspective on Technology during
Induction Years

• Melissa Pierson
• Alysa Cozart
• University of Houston

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Participants

• Technology in the Classroom sequence - three
  courses.
• Four-year commitment
• 8 female teacher education students.
• Four employed as practicing teachers in regular
  classrooms.
• Teach grades Kindergarten, second, third, and
  fourth.

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Data Collection and Analysis

• Data collected
• Interview field notes
• Observation of classrooms
• Emerging patterns throughout each case and across
  cases.
• Interview write-ups shared with participants as
  member checks.

4
Action Research in Action

• Participants play role in direction of research
  activities.
• Findings from early data collection inform later
  work.
• Study is responsive to needs of participants.
• Review interview transcripts.

5
Transition to the Classroom

• As preservice teachers, participants envisioned
  technology use.
• As teachers, primary vision is survival.

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Discussion of Emerging TrendsBarriers/Roadblocks

• Many roadblocks faced due to being a first year
  teacher.
• Unsure of who to ask for help.
• Uncertain of computer lab schedules.
• Three of the four participants are in an
  internship program without the experience of
  student teaching.
• Inability to access or make work very simple
  technologies.

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Discussion of Emerging TrendsBarriers/Roadblocks

• Technology support were at times a hindrance.
• Computer lab teachers had their own agendas.
• I walked in there before, and I know she was
  teaching them home row keys and she was telling
  them about position. And they learned more about
  the mouse and stuff like that

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Discussion of Emerging TrendsBarriers/Roadblocks

• School technology resources were guarded too
  closely.
• So youve got to become really good friends with
  her to go and find out whats going on which is
  kind of upsetting because I wish they wouldthrow
  it at me and tell me what we have so I can use
  it.

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Discussion of Emerging TrendsInconsistent School
Vision

• All participants work in schools with adequately
  resourced technology.
• Absence of a clear vision for what technology
  should be used for teaching and learning.
• First year teachers pushed into a leadership
  role. This is problematic because they lack
• pedagogical understanding
• sense of confidence using technology for teaching
• localized information of procedures and
  expectations
• collegial respect.

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Discussion of Emerging TrendsInconsistent School
Vision

• One participant struggles to discuss this
  inconsistent vision with the principal.
• But as far as real technology help I dont know
  what at this point really could help me, because
  it doesnt matter what I bring up or what I
  suggest, its stopped at that person. And so I
  think the best thing for me is just to bite the
  bullet and go sit down and have a meeting with my
  principal and try and get it worked out.

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Discussion of Emerging TrendsInconsistent
Individual Vision

• Participants have difficulty recognizing how
  often they use technology.
• Pronouncements of guilt.
• so far Ive only done one newsletter and I feel
  terrible, like, I have not been keeping up with
  it.
• I dont feel like Im always doing it, I want to
  do it as much as I can but I know Im notI feel
  like Im failing them.
• Guilty feelings originated from fact they were
  not implementing sophisticated technology
  products.
• Discounted their use of multiple administrative
  practices.

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Discussion of Emerging TrendsInconsistent
Individual Vision

• Reasons for Guilt could be . . .
• A personal response to the lead author.
• that our program may have succeeded in preparing
  these teachers with ideas to use technology so
  that it was truly a part of their vision of
  teaching.
• students received incomplete preparation during
  our courses as we did not give ample teaching
  options.

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Conclusion

• Working Recommendations
• Novice teachers struggle to find access to
  resources and equipment.
• Even schools with adequate technology support
  staff may not provide a strong environment for
  novice teachers.
• Novice teachers should be prepared to enter their
  profession with a varied and strong repertoire of
  technology uses.

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• Melissa Pierson
• University of Houston
• mpierson_at_uh.edu

• Alysa Cozart
• University of Houston
• acozart_at_uh.edu