Investment in educational technology has increased rapidly in recent years and many observers have begun to question whether, and how technology is being used as a teaching and learning tool. In order to address this issue, this research used survey data collected from 1,404 middle and high school teachers in 52 schools across 22 Massachusetts school districts to examine how technology is being used by upper grade teachers, and examines the school and district organizational characteristics that are associated with increased use of technology as a teaching and learning tool. Specifically, this research used hierarchical linear regression (HLM) techniques to model the teacher, school and district characteristics associated with five specific teacher uses of educational technology. This research found that both teacher and organizational characteristics were each found to be associated with the five technology uses, and characteristics varied in their ability to predict the five different uses.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BeatonA. E., & O'DwyerL. M. (2002). Separating school, classroom and student variances and their relationship to socio-economic status. In RobitailleD. F. & BeatonA. E. (Eds.), Secondary analysis of the TIMSS results: A synthesis of current research (pp. 211–231). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
2.
BebellD.RussellM., & O'DwyerL. M. (2004). Measuring teachers' technology uses: Why multiple-measures are more revealing. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 37(1), 45–63.
3.
BeckerH. (1999). Internet use by teachers: Conditions of professional use and teacher-directed student use.Irvine, CA: Center for Research on Information Technology and Organizations.
4.
BeckerH. J., & AndersonR. (1998). Teaching, learning and computing: A national survey of schools and teachers. Retrieved January 28, 2003, from http://www.crito.uci.edu/tlc/html/tlc_home.html.
5.
BeckerH., & AndersonR. (2001). School investments in instructional technology. Irvine, CA: Center for Research on Information Technology and Organizations.
6.
BeckerH. J.RavitzJ. L., & WongY. T. (1999). Teacher and teacher-directed student use of computers and software (Report no. 3). Irvine, CA: Teaching, learning and computing. Retrieved January 28, 2003, from http://www.crito.uci.edu/TLC/findings/report3/startpage.html.
7.
GlennanT. K., & MelmedA. (1996). Fostering the use of educational technology: Elements of a national strategy.Santa Monica, CA: Rand.
8.
LemkeC., & CoughlanE. (1998). Technology in American schools: Seven dimensions for gauging progress.Santa Monica, CA: Milken Exchange on Education Technology.
9.
MathewsJ. (1996, October). Predicting teacher perceived technology use: Needs assessment model for small rural schools. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Rural Education Association, San Antonio, TX.
10.
MathewsJ., & GuarinoA. (2000). Predicting teacher computer use: A path analysis. International Journal of Instructional Media, 27(4).
11.
Market Data Retrieval. (2001). Technology in education 2001. Shelton, CT: Author.
12.
Market Data Retrieval. (2003). Technology in education 2003. Shelton, CT: Author.
13.
MartinM. O.MullisI. V.GregoryK.HoyleC., & ShenC. (2000). TIMSS indicators of effective schools in mathematics and science.Chestnut Hill, MA: Center for the Study of Testing, Evaluation, and Educational Policy, Boston College.
14.
MullisI. V.MartinM. O.BeatonA. E.GonzalezE. J.KellyD. L. & SmithT. A. (1996). Mathematics achievement in the primary school years: IEA's Third International Mathematics and Science Study.Chestnut Hill, MA: Center for the Study of Testing, Evaluation, and Educational Policy, Boston College.
15.
Maine Education Policy Research Institute (MEPRI). (2003). The Maine Learning Technology Initiative: Teacher, student, and school perspectives mid-year evaluation report. Retrieved November 6, 2003 from http://www.usm.maine.edu/cepare/pdf/ts/mlti.pdf
16.
O'DwyerL. M. (2002). Extending the application of multilevel modeling to data from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study. In RobitailleD. F. & BeatonA. E. (Eds.), Secondary analysis of the TIMSS results: A synthesis of current research (pp. 359–373). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
17.
O'DwyerL. M.RussellM., & BebellD. J. (2004, September 14). Identifying teacher, school and district characteristics associated with elementary teachers' use of technology: A multilevel perspective. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 12(48). Retrieved September 14, 2004 from http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v12n48/
18.
Office of Technology Assessment (OTA). (1995). Teachers and technology: Making the connection, OTA-EHR-616. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
RavitzJ.WongY., & BeckerH. (1998). Teaching, learning, and computing: A national survey of schools and teachers describing their best practices, teaching philosophies, and uses of technology. Irvine, CA: Center for Research on Information Technology and Organizations.
RavitzJ. L.BeckerH. J., & WongY. T. (2000). Constructivist-compatible beliefs and practices among U.S. teachers (Report no. 4). Irvine, CA: Teaching, learning and computing. Retrieved February 27, 2002, from http://www.crito.uci.edu/TLC/findings/report4/startpage.html.
23.
RavitzJ.WongY., & BeckerH. (2000). Constructivist-compatible and practices among US teachers. Irvine, CA: Center for Research on Information Technology and Organizations.
24.
RussellM.O'DwyerL. M.BebellD., & MirandaH. (2004). Technical report for the USEIT study.Boston, MA: Technology and Assessment Study Collaborative, Boston College.
25.
RussellM.BebellD., & HigginsJ. (2004). Laptop learning: A comparison of teaching and learning in upper elementary classrooms equipped with shared carts of laptops and permanent 1:1 laptops. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 30(3) 313–330.
26.
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2000). Teachers' tools for the 21st century. A report on teachers' use of technology. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved January 10, 2003, from http://nces.ed.gov/spider/webspider/2000102.shtml. (Eric Document Reproduction Service No. ED444599).
27.
U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, & National Telecommunications and Information Administration. (2002). A nation online: How Americans are expanding their use of the Internet. Washington, DC: Author.
