1. Evaluating Teachers’ Perceptions of Technology use in the K-8 classroom

2. NASA CONNECT Program

4. Analysis of NASA Survey Data Out of 300 respondents, 144 visited the NASA CONNECT web site Majority of web site visitors thought more online activities should be available (mean 4.7/ 5) Only 62 respondents out of 144 said they used the web-based activities Why didn’t more teachers use the web?

5. Analysis of NASA Survey Data Technology to enhance learning environments Technology to facilitate learning of content as aligned to standards Administrative support for technology training Administrative support for technology access After running initial factor analysis, four constructs emerged from data with respect to teacher perceptions:

6. Rationale for Study A teacher’s theory of learning will affect the content and strategies he/she will use (Duffy & Jonassen, 1991) There may be a relationship between pedagogical beliefs and affinity for computers (Olech, 1999) Review of the Relevant Literature

7. Rationale for Study Even after access is granted for technology, effective integration will be determined by: –extent to which teachers value the benefits of technology –degree of teachers’ technology skills (Lewis, 1999; Simpson, Payne, Munro & Hughes, 1999) Review of the Relevant Literature

8. Rationale for Study Three strategies may be used with respect to teachers’ integration of technology (Evans- Andris, 1995): –Avoidance –Integration –Technical Specialization Review of the Relevant Literature

9. Rationale for Study Teachers’ attitudes toward technology could change with proper staff development (Chin & Hortin, 1993) Administrative support and encouragement is also needed to buttress teachers’ use of technology (Manoucheri & Goodman, 1998) Review of the Relevant Literature

10. Primary Focus of our Research What role does technology play in enhancing learning and learning environments? Does technology facilitate the learning of content as aligned to national mathematics and science standards? Measuring K-8 teacher perceptions of technology

11. Primary Focus of our Research Does school administration provide adequate support for training in the use of technology for the classroom? Do school administrators adequately support access to technology in the classroom? Measuring K-8 teacher perceptions of technology

12. Mailed to all 1,000 registered participants 300 complete surveys returned Questions consisted of: –Five anchor-point Likert scales –Fill in the blank questions –Multiple checkboxes to a single question Data Sources Survey Instrument

13. Data Analysis 77% K-8 teachers 7% Librarian/Media Specialists 5% Principals 5% University Instructors 6% Mix of coordinators/home schoolers 88% public school respondents Demographics

14. Data Analysis enables teachers to accommodate different learning styles: mean 4.5/5.0 increases student comprehension: mean 4.7/5.0 increases student willingness to discuss content/exchange ideas: mean 4.0/5.0 Example Descriptive Data Instructional Technology…

15. Next Steps Examine potential relationships among various domains of data via factor analysis Look for underlying loaded factors to create composite scores Run reliability coefficients on composite factors Conduct hypothesis testing of potential relationships between composites

16. Implications Teacher beliefs with respect to technology Possible applications for future development of: –Technology tools –Teacher professional development –Curriculum integration and alignment with technology Further analysis may provide information on:

17. Thanks to: Dr. John Burton Primary Advisor- Virginia Tech Dr. Kusum Singh Statistical Advisor- Virginia Tech Jeff Seaton-LTP Manager NASA Langley Research Center John Evans-LTP Specialist NASA Langley Research Center Dr. Tom Pinelli-Director Distance Learning NASA Langley Research Center

18. Questions?