The Impact of Classroom Technology Availability on Novice Teacher and Student Use Nancy D. Weber Hersh C. Waxman Department of Teaching, Learning, and Culture Texas A&M University SITE International Conference, 2015 March 6, 2015

The Call for Technology Integration For the past two decades, federal policy has reflected a commitment to technology integration in classrooms through the development and implementation of student technology use standards (U. S. DOE, 1996, 2001, 2003).

Facilitating Teachers’ Technology Integration School contexts that support and value instructional technology use increase the chances that new teachers who were equipped by their preparation programs to use technology, will do so (Clausen, 2007). Schools and districts that ensure increased access to technology support acquisition of 21 st Century skills by facilitating learning beyond the walls of the classroom, which, in effect, allows them to keep up with the growing social and professional demands for success (Collins & Halverson, 2009).

Challenges to First-Year Teachers’ Technology Integration Effective technology integration is especially challenging for first-year teachers because there are many personal, contextual, and professional issues that affect when and how first-year teachers integrate technology into their pedagogical routines (Clausen, 2007).

Research Question 1.How does the availability of technology in secondary classrooms affect: –Novice teacher use of technology? –Student use of technology? –The overall quality of technology use?

Methods - Participants All participants (n = 60) were first-year secondary teachers from a single cohort of a field-based internship program, which is part of their M.Ed. Coursework. –The certification portion of the program includes three teaching methods-based graduate courses that are taken during a single summer, followed by a year-long paid internship at a state-accredited and -subsidized secondary school of the teacher’s choice. –Technology integration is a major focus of one of the summer methods courses.

Methods - Instrument T3 Overall Classroom Observation Measure –What technology is available Desktop computer, projector, document reader, etc. –Extent to which available technology is used –Teacher technology use To display material/assignment; to assess; to create lessons –Student technology use To learn basic skills; for word processing; to gather information –Overall rating for classroom technology use

Methods – Instrument T3 Overall Classroom Observation Measure –At the closing of each observation, the observer indicated the degree to which each type of technology was integrated into the teaching and/or learning and to what extent each type of technology use and instructional behavior occurred. 1 = “not observed at all” 2 = “some extent (once or twice)” 3 = “great extent (3 or more times)”

Methods - Instrument T3 Overall Classroom Observation Measure –At the closing of each observation, the observer rated the classroom on its overall implementation of technology, using a 5-point scale: 0 = no use of technology 1 = low-level use of technology 2 = somewhat meaningful use of technology 3 = meaningful use of technology 4 = very meaningful use of technology

Methods – Data Collection Each teacher was observed for the duration of a single secondary class period. –Typically 50 minutes –Ranged from minutes Mean inter-rater reliability across all observers was high (κ = 0.87).

Results – Technology Availability & Use *** p < 0.001; ** p <.01; * p <.05 Low Technology Availability (<5 devices) Medium Technology Availability (5-10 devices) High Technology Availability (>10 devices) n = 30n = 14n = 16 dfFMSDM M F Technology Use67.574*** Teacher Use of Technology ab b a * Student Use of Technology b b a *** Overall Technology Use b b a ***

There are significant differences between the levels of technology availability (low, medium, and high) for each of the dependent variables. classrooms with high technology availability were scored significantly higher than those with low and medium availability in the areas of student and overall use. Teacher use of technology may not be dependent on the availability of technology, as it does not follow the same pattern. Results – Technology Availability & Use

DISCUSSION

Conclusions Though greater access to technology in the classroom does not have a clear impact on teaching practices, it does increase the quality of how it is used for student learning. –Teachers with greater access may be more familiar and comfortable with using technology because it is more readily available for practice and regular use.

Limitations Sample Homogeneity –Gender is more homogenous than Texas state post-baccs –Ethnicity is less homogenous than Texas state post- baccs Sample Size Observation Data –Although the data was reliable, it was based on only 1 observation