Action Research Proposal

By Sandy Nightingale

INTRODUCTION: I would like to take an action research approach to the

development of a program trying to increase the incorporation of technology

by teachers in my school district into their lesson plans, while at the same

time, increasing the teachers’ technology skills. South Dakota schools are

more wired with technology than any other state in the nation, and yet we

still have teachers who do not make good use of these capabilities. Giving

teachers access to computers, software, and the Internet is only part of

incorporating technology successfully into schools. A survey conducted by

the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) revealed that 99 percent

of fulltime regular public school teachers reported that they have access to

computers or the Internet somewhere in their schools (NCES 2000).

Integrating technology into classrooms depends on the teachers’ readiness to

use it. If teachers do not feel comfortable with the technology, they are less

inclined to incorporate it into their plans. Modifying traditional teaching

techniques to incorporate technology is not easy. It takes time, which

teachers often lack. Lack of release time to learn how to use computers and

the Internet was one of the most frequently reported barriers to public school

teachers using computers and the Internet in instruction (NCES 2000).

METHODS: The program I would like to develop will require the cooperation of the school board, administration, and the teachers. First, teachers would be surveyed on existing technology skills, how they have incorporated technology into their lesson plans in the past, and their attitudes towards technology. Based on these surveys, a more experienced technology user would be paired up with a less experienced technology user. A request would be made to the school board and administration for a one and a half hour early dismissal from school for 8 days during the school year, two days each quarter. The first early dismissal each quarter would be for the paired teachers to meet and discuss ways for the less experienced technology user to incorporate a new technology into his/her lesson plans. The second early dismissal each quarter would be for development and training needed to incorporate the technology into his/her lesson plans. Anything from learning new software to using a digital camera, to creating a power point could be done, depending on the existing skills of the teacher. Further meetings between the teacher pairs could also be set up on a personal basis, if needed. When the lesson plans are finalized, the more experienced teacher and an administrator should be invited to the classroom to observe the technology being incorporated into the classroom. Substitute teachers would be provided for the teachers while they are visiting the other classrooms. A conference between the two teachers and the administrator would be set up for the purpose of discussing positive points of the lesson and suggestions on improvement and extension of the lesson. At the end of each quarter, the teachers would again be surveyed. Depending on the results of the surveys, changes could be made in the program to better fit the needs of the teachers. I would expect that the skill level, attitude towards technology, and incorporation of technology into lesson plans would increase for the less experienced teachers of each pair. The results for the more experienced teachers may stay the same or increase, depending on whether or not the teacher took technology classes or workshops during the school year, or just learned new technologies on their own.

PROBLEMS: Possible problems that could take place are:

1. The request for early dismissals could be denied.

2. There could be difficulty in finding substitutes during the classroom observations.

3. There could be personality conflicts among the paired teachers.

4. One of the teachers in the pair could be absent due to illness or other reasons on the day of the early release or the day that the classroom observation is to take place.

5. Teachers may not all complete and return the surveys.

6. The surveys cannot be anonymous so that more experienced technology users can be paired up with less experienced users, and because of this, teachers may exaggerate their skills in the initial survey.

7. Less experienced teachers may go into this program being resentful of the fact that they are being forced to use technology and that they will be observed while incorporating it into the classroom.

8. More experienced teachers may be resentful of the fact that they have to spend some of their own time helping another teacher learn something that they had to learn by taking classes, etc.

RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY: I believe that the results of this study can be both reliable and valid. It would be very easy for other schools to implement a program such as this into their systems. It should be made clear to the teachers that they must fill out the surveys honestly, accurately, and thoroughly so that the results can be used to inform the school board and the public of the benefits of this program and to justify the early releases from school.

IMPORTANCE OF THIS STUDY: As stated in the introduction, giving teachers access to technology is not enough. Teachers need training and time to develop plans to incorporate technology into their lesson plans. This program also gives teachers the opportunity to interact with other teachers, hopefully forming a bond and providing a contact person for the less experienced teacher to go to when help or advice is needed. I believe that my school district is not alone in the fact that we have many experienced technology users, and we have several less experienced technology users. The only cost to the school district would be the substitutes, but it could possibly be arranged to use the same substitute for several different teachers on the same day, thus minimizing this expense. This program could easily be adopted into other school districts. I would like to share the methodology and results of the program with other schools in the area. I believe that my school , as well as other schools, would benefit from the increased skills of the teachers, the incorporation of technology into their classrooms, and the strong support network of teachers working together.