Increasing Preservice Teachers' Capacity for Technology Integration Through the Use of Electronic Models

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Increasing Preservice Teachers' Capacity for
Technology IntegrationThrough the Use of
Electronic Models

• Melissa Dark
• Purdue University

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Background

• 70 of teachers report not feeling well prepared
  to use technology
• Even new teachers feel ill-equipped to integrate
  technology
• Growth in ideas about, and confidence for,
  technology integration have not kept pace with
  growth in skills

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Why is Integration Hard to Achieve?

• Teachers dont know what technology integration
  should look like or how to accomplish it
• They lack confidence for achieving something they
  have neither observed nor experienced
• Teachers need information about why and how to
  use technology in meaningful ways

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Increasing Capacity for Technology Integration

• Increase Ideas
• Create a vision
• Delineate strategies
• Increase Self-Efficacy
• Personal mastery
• Vicarious experiences
• Social persuasion
• Physiological indicators

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Vicarious Experiences A Powerful Option

• Personal experiences are difficult to arrange
• Use of models provides information about how to
  accomplish the task
• Observing models can also increase confidence for
  performing similarly

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Should We Use Electronic Models?

• Avoid logistical problems associated with
  real-time observations
• Guarantee that certain performances are observed
• Multimedia capability can bring models to life
• Will learners feel removed or isolated from
  classrooms observed electronically?

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Methods

• Pretest-posttest research design
• Examined preservice teachers ideas about, and
  self-efficacy for, technology integration before
  and after interacting with electronic models of
  exemplary technology-using teachers
• Quantitative data triangulated with qualitative
  data

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Participants

• 69 students enrolled in 6 sections of a
  one-credit undergraduate technology course
• Age Range 18-25 (x 20)
• Gender 65 female
• Class 71 Sophomores or Juniors
• Major 60 Elementary Education

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Description of Modeling Tool

• VisionQuest
• CD-ROM tool incorporating video, audio, text,
  and electronic artifacts
• Illustrates the beliefs and practices of six
  classroom teachers
• Allows users to explore teachers classrooms one
  at a time or thematically

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VisionQuest Main Menu
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VisionQuest Sample Screen
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VisionQuest Sample Page
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ProceduresTimeframe

• Week 1
• Demographic information and consent obtained
• Week 10
• Students completed (pre) idea and self-efficacy
  surveys
• Students evaluated VQ using a software evaluation
  form
• Week 11
• Students used VQ to learn about classroom
  organization issues
• Students completed (post) idea and self-efficacy
  surveys

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Data Sources

• Demographic Questionnaire
• Online Surveys (pre and post)
• Ideas I have specific ideas about how to use
  one computer effectively during large group
  instruction.
• Self-Efficacy I am confident I can use one
  computer effectively during large group
  instruction.
• Software Evaluation Questions
• Observations and Interviews

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Data Analysis

• Frequencies and percentages
• Paired t-tests
• Pearson correlations
• Qualitative pattern seeking

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Results-Changing Ideas and Efficacy

• Two-tailed paired t (df 68) indicated
  significant increase in students ratings of
  perceived ideas (t 8.85 p lt .0000) from pre-
  to post survey
• Two-tailed paired t (df 68) indicated
  significant increase in students ratings of
  confidence (t 3.34 p lt .000) from pre- to post
  survey

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Results-Relationships among Variables

• Significance level set at p lt .0005
• (critical r .35)
• No significant relationships among demographic
  characteristics (age, gender, class) and pre- and
  post- ideas and efficacy
• No significant relationships among ratings of
  computer skills (novice, beginner, etc.) and pre-
  and post- ideas and efficacy

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Significant Relationships

• Ideas for technology integration, pre and post,
  were significantly correlated
• (r .61)
• Confidence for technology integration, pre and
  post, was significantly
• correlated (r .50)
• Perceptions of ideas and confidence were
  significantly correlated, pre (r .72) and post
  (r . 84)

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Students Perceptions of Learning from Electronic
Models

• On a scale from 1 (low) - 5 (high), students
  rated the classroom activities observed as
  realistic
• (x 4.46)
• On a scale from 1-5, students rated the video
  examples observed as relevant
• (x 4.31)
• Student interview comments were overwhelmingly
  positive

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Students New Ideas Included

• Using new assessment techniques
• Organizing group work
• Using different activities to teach same content
• Using HyperStudio in a music class
• Establishing a good climate
• Using stations

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Discussion

• Electronic models can be used to increase ideas
  and self-efficacy for technology integration
• Models were considered realistic and relevant
• Medium - high levels of skills do not translate
  into ideas or confidence
• Increasing teachers specific ideas for
  technology use may be one way to increase
  confidence

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Implications

• VisionQuest can be used as the textbook for
  technology integration courses.
• Within a one-computer classroom,
• VisionQuest can be used to provide visual
  classroom scenarios for discussion or analysis.
• Individually or collectively, students could
  investigate different portions of VisionQuest
  within a lab-setting.

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Limitations/Future Research

• Lack of control group
• Homogeneous group of participants
• Perceptions may not translate into action
• Long-range benefits are unknown

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Conclusion

• Many teachers lack ideas and confidence for
  integrating technology into their classrooms
• Self-efficacy theory suggests that observing
  models can serve informational and motivational
  functions
• Electronic models increase educators options for
  providing future teachers with exemplary models

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Questions?
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For more information

• Melissa Dark ltdark_at_cerias.purdue.edugt
• Paper available at
• http//www.edci.purdue.edu/ertmer/conferences