The Study

In this article, Associate Professor Yong Zhao and his co-authors examine exemplary uses of technology by teachers. The article reports on a survey of an exemplary group of teachers who use technology in their classrooms. The researchers paint a portrait of this group in terms of their knowledge, skills, attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs.

Findings

The participants in the study were recipients of a Michigan competitive grant aimed at supporting innovative technology uses in K-12 classrooms. The study involved 93 teachers. The goal was to capture a comprehensive picture of teachers who were enthusiastic about integrating technology in their classrooms. The researchers focused on six dimensions: teachers’ past and current technology uses, technology proficiency, beliefs about and attitudes toward technology, and pedagogical styles. What they found was that the teachers were frequent technology users and planned to expand their uses of technology. The teachers used a variety of technologies, with word processing the most commonly used and live chats and discussion groups the least commonly used. The teachers were fairly proficient in computer technologies, and they held “remarkably positive attitudes toward using computers and related technologies in education.” They also believed that all teachers should know how to use technology. The data also revealed that the teachers were not nervous about using computers. The only thing that seemed to cause anxiety was the fear of losing control of where students might go on the Internet. Finally, the teachers were more likely to be “progressivists” in focusing on higher-order thinking skills and student-centered activities. For Zhao and his colleagues, the findings were not necessarily a surprise. They note that the findings confirmed many common beliefs. But confirming the traits and beliefs of technology-using teachers is vital, Zhao and his colleagues wrote, because the “ability to use technology is more than the skills to control the machine. A driver’s license means much more than proof of its bearer’s ability to control and manipulate a car … Likewise, when we say someone is a technologically competent teacher, our standards should not only be technical – whether he can turn on the computer, send an e-mail, or print a document. The standards should encompass other domains.”

What It Means To You

As the study finds, exemplary teachers not only know to use computers and related technology but also hold positive attitudes toward integration of computers in education, are confident about their technology skills, are suspicious (or nervous) about certain applications of technology, and take a progressivist pedagogical approach. To what extent do teachers in your district share these traits?

For More Information

Zhao, Y., Byers, J., Mishra, P., Topper, A., Chen, H., Enfield, M., Fedig, R., Frank, K., Pugh, K. & Tan, S.H. (2001). What do they know? A comprehensive portrait of exemplary technology-using teachers. The Journal of Computing in Teacher Education, 17(2), 24-36.

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