Will increasing effective integration of technology in the 7th grade Math classroom improve academic performance? Most of us, without a doubt, feel that technology is the key for improving academic performance. Then why are so many teachers not implementing it. Some say that it won’t make a difference. Many in our building choose to ignore the StarBoards, don’t have time for e-Instructions, make excuses that there are not enough computers in the classroom for students use, etc. The rationale for my research is that teachers need to have more relevance in their teaching in order to engage our 21st century learners. Our students today use numerous types of technology tools outside the classroom and when they come inside our school buildings they have to “power down”. Using technology such as web 2.0 tools in classroom will capture and engage our students make learning relevant and meaningful which will in turn increase overall academic performance. My plan is collecting data from two separate 7th grade classrooms, one where the teacher is functioning at Advanced Tech and the other where the teacher is functioning at Early Tech level in the area of Teaching and Learning (StarChart). There was an element of excitement in the air when the assistant principals entertained the thought of being able to present relevant data to our teachers that technology does make a difference. I believe when this is shared with the teachers, seeing the evidence of the data from their own campus, they will be encouraged to give the process of integrating technology in their classrooms a true concerted effort.
Dana, N.F. (2009). Leading with passion and knowledge: The principal as action researcher. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Another thank you to Diana for introducing me Jing, another awesome Web 2.0 tool!
Very nice plan, Mona! I think this project will create more opportunities for action research on your campus! It is interesting to see how educators are more likely to adopt the use of technology when templates and lessons are provided for them. With our convocation speaker, your research project will not only impact your campus, but it very well may impact the entire district!
ReplyDeleteGreat plan! While I was reading and thinking about your plan I thought of one something that may be an issue - the level of the students. For example, one teacher may be the basic user but the students may be all AP and GT, while the teacher that is the advanced user has a completely different make-up of students. I'm not sure the best way to factor in this possible discrepancy or how it would skew the results, but it's something that I have thought about as well as I consider what teachers to choose for my sample.
ReplyDeleteI think this issue is such an important one, especially when we have so much technology available to us, and hopefully the support teachers need to become advanced users will continue to improve.