¹Roque Indalecio, ² Sunddip Panesar-Aguilar, ³Debra Tyrrell

¹,³Walden University, Minneapolis, MN

²Univeristy of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, St. Augustine, FL

DOI : https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v5-i1-09

Google Scholar Download Pdf
ABSTRACT

At a Western Pacific Region school district with six public high schools, district administrators implemented an educational technology training program (ETTP) to improve technology integration in the classroom as measured by the Effective Learning Environments Observation Tool, but there was no follow-up to determine how the teachers perceived the ETTP and to identify the experiences of teachers related to instructional technology after taking the district training. This basic qualitative study, guided by the technology acceptance model, addressed this problem in the district by exploring how the teachers perceived the technology professional development program provided by the district and the teachers’ experiences related to instructional technology after taking the district training. The purposeful sample included 13 Western Pacific Region high school teachers who were interviewed via Zoom. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis to create codes, categories, and themes. The participants perceived the ETTP as helpful because they learned new tools and increased their confidence in using technology in their classrooms. Results showed that after completing the ETTP, teachers still needed content-specific technology training and continuous professional development. High school teachers expressed the need for these trainings to continue integrating technology using up-to-date technology tools. Rethinking science professional development is one potential form of social change.

KEYWORDS:

Technology, technology acceptance model, online learning, online blended curriculum, technology training, Technology implementation, teaching and learning.

REFERENCES

1) Akcil, U., Altinay, Z., Dagli, G., & Altinay, F. (2019, April 11–12). The role of technology leadership: Innovation for school leadership in digital age [Paper presentation]. 15th International Conference, ELearning & Software for Education, Bucharest, Hungary.

2) Harrell, S., & Bynum, Y. (2018). Factors affecting technology integration in the classroom. Alabama Journal of Educational Leadership, 5, 12–18.

3) Dean, S. A., & East, J. I. (2019). Soft skills needed for the 21st-century workforce. International Journal of Applied Management and Technology, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.5590/ijamt.2019.18.1.02

4) Zhai, X., Zhang, M., Li, M., & Zhang, X. (2019). Understanding the relationship between levels of mobile technology use in high school physics classrooms and the learning outcome. British Journal of Educational Technology, 50(2), 750–766. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12700

5) Gil-Flores, J., Rodríguez-Santero, J., & Torres-Gordillo, J.-J. (2017). Factors that explain the use of ICT in secondary education classrooms: The role of teacher characteristics and school infrastructure. Computers in Human Behavior, 68, 441– 449. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.11.057

6) Davis, A., & McDonald, D. (2019). Teachers' reflections of instructional effectiveness: self-assessment through a standards based appraisal process. Reflective Practice, 20(1), 125–141. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623943.2019.1569508

7) Dziak, M. (2017). Technology acceptance model (TAM). Salem Press Encyclopedia of Science.

8) O’Lawrence, H. (2017). The workforce for the 21st century. Issues in Informing Science & Information Technology, 14, 67– 85. https://doi.org/10.28945/3724

9) Tharumaraj, J. N., Krishnan, S., & Perumal, R. (2018). Learners’ perspective: 21st century essential fluencies. English Teacher, 47(3), 92–103.

10) Valtonen, T., Sointu, E., Kukkonen, J., Kontkanen, S., Lambert, M. C., & Mäkitalo-Siegl, K. (2017). TPACK updated to measure pre-service teachers’ twenty-first century skills. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 33(3), 15–31. https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.3518

11) Önalan, O., & Kurt, G. (2020). Exploring Turkish EFL teachers’ perceptions of the factors affecting technology integration: A case study. Journal of Language & Linguistics Studies, 16(2), 626–646. https://doi.org/10.17263/jlls.759264

12) Sawang, S., O’Connor, P., & Ali, M. (2017). IEngage: Using technology to enhance students’ engagement in a large classroom. Journal of Learning Design, 10(1), 11–19.

13) Moore, R. L., Blackmon, S. J., & Markham, J. (2018). Making the connection: Using mobile devices and polleverywhere for experiential learning for adult students. Journal of Interactive Learning Research, 29(3), 397–421.

14) Alley, K. M. (2019). Fostering middle school students’ autonomy to support motivation and engagement. Middle School Journal, 50(3), 5–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/00940771.2019.1603801

15) Tissenbaum, M., & Slotta, J. D. (2019). Developing a smart classroom infrastructure to support real-time student collaboration and inquiry: A 4-year design study. Instructional Science, 47(4), 423–462. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-019-09486-1

16) Gunter, G. A., & Reeves, J. L. (2017). Online professional development embedded with mobile learning: An examination of teachers’ attitudes, engagement and dispositions. British Journal of Educational Technology, 48(6), 1305–1317. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12490

17) Mishra, C., Ha, S. J., Parker, L. C., & L. Clase, K. (2019). Describing teacher conceptions of technology in authentic science inquiry using technological pedagogical content knowledge as a lens. Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Education, 47(4), 380–387. https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.21242

18) Saydam, D. (2019). Teachers’ beliefs on professional learning. Hacettepe University Journal of Education, 34(4), 915–925.

19) Aydin, H., Ozfidan, B., & Carothers, D. (2017). Meeting the challenges of curriculum and instruction in school settings in the United States. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 8(3), 76–92.

20) Powell, C. G., & Bodur, Y. (2019). Teachers’ perceptions of an online professional development experience: Implications for a design and implementation framework. Teaching and Teacher Education, 77, 19–30. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.tate.2018.09.004

21) Jones, M., & Dexter, S. (2018). Teacher perspectives on technology integration professional development: Formal, informal, and independent learning activities. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 1, 83.

22) Ravitch, S. M., & Carl, N. M. (2016). Qualitative research: Bridging the conceptual, theoretical, and methodological. [Ebook]. SAGE Publications.

23) Moser, A., & Korstjens, I. (2018). Series: Practical guidance to qualitative research. Part 3: Sampling, data collection and analysis. The European Journal of General Practice, 24(1), 9–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/13814788.2017.1375091

24) Fernandes, G. W. R., Rodrigues, A. M., & Ferreira, C. A. (2020). Professional development and use of digital technologies by science teachers: A review of theoretical frameworks. Research in Science Education, 50(2), 673–708. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-018-9707-x

25) Hammond, T., Bodzin, A., Popejoy, K., Anastasio, D., Holland, B., & Sahagian, D. (2019). Shoulder to shoulder: Teacher professional development and curriculum design and development for geospatial technology integration with science and social studies teachers. Contemporary Issues in Technology & Teacher Education, 19(2), 279–301. https://citejournal.org/volume-19/issue-2-19/current-practice/shoulder-to-shoulder-teacher-professional-development-and-curriculum-design-and-development-for-geospatial-technology-integration-with-science-and-social-studies-teachers/

26) Kalonde, G. (2017). Rural school math and science teachers’ technology integration familiarization. International Journal of Educational Technology, 4(1), 17–25. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1167312

27) Foschi, L. C. (2020). Innovative aspects and evaluation methods in a teachers’ continuous professional development training experience. Italian Journal of Educational Technology, 29(1), 46–64. https://doi.org/10.17471/2499-4324/1165

28) Zinger, D., Naranjo, A., Amador, I., Gilbertson, N., & Warschauer, M. (2017). A design-based research approach to improving professional development and teacher knowledge: The case of the Smithsonian Learning Lab. Contemporary Issues in Technology & Teacher Education, 17(3), 388–410. https://citejournal.org/volume-17/issue-3-17/general/a-design-based-research-approach-to-improving-professional-development-and-teacher-knowledge-the-case-of-the-smithsonian-learning-lab/

VOlUME 05 ISSUE 01 JANUARY 2022