Change Agents in Global Initiatives

In December 2012, the President of Fort Hays State University attended a meeting with faculty and staff from the Department of Advanced Education Programs. During the meeting, he asked an important question,” What are you doing for Kansans?” The question became a challenge for a few faculty members that helped guide the direction of an initiative to provide professional development support for teachers on technology integration in the 21st Century classroom. The President’s question provided the impetus to keep going and to develop a more succinct plan to provide support for schools; especially as schools developed Google Domains and began to use the free applications offered by Google and others. As a result, 19 faculty and staff worked together to become Google Certified Educators. The process, itself, helped form a team of six individuals who went on to complete Google for Education Trainer certification. The gTrainers quickly developed a vision for what could be accomplished based on the belief that technology integration is more than an “add-on.” It is a mindset where the tools become the means for creating challenging, engaging projects and an environment for student learning

Implications of the Digital Divide for Technology Integration in Schools: A White Paper

The implications of the Digital Divide in 2019 vary slightly from the onset of Internet use. Max Weber’s (1922, 1978) theory of stratification provides a foundation for understanding why the growth is slow. Defining the Digital Divide is difficult. In reality, it has moved from a situation of access to acquiring sufficient skills to use it effectively. We examines the issue from the perspective of the need for technology literate leaders in schools. Technology literate leaders not only embrace technology: they model it. The leaders provide teachers with access and training to implement the best pedagogically sound teaching strategies so that students have optimum opportunities to learn with technology

Cultural Capital and the Digital Divide: A Literature Review

The internet holds promise of rapid diffusion of information to the global community and the potential to change our way of life. Those without access or with limited access to the internet are at a disadvantage. This paper examined the implications and issues surrounding the Digital Divide as it relates to Bourdieu\u27s theory of cultural capital. It is an examination of the literature on the Digital Divide in education

INSTRUCTOR TECHNOLOGY USE: A MIXED METHODS INVESTIGATION

This mixed methods concurrent triangulation study was designed to examine instructional leaders’ descriptions of their experience with integrating technology into their teaching. Seminal studies from the 1990s were found to remain true today—that teachers are not ready to incorporate technology into their teaching (Becker, 1999; Ertmer, 1999). In the decade since Becker’s and Ertmer’s findings, changes have been seen in select pockets of the university community. I was interested in exploring one of these “pockets” that has been identified through my work with online instruction and in consultations with faculty who are either beginning or are veterans at integrating technology into their teaching. Although access to technology has become ubiquitous, that fact alone does not ensure technology integration. Other conditions are necessary to its effective integration. I explored ways that faculty in a college of education are using technology and the strategies they are modeling as they seek to pass on necessary skills to pre-service teachers. The qualitative phase of the study revealed broad descriptions of instructors’ technology integration. Instructors who confronted new technologies, their attitudes about technology, and the context in which they sought to use technology were examined. The quantitative phase of the study focused on the technologies used and instructors’ perceptions about teaching with technology. I wanted to see if there was a connection between the attitudes these instructors had toward technology use and how they integrated technology in their teaching. Participants viewed technology as a necessity for their teaching process and daily life in general. Data analysis showed that they believe that instructional technology shaped, modeled, and extended learning processes for students. Instructional technology extended students learning experiences by providing them with opportunities for more independent, self-directed, and in-depth learning. When students felt in control of their own learning they became more actively engaged in it, and were able to select, analyze and synthesize information, make decisions about their learning, detect gaps in their knowledge, and find solutions for how to fill those gaps

Change Agents in Global Initiatives

In December 2012, the President of Fort Hays State University attended a meeting with faculty and staff from the Department of Advanced Education Programs. During the meeting, he asked an important question,” What are you doing for Kansans?” The question became a challenge for a few faculty members that helped guide the direction of an initiative to provide professional development support for teachers on technology integration in the 21st Century classroom. The President’s question provided the impetus to keep going and to develop a more succinct plan to provide support for schools; especially as schools developed Google Domains and began to use the free applications offered by Google and others. As a result, 19 faculty and staff worked together to become Google Certified Educators. The process, itself, helped form a team of six individuals who went on to complete Google for Education Trainer certification. The gTrainers quickly developed a vision for what could be accomplished based on the belief that technology integration is more than an “add-on.” It is a mindset where the tools become the means for creating challenging, engaging projects and an environment for student learning

Implications of the Digital Divide for Technology Integration in Schools: A White Paper

The implications of the Digital Divide in 2019 vary slightly from the onset of Internet use. Max Weber’s (1922, 1978) theory of stratification provides a foundation for understanding why the growth is slow. Defining the Digital Divide is difficult. In reality, it has moved from a situation of access to acquiring sufficient skills to use it effectively. We examines the issue from the perspective of the need for technology literate leaders in schools. Technology literate leaders not only embrace technology: they model it. The leaders provide teachers with access and training to implement the best pedagogically sound teaching strategies so that students have optimum opportunities to learn with technology