The effects of technology on teachers, students, and administrators
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of the introduction of technology on students, teachers, and administrators in the North Salem Middle/High School; it sought to explore the actual results of a technology initiative called the North Salem Technology Project. The study explored the way students learn, teachers instruct, and administrators behave as instructional leaders and managers in a technologically rich environment. The study sought to document the effects realized by students, teachers, and administrators in North Salem's attempt to systematically introduce technology into the school and to identify not only expected effects but also those that were unexpected. A qualitative case study was used as the research design. Interviewing of teachers, students, and administrators, observations, and document reviews were utilized for data collection and to triangulate findings of the research. The major findings of this research supported the general conclusion that technology had an effect on all the major stakeholders of the educational organization. Based upon the findings of this study it was concluded that (a) technology is the avenue through which students are motivated to fully participate in the learning process, (b) technology is the vehicle through which teachers can change their instructional practices to meet the needs of students in an Information Age, and (c) technology changes the instructional leadership of administrators in terms of their support and supervision of teachers in an Information Age organization. As a result of the data collected in this study and conclusions drawn from these data, the following recommendations for practice were developed: (a) provide a speed Internet accessibility throughout the school building, (b) provide high teacher accessibility to computers and Internet, and (c) prepare administrators to take a leadership role in the inclusion of technology in the school. Further research in the area of technology use would enrich the present body of knowledge. This further research, both qualitative and quantitative, might investigate: the qualities of student work that are positively affected by technology, the relationship between technology and the desire of students to participate in extra-curricular activities, the specific types of in-service programs that are most effective in helping teachers incorporate technology into their curricular areas, the effect of technology based change and innovation on informal teacher leadership, and finally, the specific level of technological teacher expertise needed to predict successful integration of technology in the classroom.
Subject Area
Educational administration|Curriculum development|Educational technology
Recommended Citation
Bovino, George Anthony, "The effects of technology on teachers, students, and administrators" (1999). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI3056133.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI3056133
