Examining Teacher Technology Use

Abstract

As access to computer-based technology in schools and classrooms increases, greater emphasis has been placed on preparing teachers to use technology for instructional purposes. Survey data collected from 2,894 teachers in 22 Massachusetts districts were analyzed to examine the extent to which technology is used in and out of the classroom for instructional purposes. In addition to defining six specific categories of instructional use of technology, this study provides evidence that teachers generally use technology more for preparation and communication than for delivering instruction or assigning learning activities that require the use of technology. Important differences, however, were found among teachers who were new to the field compared with their more experienced colleagues. Although new teachers reported higher levels of comfort with technology and use it more for preparation, more experienced teachers report using technology more often in the classroom when delivering instruction or having students engage in learning activities.

Analysing Teachers’ Representations of Digital Technology Using a Grounded Theory Approach

“…The data, indicated that there was a gap between the teachers' use of digital tools for personal purposes (e.g., such as email and other social networking) (n=16) and their professional use outside of class time (e.g., to prepare their lessons) (n=16) and the learners' active use of technological tools in class (n=8). Our findings bear similarities with other research studies conducted on the topic (Cuban et al, 2001;Ertmer & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, 2010;Palak & Walls, 2009;Prestridge, 2012;Russell, Bebell, O'Dwyer, & O'Connor, 2003). Thirty-six percent of the coded statements expressed positive feelings about DT, and sixty-four percent of the statements expressed problems.…”

Technology in the Montessori Classroom: Teachers’ Beliefs and Technology Use

“…Despite this access to computers, only 40% of these teachers reported that their students often used technology during instructional time (Gray et al, 2009). Researchers have begun to view student use as a better measure for technology integration rather than simply counting computers in a classroom (Gray et al, 2009;Russell, Bebell, O'Dwyer, & O'Connor, 2003). Eteokleous (2008) found two categories of student use of technology: traditional and transformative.…”

Teacher’s Professional Use of Information and Communication Technology in Secondary Schools in Tamil Nadu, India

“…Russell et al (2003) reported that teachers use technology in different ways, such as using computer based technology for instructional methods, motivating students to use technology for collaborative learning, using computers for communication purposes, preparing material for classroom teaching, maintaining records and using it for personal reasons. Russell et al (2003) further showed that novice teachers had higher levels of knowledge and practice in using ICT than veteran teachers in their professional field. The requirement is to produce the in-service teachers with better preparation of technology integration in their teaching.…”