Leah

Meta-analysis of Comp Tech in Social Studies Effectiveness. large pool of literature (350 articles published 1996 to 2001 in part I, 325 articles in part II) is reviewed. Thematic analysis detected 8 major themes: Internet Resources; Webquest Resources; Software Overview; Telecollaboration Overview; Technology Webtools; Technology Overviews/history in Social Studies; Technology in Higher Ed.; Technology in Social Studies Research. Duplicate article. The results of a survey of faculty at Ball State University-- 410 invites yielded 125 participants (30% return rate--very good). Questions on three themes (previously selected by the dean): Proficiency with Technology; Barriers to Adoption; Reliability. Due to design issues, the Units of Analysis shifted depending on the theme. Proficiency with Technology-- participants rated own abilities compared to their peer group using a 1 to 5 scale. Strange survey--overhead projector, and course specific applications that few teachers would use were listed, along with email, and front page. Barriers-- key themes: equipment failure, time to learn new technologies, don't like to use the carts.

Meta-narrative project -- four participants (all university teacher educators) collaborate on the same document. Used thematic analysis to identify common themes in their master document. Main themes: Commitment toward change; Obstacles (challenges in the environment); Struggles (concerns about retaining instructional quality when shifting modality). Fairly short article. I think the two Hausfather articles are the same.TC. VODANOVICH-- Survey of 250 faculty in 2005. Neglected to ask why or why not faculty was using technology. 74% had a positive view of using the internet for teaching, 69% believed it was an effective teaching tool, 47% was currently using online tools, 58% reported no or little training. Nice lit review reporting college teacher studies of technology non-use and limited adoption. LOFSTROM--Study of the effects of an IT implementation at a Helsinki university (2006). Uses a big N and a survey: Chief obstacles: Isolation and loneliness, Time management, Usability problems, Lack of technical resources, Difficulty to get help. There is a framework complexity issue with this one. KENNEDY, AGRON "Bridging the Digital Divide" 1999/-- very general literature review-Meta-analysis study. Possible "six traits" kind of trait ranking error. Lit reivew: the economic and sociological differences between impoverished communities and wealthy ones. Covers general complications that school districts have when rolling out technology. Touts the effectiveness of the e-rate program to bring equity to school districts of varying means. HERSON--"implementation strategies for educational intranet resources" (2000)--Higher ed study. Discusses the development of a business school intranet site offering links, mail, study aids. Recomendations--Site construction: simplicity of maintenance; graphical design; speed of loading; using file formats that support downloading of material; "totality"--consistent design, content in proper places, no dead links. Barriers to implementation: Training (both staff and students); consultation (collecting feedback); Simultaneous top-down/ Bottom-up marketing. consultancy approach; supply-side economics: good material online leads to more demand for online content; stakholding LOWTHER "Does technology integration work when key barriers are removed" (2008). Controlled matched-treatment quasi-experimental study that followed a statewide tech program to place full-time on-site technology coaches in schools to help teachers prepare lessons using computers to increase learning. Two groups of 13 matched schools (20 were preK-8) Classroom observations were used, also surveys, and results of statewide achievement test. Results showed that coached teachers were more likely to use computers as tools, work in centers, and engage in project-based learning. Student gains on high-stakes tests were mixed however. Barriers to tech adoption success identified by the coach program designers are--access to/availability of computers; availability of curriculum materials; teacher beliefs; technical and content knowledge; technical administrative and peer support. Coaches and part-time computer technicians were specifically equipped to respond to all of these barriers. PARK "Examining the barriers in technology to problem-based learning: using a performance support systems approach" (2008)-- 21 teachers, 2 admins, and 1 project manager interviews with supporting surveys, classroom obs, and researchers reflective journals. "lack of clear, shared vision" was the primary barrier. Additionally; lack of knowledge/skills, unclear expectations and insufficient feedback. Interesting use of instrument to develop interview/survey questions-- Wedman and Graham Performance Pyramid which was specifically identified for identifying the parts needed for successful PBL implementations. The Pyramid suggests that "resources, and vision/mission/objectives" are the inputs; Compentence/knowledge/skills; performance capacity; Motivation/self concept; Tools/environments/processes; feedback and expectation; rewards and incentives are cultural necessities for a PBL system to work. Conclusions note that teachers are being pressed to integrate technology to meet expectations rather than to have a clear purpose, and that understanding of purpose is essential in order to make changes in practice. GARDNER-- CREATING TASK-CENTERED INSTRUCTION FOR WEB-BASED INSTRUCTION: OBSTACLES AND SOLUTIONS (2009). This is a research grounded tutorial in designing web-based activities using constructivist approaches, based on author's experiences in designing instructional materials for adults. The approach is very concrete: modules are programmed in Flash with the following tabs on top of each mod-- "Begin it; Watch it; Read it; Do it. Just an observation--they're dabbling into multi-modal design theory without talking about it. CHEN--BARRIERS TO ADOPTION OF TECHNOLOGY- MEDIATED DISTANCE EDUCATION IN HIGHER-EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS (2009). Author asks if a university's concerns for program cost, or faculty participation could statistically predict adoption of tech mediated classes. Based on surveys and statistical analysis--yes. Also: Among all factors, program development costs, concerns for faculty workload, and lack of faculty rewards are significant barriers that prevent institutions from offering distance education. To address these factors and help more institutions start their online programs, federal and state education policy makers might allocate funding to encourage institu- tions and faculty to develop online courses. KENNEDY "Keys to Success"-- This is kind of a top-10 list without discussion of sources or method of analysis. The Top Ten-- Finances, Sustainable design, Operating efficiency, Edu. Technology, Distance learning, Security, Indoor air quality, Maintenance/Cleaning, Managing space, Community connection. PRAIN--"Using new technologies for learning: case study of a whole school approach" (2003) Case: A senior HS ("college") in Australia. 50 teachers interviews (4 per year) which were analyzed for common themes. Also surveys of 130 teachers, and logs of technology use. Official documents were analyzed. Results were nuanced and complex but in general, the whole school approached succeeded in changing teaching practices and outcomes. Discussion focused on Twigg (1999) observation that student learning needs to be the objective, not technology BAUER--n= 4 schools, 30 teachers. Case is the class. Method--Pre-test survey, observe lesson, post: informal interview. Findings-- Mishmosh of things. Not that logical. Compared teacher-reported data to observable events in classroom.. Much of the findings were straight analysis of the surveys, or analysis of observations (misconflation of units of analysis).
 * KOPCHA (2008)-- Uses a systems based mentoring model toward tech adoption with four steps: 1) inititial setup; 2) Teacher preparation; 3) Curricular reform; Community of practice. Suggests a taxonomy of essential factors for a successful tech launch: Time to learn technology, Beliefs that support use of technology, Access to technology, Professional Development/support that offers mentoring peer collaboration and lesson design, Culture that supports tech use. Analysis focuses on ways to prepare and support teachers. Very good lit review.

DEMSKI-- "Taking the plunge" (2011) Three school districts transition from desktops to virtualized environments running on thin client devices. Informal interview based. Case is school district, unit of analysis is the feature/benefit. Very informal, no lit review. Main themes--Lack of clear vision, lack of leadership, lack of critical mass, lack of incentive, and lack of faculty participation. Method--Spordark's ovservation. No case, no unit of analysis. Good sources, esp, Larry Cuban. Good use of lit review. What influence does teacher knowledge of, and attitudes towards, Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) have on its inclusion in the Language Arts classroom? How do classroom teachers envision Computer-Assisted Instruction fitting into the language arts classroom, if at all? Does the inclusion of Computer-Assisted Instruction improve the teaching experience of language arts teachers? Do teachers feel that including Computer-Assisted Instruction improves the learning experience of their students? Study uses a Phenomenological approach. Six participants (elementary and middle school lang arts teachers) were interviewed. Transcripts were coded and tabulated as an aggregation. Weak conclusion suggests that the questions may have been too general. Author makes an interesting distinction between "Digital Native" and Digital Immigrant"--authors theory is that the students are natives and the teachers are immigrants.--may be interesting for **Ryan.** OVERBAY--"Effects of a K12 tech integration on teachers and students"(2010) study evaluates the effects of a large-scale tech integration model on student and teacher outcomes. The intervention featured schools hiring a FT technology facilitator, staff development promoting collaboration, leadership development, and flexible access to media/technology resources.11 elementaries and 5 middle schools studied. Quasi-experimental design using subject matching. A survey was administered based on instruments demonstrated in prior literature. Results--modest gains in teachers self-reported confidence and student achievement. Study has a complex method with many different units of analysis, which I think lead to dilution of ability to draw a focused conclusion. In all literature on the subject, no 1 benefit for technology use is generally improvement in student motivation. They did find significant data to support this. SHOFFNER "Personal Attitudes and Technology: Implications for Pre-service Teacher and Reflective Practice" (2009). 9 participants (pre-service teachers) using reflective weblogs. DAta consisted of 263 log postings, two focus group interviews, and 23 interviews. Interesting study--nearly all of the loggers had given up on the practice by the end. Group discussion seemed to be the more beneficial practice. HALL--"Technology's Achilles Heel: Acheiving High Quality Implementation"(2010). Hall compares four models of technology implementation that roll into the "Concern based Adoption Model" The models are Level of use (LoU), Innovation Configurations (IC), Stages of concern (SoC), and Change Facitator Styles (CFS). Hall believes that each scale concurrently crosses the river of adoption, but people go over these bridges at different rates, but at the same time. Good interview questions are suggested in this. Not all that useful lit review. SPODARK -may be a repeat. DEAL-- Method: survey students. very loose informal structure. 25 Students University teacher candidates were surveyed in 1998 re internet use frequency, the importance they place on technology infusion, and the level of use expected by their teachers. 64% used the internet (More than a third didn't use it at all). WRIGHT-- Research question: Did students (pre-service teachers) use the portfolio method after learning it in university? Case is individual teacher. N=11 with 3 participants selected for in-depth interviews. Three cases setup in sequence. All of the units of analysis from all cases are collated for aggregate analysis. (more expedient than cross case). Pre and post surveys of teachers as learned the skill--use of rubric on teacher portfolio. That's odd--The research question has a "results" heading. Leading themes--Lack of resources, "red tape". (very general, not very instructive). Nicely designed study, but the questions needed to be more probing and analysis needed to be more specific.
 * EARLE--"Integration of Inst. Tech into Public Ed.: Promises and challenges" (2002)--Straight lit review: Focus has been access to information rather than integration. Integration is about content and instructional practices. Technology is about the tools that deliver content and implement practices. The focus needs to be on practice and content. Good, longwinded.
 * SPODARK--Study of Hollins College tech implimentation, focuses on obstacles:
 * DAVIS-- "Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) in Language Arts: Investigating the Influence of Teacher Knowledge and Attitudes on the Learning Environment" (2009) Question:
 * PATTER--111 page master's thesis: "Strategies to Enhance the Likelihood that Teachers Will Integrate Technology into Their Classrooms" (2009) comprehensive survey of various strategies that have been found to encourage teacher use of technology. Generally points in the direction of career development issues. Very well done.
 * (you'll need these footnotes in your methods section) STRUDLER Longitudinal study of thee technical coordinators at three schools using questionaires, obs, interviews. Very good use of case study method, and good footnotes on it's use. Barriers identified: lack of teacher time, lack of staff development, lack of on-site support, lack of access to current hardware and software. Overall trend--the role of school tech coordinator is slowly changing. Previously, in an earlier study, the participants believed that they would work themelves out of job in 2-5 years. It didn't happen. The implementations took longer to get working than what was expected.

Missing doc--


 * Holden Rada-- Understanding the Influence of Percieved Usability and Technology self-efficacy on Teacher's Technology acceptance (2011). The Technology acceptance model was introduced in 1989. Holden and Rada extends the model to include teacher's perceived usability and self efficacy measures. They use a survey of K-12 teachers in Virginia. Very slippery design, not much clarity to the results. Good lit review however.