Using Technology Tools in the Public School Classroom
Chapter I: Introduction
Technology is a part of nearly everything people do. But does it have a place in the classroom? In this study, teachers in the Kaiserslautern School District, which is located in the pfaltzland area of Germany consisting of eight military bases, had just received new computers over the past 18 months, and some attended specific software training classes the past summer. Kaiserslautern is a district in Germany on military bases. The district encompasses four high schools, five middle schools and 10 elementary schools. The children that attend the schools are American children in military families. The teachers were ready to infuse their classroom lesson plans with a variety of technology and assigned students activities that involved creating brochures, creating PowerPoint presentations, and using video cameras. This rush of technology could be seen in almost all of the regular classes. However, as the school moved into the 2nd quarter, there was a slow return to traditional classroom instruction, leaving PowerPoint presentations, use of Publisher, and video production behind. Students are still using word processing programs and completing a few scattered technology projects, but the flurry of technology use is over. At-risk students’ grades have dropped, along with students’ attendance in some or, for a few, in all classes after use of technology was dropped.
The children who are now in grades K-12 will graduate high school over the next 12 years, and more jobs will be technology-based than in previous years. Even if a student decided to work at a fast food restaurant the rest of hisfher life, he/she would have to learn to work the cash register, which is computerized. In addition, the rising use of the Internet has brought people together from all over the world. People in the United States are able to do business with people in Spain via the Internet, for example. According to Kleyn-Kennedy (2001), “The unprecedented, exponential growth of technology has changed the world as we know it, and its
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impact on every aspect of society is, as of yet, impossible to measure” (as cited in Honey, 2005,
p. 8). Smith (2002) offered these thoughts on the impact of technology on the workplace: Clearly it is now possible for more people than ever to collaborate and compete in real time with more other people on more different kinds of work from more different corners of the planet and on a more equal footing than at any previous time in the history of the world-using computers, emails, networks, teleconferencing, and dynamic new software.
(p.325) Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, in her 2006 testimony to the u.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, spoke of the unprecedented pace of technological innovation and global competition taking place today. She concluded, “All Americans must be technically adept and numerically literate regardless of their chosen occupation so that they can make informed decisions and enjoy advancement in their careers” (Spellings, 2006, p. 3). Therefore, it is imperative students have a positive attitude and a basic understanding about technology to be successful in their adult lives. If schools do not change along with society as far as technology is concerned, they will educate a group of students who do not have the technological skills to compete and succeed in higher education or in the job market, both nationally and internationally (Basset, 2005).
Today teachers have access to innovative tools with which to enhance their curriculum. One of these technology tools is the Internet, which has given students a new way to do research, allowed teachers to offer a wider topic range, and made available an endless amount of information. Additionally, email connects teachers and students from all over the world so they can work collaboratively with other teachers and students anywhere in the world. Interactive whiteboards also allow students to touch the screen and participate in thought provoking
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activities prepared by teachers. Specifically, special education teachers have access to tools such as a scanner that will read aloud and software programs that emphasize reading skills. These tools could be helpful to a blind student listening to a book, learning-disabled students playing with reading software, and dyslexic students learning how to read with software.
In the field of education, the influence of technology is ever increasing as school districts and even state governments mandate its use more and more each year. The Kaiserslautern School District, the district where the researcher works, all 750 teachers in grades K-12 were given the opportunity to apply for new technology tools for their classroom. They were offered a SMART Board, an interactive whiteboard; a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) projector, a projector that connects to a computer hard drive; and an Educators Workstation, a laptop computer with a docking station and a wireless keyboard and monitor. The district superintendent hoped, by offering these tools as well as training teachers to use the tools, student test scores and both teacher and student motivation would improve.
Students should benefit from the use oftechnology in the classroom. Research in this area has the potential to prove that when teachers use technology tools in the classroom, students become more motivated to learn the material and are more involved in the lesson. In addition, their attention spans may increase when a teacher uses technology tools. Some of these tools include an interactive whiteboard, email, the Internet, course specific software, and many other options available today.
If teachers understand the importance ofintegrating technology into their lessons and receive the professional development needed in their fields, they could become accustomed to using technology tools; therefore, student learning and motivation could increase. As KleynKennedy (2006) stated, “Even ifteachers are not drawn to technology, they realize that
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computers are here to stay, and inevitably, they must resign themselves to developing sufficient technology skills” (p. 43). This study attempted to show that teachers who use technology tools in their classrooms would improve student learning and motivation. “Today’s education system faces irrelevance unless we bridge the gap between how students live and how they
learn…Students will spend their adult lives in a multi-tasking, multifaceted, technology-driven, diverse, vibrant world-and they must arrive equipped to do so” (Transition in School, 2000, p.
48).
Statement ofthe Problem
The problem is although many new technology tools are available for teachers to use in their classrooms, training must be provided and continuously encouraged for implementation to be successful. Teachers should realize ifthey spend the initial time learning to use technology tools, such as an interactive whiteboard, email, or the Internet, the tools could benefit their students. With practice and a little extra planning time, teachers should be able to integrate technology into their classrooms and soon witness the benefits, such as improved student test scores and motivation.
Some teachers are anxious about change and, therefore, shy away from technology. However, the technology tools suggested in this research paper are user friendly and could possibly reap many rewards for students in the classroom. Iftraining is provided to teachers and followed up with peer coaching, observation of other teachers using the tools, mentoring and coteaching, teachers should have less anxiety about integrating technology tools into their classrooms.
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Purpose ofthe Study
The purpose of this study was to prove the importance of adding technology tools into a teacher’s instruction method. During the Information Age, technology tools should motivate students by making their lessons more real world experiences and bringing American education into the 21st century. When teachers add technology tools to proven instructional strategies in their curriculum, students could be more excited about learning, their attitudes could be positive about technology, they could be more engaged in the lesson, and their test scores could improve. Any teacher who can use a computer can integrate technology tools into hislher classroom. This study specifically hoped to show significant improvement in at-risk students’ attendance and grades based on current research related to computers and students. The fact classrooms contain computers with an abundance of software does not mean teacher technology use and student technology use will have an immediate and sustained positive effect on student grades and attendance. For these benefits to occur, instructors must undergo professional development in combining use of the technology tools with effective instructional strategies.
Research Questions
Technology in education is a very broad topic, and many questions could have been asked ofteachers and students to gather information for this study. The researcher narrowed down the topic by focusing on teachers and students’ motivation, grades, attendance, and attitude. As a result, this study considered the following research questions:
I. What anxieties do teachers have about adding technology to their classrooms?
2.
How does the attitude of students improve when technology is used in the classroom?
3.
What benefits are there to students when technology is integrated into the classroom?
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4. What levels of professional development are needed to help the teacher learn to use the new technology tools?
5. Specifically, is the interactive whiteboard easy to use and beneficial to students?
6. After professional development is provided, how many of the Kaiserslautern District’s 261 teachers who received an interactive whiteboard said that they will continue to use the board and will add other technology tools into their curriculum? Assumptions ofthe Study
The researcher assumed the teachers in the study use proven instructional strategies and are competent in their subject matter and their classroom management and teaching style are already high quality. Also, the researcher assumed the teachers in the study would try to the best of their ability to add technology tools into their already existing curriculum. The researcher also assumed the teachers would allow their students to use the interactive whiteboard interactively and provide honest feedback for the duration of this research project.
Definition ofTerms
Technology. The branch ofknowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment, drawing upon subjects as industrial arts, engineering, applied science, and pure science (Technology, 2006).
Technology tools. Tools such as, but not limited to, an interactive whiteboard, software, email, computers, and the Internet are considered technology tools.
Interactive whiteboard. An electronic device, which interfaces with a computer so that images, are displayed on the board where they can be used interactively (Weiser, 1996). Notes can be added, points of interest highlighted, and programs manipulated as one would a giant
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touch pad. Resulting notes, drawings, etc., can then be printed out from the computer or saved for future reference. SMART Board An interactive whiteboard. The SMART Board is the brand name of an interactive whiteboard.
Educational software. Educational programs used to direct the operations ofa computer. Educational software can include any software program used for any subject in the school curriculum for educational purposes.
Laptop. A portable computer that can be docked at a station or used with a wireless connection. These laptop computers can be taken home or to workshops and conferences.
Video presentation device. Device that places objects to be viewed on a surface such as a screen or board. A video presentation device can be connected to a computer, VCR, or other projection tool. Images may be displayed large enough for a group to view (Weiser, 1996).
Video projector. A device that can be connected to a computer, VCR, or laser disk player and project a bright, sharp image on a large surface such as a screen or wall (Weiser, 1996). Computerized testing. Testing that is created, taken, and graded online. Computerized testing must be done in a lab that has enough computers for each student. Interactive learning. Situations in which the learner is a participant in the process rather than a spectator (Bork, 1978).
Constructivism. Theory espousing that knowledge is not “about” the world but rather “constitutive” of the world (Sherman, 1995). According to constructivism, knowledge is not a fixed object; instead, an individual through hisfher own experience ofthat object constructs it. The constructivist approach to learning emphasizes authentic, challenging projects that include students, teachers, and experts in the learning community. Its goal is to create learning
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communities that are closely related to the collaborative practice of the real world (Dwyer, 1994).
Educational Technologist. A teacher who is a full-time, school-level computer coordinator and teacher of technology implementation to teachers. Each Department of Defense School has one Educational Technologist.
Limitations ofthe Study
Teachers’ schedules are already filled to capacity with deadlines regarding extra requirements other than teaching, and time is limited for these teachers to learn to use new technology tools. Many teachers stay very late in the afternoon or take papers home to grade just to keep up with the day-to-day requirements of their jobs. Rarely is a teacher given enough time to work in the classroom or on lesson plans during the school day, so much of a teachers work is done during off duty hours. Additionally, the cost of technology requires expensive maintenance, so if any of the technology tools that are used break, the tool is not likely to be replaced, and repair takes a very long time. For instance, the last time the supply office of Ramstein Middle School on Ramstein Air Base in Germany purchased a light bulb on a LCD projector, the replacement bulb was approximately $400. Most schools in the Kaiserslautern District do not have the funds to replace the bulb, leaving a technology tool unusable for the teacher. Limiting the study to only a few technology tools is necessary because of the many technology tools available to the teacher. Methodology
The remainder of this paper will discuss the effects of technology tools that have been added into the classroom curriculum and the ways in which they can be beneficial to teachers
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and students. The researcher investigated other studies oftechnology tools that have been integrated into the classrooms and the effects these tools have had on students.
The Teacher Technology Survey (See Appendix A) was used to gather information on how teachers and their students used the technology tools in the classroom during the course of school year 2007/2008. The Student Technology Survey (See Appendix B) was used to gather information on students’ motivation; attitude toward school, attendance and grades before and after technology was added to their classes. The survey instrument was designed to identify teachers’ proficiency on computer equipment and applications and the frequency with which teachers and students use tools/applications in the classroom. These surveys have been used numerous times with various teacher and student samples and have generated reliable results. Teachers who use the tools and the level of expertise and professional development available to them completed the teacher survey. Students who were in the classes of the teachers implementing technology completed the student survey.
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