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Action Research: How to help

non-technology teacher use


technology in the K-12
education world?
By Sarah Ahmad

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Table of Contents
Introduction
Literature Review
Research
Discussion of Research
Conclusion
Work Cited

Introduction: When a teacher walks into the classroom for the first time, there is a lot of
information overload. Teachers are instructed on how to do so many things and are offered many

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technology tools to help make their jobs easier. However, sometimes instead of technology
making teachers jobs easier, it can make it harder. Many teachers have voiced their concerns
about technologies in the classroom. Teachers will receive new technology sometimes with little
to no training and be expected to use this technology just because the experts say that this
technology will help keep the students engaged and better improve their test scores. These
teachers began to hate and even fear and are uncomfortable around these technologies. Some of
these teachers are new teachers who were not taught about using technology in the classroom
and other are experience teachers who are weary of trying out new technology, especially when
the technology doesnt work right. However, then you have the cool teacher. The teacher who
is comfortable and willing to play around with these technologies. The teacher who understands
this technology and can make it work in the classroom. This teacher is not only able to keep
students more engaged and improve their test scores, but this teacher is also look at as the techie
teacher. Sometime this techie teacher is a newer teacher who has experience with technology
because he/she grew up using it. Sometimes this techie teacher is a teacher who is experience
and will be willing to be adventurous and try out the scary technology that doesnt always
work right. This is great for the students who have the techie teacher. However, what about
the students that do not?

There is already a development among the population of the haves and the have nots of
technology, it is an educators place to help to bridge that gap. However, that gap could only be
bridged if the techie teacher and the non-techie teacher work together to make the non-techie
teacher into a techie teacher. However, is this idea even possible? Are there ways to have
technology based teachers guide and help non technology based teachers? If there are ways what
are these ways and why are they beginning more implanted across the board or are they? These
questions and more I will answer in this action research paper. It is my hope that through review
of literature and analyzing data about this subject that I can answer the questions: how can other
teachers who are comfortable with the technology and know how to use it properly help other
teachers use and feel comfortable with said technology?

Literature Review: In the process of review literature about this topic, I was frustrated with the
fact that most of the literature review I found that dealt with this issue was published in the early

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2000s, from about 2003 to 2007. When I tried to find literature that was more current I noticed
that the literature dealt more with using social media, and other technologies rather than the
question of teachers not using the technology. It almost seems like researchers have decided that
this topic of teachers not using technology is out dated and nothing new needs to be said. I
however, feel differently about this topic because I know that until we can get more teacher
feeling comfortable in using technologies in all of our schools then this divide of the technology
rich versus the technology poor will still be ever present. With that beginning said I was able to
review about four different articles on this topic. While reviewing this information, I noticed that
most authors agree that the idea of teachers not wanting to include technology into the
curriculum comes from a belief that the technology will be hard or difficult for the teacher to use
(Vannatta, R. A., & Nancy, F.,2004). According to the research done by Rachel A. Vannatta and
Nancy Fordham (2004), if teachers are given enough time to explorer and learn the new
technology, these teachers are more likely to embrace the technology (Vannatta, R. A., & Nancy,
F. ,2004). However, its also important to note that in the same article, the author discuss the fact
that if the teachers do not have a willingness to explorer the technology along with the time, then
the technology will not be used (Vannatta, R. A., & Nancy, F., 2004).

Another article discussed this same topic of teachers beliefs and technology. However, in
this article the authors focused more on confidence in using the technology rather in the time it
took to play and learn the technology (Ertmer, P. A., 2005). According to Peggy A. Ertmer
(2005), teachers beliefs do need to change, however, instead of trying to change the teachers
belief about technology right off the bat, the technology that the teacher is introduce to should be
confidence builder technology. Ertmer (2005) also provided data saying that (at the time of this
publication) that over 80% of teachers wanted to learn how to integrate technology into their
curriculum yet only 37 % of teachers wanted to learn the basic computer/technology skills.
Ertmer (2005) explains this fact as saying that this means that most teachers perceived to be
knowledgeable about computers/technology. I agree with Ertmer that most teachers perceived to
be knowledgeable about computers/technology but when faced with more complicated
applications or needing to run a diagnosis test on the computer, most teachers are not familiar
with that idea, nor do they know how to do this basic computer skill. This idea is also presented
in another article that I read to better understand this subject.

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In the article entitled Integrating technology into K-12 teaching and learning: current
knowledge gaps and recommendations for future research by Khe Foon Hew and Thomas Brush
(2006). Hew and Brush (2006) discuss the concept of how to bridge the gap and even go as far as
to make suggestions on different possible problems that non-techie teachers might have and how
to solve them. For example, Hew and Brush (2006) provide a diagnosis chart offering possible
barriers with strategies to overcome these barriers. The authors use things like attitude and
belief as a barrier with the strategy to help solve this barrier as Institution support (having
vision and plan; providing the necessary resources; providing ongoing professional development;
encouraging teachers) (Hew & Brush, 2006). They also discussed the idea of principals being a
support with the technology and encouraging teachers to use it and not be taken to task over a
mistake (Hew & Brush, 2006). I found Hew and Brushs article to be very informative and
progressive with looking at possible solutions for teachers attitudes about technology. The final
article that I had read also discussed teachers attitudes about technology.

The final article that I looked at was an article detailing an experiment that was
performed in Massachusetts, in which it look at what and how teachers were using the
technology in the classroom, as well as teachers beliefs about these technologies. What I found
to be interesting about this article was that it explained that during the time of this experiment
Massachusetts was getting an influx of new teachers who had grown up with using technology in
their personal life, with more experience teachers getting ready to leave the field (Russell, M.,
Bebell, D., O'Dwyer, L., & O'Connor, K.,2003). One would think that the data would show that
these new teachers would be willing to use the technology in the classroom to help present the
content. However, these authors found that newer teachers held the same view about using
technology in the classroom as the teachers who were getting ready to leave the field of teaching
(Russell, M. et al., 2003).The authors postulate that although new teachers are comfortable using
technology in their personal life that as far as education is concern, these teachers have only see
how to use technology as a managing tool and not at a tool to instruct with (Russell, M. et al.,
2003). The authors had suggested that more in-services or preservice would be needed to help
these teachers use the technology tools as a tool to instruct with instead of a tool to just look at
email and manage office documents (Russell, M. et al., 2003).

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Through this Literature Review, it has become apparent that technology use needs to be
defined clearly (Russell, M. et al., 2003), and in order to change teachers beliefs about
technology, teachers need to have an open mind (Ertmer, P. A., 2005), time to explorer the
technology (Vannatta, R. A., & Nancy, F., 2004), and finally support from the administrators in
using these technologies (Hew & Brush, 2006).

Research: Since my action research questions was How to help non-technology teacher use
technology in the K-12 education world? I first had to look at the views of non-technology
using teachers and understand why they have felt this way. I gathered data based on formal
observations of teachers using or not using technology and informal discussions I had with
teacher who have not used technology in the classroom. It is important to note that in my
research when I am discussing how teachers are using technology in their classroom, I am not
focusing on teachers using technology for behavior paper work, nor am I focusing on using the
technology as a part of everyday life, such as email, checking data reports and other reporting
information that is done through the use of technology. When I am saying using technology in
the classroom, I am meaning that the technology that is used either guides, or enhances the
lesson/content for student use. When conducting the research, I took a look at the area that I
completed my internship at. The internship was completed for the 2016-2017 school at a charter
school in Ohio. This is a charter school from K-8. The main data came from middle school
teachers, which are about 12 teachers. When observing these teachers, I would notice that the
teachers, one did not have enough access to technology. They also did not feel comfortable in
using the technology that they had due to lack of time to understand how the technology worked.
I also noticed that when teachers would use the technology it would be used just for testing pre
assignments to get the students comfortable in using the technology because the state assessment
would be given on the computers. There were a couple times later as the school progress that
teachers started in using the technology to guide lessons for students that did not have anything
to do with state assessing. However, these periods were far and not done often. As for the
informal conversations that I had with the teachers, I would notice that many teachers would
many different reasons about why they did not use technology in their classroom. Some of their
responses included Im not comfortable in using the technology, I dont know how to use the
technology, and Technology is frustrating, especially when we dont have the resources or the
right tools to use. These attitudes though did change as the school year progressed and the

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teachers realized that there were other teachers who knew how to use the technology. Teachers
also became more comfortable in using the technology, once they had time to experience how to
use the technology and a mini professional development was provided on how to use certain
aspects of technology. However, with that being said, the feeling of not being a techie still is
among most of the teachers.

Discussion of Research: How can techie teachers help non-techie teachers become techie
teachers; is the question that I was trying to find the answer out in this action research. The
answer I found through the observations and literature review is that it is complicated. Teachers
have to be willing to want to learn and use the technology. I learned from both this research and
literature review that technology when used in education has a learning curve. For some, who are
open and willing that curve can be a quick easy curve. However, for others who struggle with
accepting that technology is needed to be in the classroom, that learning curve can be a steep
struggling curve. I also learned that in order for non-techie teachers to become techie teachers,
the school or district must provide these teachers with the opportunities to use the technology in
the classroom. For example, if a school doesnt have equal access to the technology, then those
who are not comfortable using the technology will not try to get access to the technology. If
teachers dont have time to learn a new software or website, then the technology will just sit
there and teachers will continue to teach how they have taught before. I also noticed that if the
administers do not support or are not comfortable with using the technology in the first place
than the teachers might also not feel comfortable. Finally, teachers who do not have any one to
guide or mentor them in the use of technology can easily feel lost and stress out which will cause
them not wanting to use the technology.

With all the reasons why a teacher would not want to use the technology it is amazing
that I do still think that it is possible to turn the non-techie teacher into the techie teacher.
However, I think that in order to do this teachers would need a mentor who is familiar with the
technology, equitable resources of technology and time where the teachers can have to learn and
play with the technology. I believe that my research, through the observations that I make shows
that if teachers have someone in their area who is willing to coach or guide other teachers in the
use of technology, then they will feel more comfortable in using that technology. I also believe

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that with time and a willingness to learn any teacher, even the teacher who is frustrated or
intimidated by technology can become a techie person with the right type of training.

Conclusion: My action research question was how techie teachers can help non-techie teachers
become techie teachers. Through the literature review, the research and the discussion of the
research it is clear that the way techie teachers can help other non-techie teachers is by being a
coach that these teachers will have immediate access to. I do believe that the non-techie teacher
needs to show a willingness and a time committed to want to use technology in the classroom
even if they are not comfortable with it. However, once they show that, then I would say that it
would be up to the coach to change the teacher from a non-techie instructor to a techie instructor.
I would also say that it is extremely important that the school is uniform in their way that the
present technology. If the school presents it as something to be accepted and used as regular as
the dried erase boards and pencils and paper, then teachers will adapted to using it. However, if it
becomes a system of haves and have nots then the teachers that dont like or are not comfortable
with the technology will not be using it. Finally, I would like to recommend that there would be
more research done on this topic in urban and rural school settings. I felt like the research that I
read for my literature review was out dated and even though more and more schools are
becoming a technology first school, the teachers are not all on board and until you have all
teachers on board and using technology then society will have a class system of technology; the
students who had the experience with the technology will get farther and the students who did
not have the technology will not. As an educator, I dont think that we can allow that to continue
to happen to our students. We need to get all teachers to be a techie teacher.

Work Cited

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Ertmer, P. A. (2005). Teacher pedagogical beliefs: The final frontier in our quest for technology
integration?. Educational technology research and development, 53(4), 25-39.

Hew, K. F., & Brush, T. (2007). Integrating technology into K-12 teaching and learning: Current
knowledge gaps and recommendations for future research. Educational Technology Research
and Development, 55(3), 223-252.

Russell, M., Bebell, D., O'Dwyer, L., & O'Connor, K. (2003). Examining teacher technology use
implications for preservice and inservice teacher preparation. Journal of Teacher
Education, 54(4), 297-310.

Vannatta, R. A., & Nancy, F. (2004). Teacher dispositions as predictors of classroom technology
use. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 36(3), 253-271.

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