Date of Award

12-1-2004

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Teaching & Learning

Abstract

The study investigated student and teacher outcomes from a Technology Innovation Challenge Grant project, NatureShift Linking Learning to Life (NS), to determine if the project influenced teachers’ work and student learning. The approaches were twofold: (1) to examine the implementation of higher order thinking and relevant use of technology by students and teachers and (2) to understand a teacher’s reactions to and implementation of a teaching model and methodology for Internet delivery and technology use.

A quantitative study examined the student projects and teacher materials created as part of school implementations cf the NS model and curriculum. The sources of data were student pre/post test scores of content knowledge and technology use, and student and teacher products resulting from NS implementations. The qualitative study looked at a participant teacher’s understanding of NS. The sources of data for this case study were interviews, descriptive field notes from observations, and artifacts including lesson plans and student projects.

All quantitative instruments were subjected to psychometric analysis for content validity and reliability. Pre/posttests were scored and analyzed using the t-test for related samples. Student and teacher products were scored using a five-dimensional rubric.

Outcomes from the quantitative study indicated a positive relationship between student and teacher use of NS and technology literacy. Pre/posttesl comparisons of content knowledge and technology application rose significantly after implementation of a model exploration. Student products showed a higher than average implementation of four of the five dimensions, and teacher products showed a higher than average implementation in three of the five dimensions.

From case study coding of observations and interviews of a teacher, the following assertion emerged: Access to educational technology and professional development in technology integration promotes constructivist teaching. Findings from this case study indicate that the teacher utilized a highly constructivist teaching style when technology was employed and a more traditional instructor-directed teaching style when technology was not employed.

Taken together, the quantitative and the qualitative investigations indicate that teacher and student technology literacy were positively influenced when NS was a part of the teaching and learning experience.

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