supporting teacher technology learning: important relationships in...

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Supporting Teacher Technology Learning: Important Relationships in the Learning Ecology Karin S. Forssell • Stanford University • [email protected] Acknowledgments We are grateful to the teachers who contributed their time to this effort, to this research. This research was conducted with the support of members of the youthLAB research group and the LIFE Science of Learning Center. http://youthlab.stanford.edu http://www.life-slc.org Implications and Future Directions Taking a learning ecology perspective focuses our attention on how social networks support teacher learning. These analyses suggest that the network of learning supporters available to a teacher is an important factor in the teacher’s learning to use technology in the classroom. Equally or perhaps even more important than the number of people supporting teachers’ learning, is the roles that learning supporters play. Understanding the value of these roles will help us better design learning environments for teachers, inside and outside of schools. The high SES, high-tech nature of this group of teachers may limit its generalizability to other groups of teachers. More research is needed to examine the support networks of teachers in low-tech environments. The TPACK framework, which highlights the interactions between technology, pedagogy, and content, suggests that we pay attention to the content-relevant use of new tools. The subject-area colleagues named by high TPACK teachers suggest that learning to use technology with students does relate to the particular subject area taught. 2) What critical roles do these learning supporters play, for high and low TPACK teachers? High TPACK teachers had more learning supporters overall (M=3.56, SD=1.45) than low TPACK teachers (M=2.23, SD=1.48), t(45)=3.12, p < .01. Most common: “teaches me how to use technology” High TPACK teachers more likely to report that someone lends them resources such as books (χ 2 (1, N=42)=5.40, p<.05), funds their technology ((χ 2 (1, N=42)=11.09, p<.01), or pays them to learn (χ 2 (1, N=42)=6.74, p<.01). Having someone connect them to learning resources approached significance (χ 2 (1, N=42)=2.97, p<.10). 3) Who are the learning partners? Most of the supporters named by participants were located in the school context. Teachers with high TPACK were more likely to name a learning supporter outside of school, (χ 2 (1, N=45)=6.06, p<.05). High TPACK teachers named subject area colleagues second after other school colleagues, whereas for low TPACK teachers, subject area colleagues ranked fifth. References Barron, B. (2006). Interest and Self-Sustained Learning as Catalysts of Development: A Learning Ecology Perspective. Human Development, 49, 193-224. Barron, B., Martin, C.K., Takeuchi, L., & Fithian, R. (2009). Parents as Learning Partners in the Development of Technological Fluency. International Journal of Learning and Media, 1 (2), 55-77. Borko, H., Jacobs, J., & Koellner, K. (in press). Contemporary approaches to teacher professional development. In E. Baker, B. McGaw, & P.Peterson (Eds.) International Encyclopedia of Education, 3rd Ed. Oxford, UK: Elsevier. Lawson, T., & Comber, C. (1999). Superhighways technology: Personnel factors leading to successful integration of information and communications technology in schools and colleges. Journal of Information Technology for Teacher Education, 8(1), 41-53. Mishra, P. & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A Framework for Teacher Knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017-1054. Penuel, W.R., Riel, M., Krause, A.E. & Frank, K. A. (2009). Analyzing Teachers’ Professional Interactions in a School as Social Capital: A Social Network Approach. Teachers College Record 111(1), 124-163. Ryymin, E., Palonen, T., & Hakkarainen, K. (2008). Networking relations of using ICT within a teacher community. Computers & Education, 51(3), 1264-1282. Schmidt, D.A., Baran, E., Thompson, A.D., Koehler, M.J., Mishra, P, and Shin, T. (2009). March 3, 2009 version. Downloaded from http://www.tpack.org. Zhao, Y., Pugh, K., Sheldon, S., & Byers, J. L. (2002). Conditions for classroom technology innovations. Teachers College Record, 104(3), 482-515. 1) Does the number of different people who support a teacher in learning technology relate to the teacher’s use of technology with students? Teachers with higher TPACK tended to have more learning supporters (r(44)=.30, p<.05) Teachers who rated themselves as having high TPACK also tended to have more roles filled by their learning supporters (r(40)=.41, p<.01) Teachers with higher TPACK also tended to report more kinds of digital activities with students (r(28)=.33, p<.10) “I can select technologies to use in my classroom that enhance what I teach and what students learn.tpack.org Learns with me • Explains how technology can impact students • Connects me to others Lends me resources Pays me to learn Abstract In this poster we share results from a study of teachers’ access to people who support their learning of technology. This is part of a larger research project describing the learning ecologies (Barron, 2004) of teachers and their relationship to teachers’ development of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge, or TPACK (Mishra & Koehler, 2006). The support of others is a critical factor in teacher learning and in integrating new technologies in the class- room. We examine the number, roles, and relationships of support- ers identified as important to teachers’ learning of technology for teaching. Methods Pre- and post-surveys of technical fluency and teaching, beliefs, ac- cess, and demographic information, administered online at the end of the first and last days of a teacher professional development workshop for Middle School teachers in June, 2009. Participants 47 responses Monday afternoon, 44 Friday afternoon Years of experience from 0 to 30 (M=9.32, SD=7.41) Represented most subject areas. Measures TPACK. Modified from survey for preservice teachers. 4 items (Cronbach’s alpha=.90; M 3.82, SD=.77) rated from Strongly Disagree (1) to Strongly Agree (5). High/Low TPACK. Median split of the TPACK scale score. The high and low TPACK groups were comparable by age, gender, and years of teaching experience. Supporters. The number of names listed (M=2.94, SD=1.6) when asked “Please list up to 5 people (fewer is fine) who support your learning about digital technologies for your work as a teacher. Think about people inside and outside of school, teachers and non- teachers.” Types of Support. Based on work with adolescents and refined in pilot studies with teachers. Up to 9 different ways in which each person supports learning and their relationship to the participant. The tally of all the roles filled (M=5.67, SD=2.2). Activities with Students. 33 activities related to communication, computation, creative expression, and learning management. A measure of breadth of experience with digital activities with students prior to the study (M=13.21, SD=5.4). Learning Ecologies The accessed set of contexts, comprised of configurations of activities, material resources, and relationships that are found in co-located physical or virtual spaces that provide opportunities for learning. (Barron, 2006)

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  • Supporting Teacher Technology Learning: Important Relationships in the Learning Ecology Karin S. Forssell • Stanford University • [email protected]

    AcknowledgmentsWe are grateful to the teachers who contributed their time to this effort, to this research. This research was conducted with the support of members of the youthLAB research group and the LIFE Science of Learning Center.

    http://youthlab.stanford.eduhttp://www.life-slc.org

    Implications and Future DirectionsTaking a learning ecology perspective focuses our attention on how social networks support teacher learning. These analyses suggest that the network of learning supporters available to a teacher is an important factor in the teacher’s learning to use technology in the classroom. Equally or perhaps even more important than the number of people supporting teachers’ learning, is the roles that learning supporters play. Understanding the value of these roles will help us better design learning environments for teachers, inside and outside of schools.

    The high SES, high-tech nature of this group of teachers may limit its generalizability to other groups of teachers. More research is needed to examine the support networks of teachers in low-tech environments.

    The TPACK framework, which highlights the interactions between technology, pedagogy, and content, suggests that we pay attention to the content-relevant use of new tools. The subject-area colleagues named by high TPACK teachers suggest that learning to use technology with students does relate to the particular subject area taught.

    2) What critical roles do these learning supporters play, for high and low TPACK teachers?

    High TPACK teachers had more learning supporters overall (M=3.56, SD=1.45) than low TPACK teachers (M=2.23, SD=1.48), t(45)=3.12, p < .01.

    Most common: “teaches me how to use technology”

    High TPACK teachers more likely to report that someone lends them resources such as books (χ2(1, N=42)=5.40, p