The purpose of the study was to implement and evaluate the InTech Project, a one-year technology professional development program designed for third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade teachers. This study was designed to determine effective integration training methods and content for use in professional development and to provide much-needed empirical data regarding appropriate content and effective training approaches for technology professional development programs. Research Questions: The specific research questions explored in this study are listed below. Question 1. What effect did the InTech Project have on participating teachers’ level of technology implementation as demonstrated by the number of times and the amount of time per week students used computer technology? Question 2. What effect did the InTech Project have on participating teachers’ level of technology implementation as demonstrated by the number of instructional purposes and the number of different types of software programs used? Question 3. What effect did the InTech Project have on participating teachers’ level of technology implementation as demonstrated by the number of subject areas for which technology is used? Question 4. What effect did the InTech Project have on participating teachers’ levels of technology implementation as demonstrated by their placement on the LoTi framework (Moersch, 1995)? Question 5. What effect did the InTech Project have on participating teachers' professional use of technology as demonstrated by the number of minutes spent planning and preparing for its use in the classroom and by the number of minutes spent utilizing computing technology for professional purposes? Question 6. What effect did the InTech Project have on teachers’ self-reported skill level with computers and related technologies? Question 7. What effect did the InTech Project have on teachers' efficacy beliefs about using computers in the classroom? Question 8. What effect did the implementation of technology have on the overall teaching and learning process? Question 9. What components of the InTech Project were viewed by participating teachers as being the most useful in helping them integrate technology into the curriculum?
|
