An Evaluation Of Reported Changes In Teachers’ Practices In The Classroom For The Future Initiative Based On Levels Of Technology Implemented
Open Access
- Author:
- Nordstrom, Patricia Anne
- Graduate Program:
- Instructional Systems
- Degree:
- Doctor of Education
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- June 03, 2013
- Committee Members:
- Priya Sharma, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Roy Clariana, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Rose Marie Baker, Committee Member
Joan S Thomson, Committee Member - Keywords:
- educational technology
21st Century Skills - Abstract:
- The introduction of computers and related educational technologies into the classrooms in the late 1970s came with the expectation that technology would transform teaching and learning by improving teaching conditions, enhancing classroom management, individualizing learning, and resulting in a pedagogical shift (Salomon & Perkins,1996). Technology’s impact has not been limited to education; its effects are global and have infiltrated all aspects of society including the economy. Experts in the field of technology and education agree that for today’s student to compete in this technologically powered global environment, students must have the necessary skills. These skills, referred to as 21st Century skills, include group problem solving, collaboration, creativity, and formal reasoning abilities. To provide students with these skills, the current learning environment must shift from a teacher-centered (didactic) environment to a student-centered (constructivist) environment. To facilitate this pedagogical shift, in 2006 Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell announced a three-year, $200 million Classrooms for the Future (CFF) initiative to provide technology and technological support in the form of professional development and technology coaches. However in 2008, an unanticipated additional challenge for schools came in the form of a global recession. This economic downturn led to funding limits for technology purchases. These funding limits directly resulted in cuts which made it difficult for schools to purchase and install all of the hardware recommended by the CFF initiative. The result of budgetary constraints was varying levels of technology implementation in the schools. Using data collected by the CFF evaluation team located at Penn State, this study will examine the technology levels (low to high) that schools were able to implement and if the amount of technology implemented had an impact on teacher practices. The primary research question is: are there differences in changes in reported teacher practices, moving from a teacher-centered to a student-centered environment, based on the levels of technology implemented into their classrooms?