A dissertation completed at
The Center for Education, Widener University,
One University Place, Chester, PA 19013 		 
AN EXAMINATION OF THE PERCEIVED CORRELATES OF A TECHNOLOGY PLAN ON THE INTEGRATION OF TECHNOLOGY INTO THE CLASSROOM
William K. Miller, Ed. D.
Tuesday, October 30, 2001

RETURN
edited 6/9/02

 


ABSTRACT



This dissertation demonstrated the methodology and content of a well-written technology plan. This study showed that a correlation exists between the seven aspects of a technology plan and the amount of technology actually used in the classroom. These seven aspects are: 1) the process for developing the plan that includes who should be part of the plan and what the role of each member is, 2) who has access to the technology and how much access is available, 3) the need for staff development, 4) the budgetary requirements for implementing a technology plan, 5) who will install, maintain, and upgrade the equipment, 6) what modifications to the infrastructure must be performed for the equipment to work properly, and lastly, 7) what is the role assessment plays in the intregration of technology into the classroom.

The population used for this study was the school districts within the five Southeastern Pennsylvania suburban counties that surround the city of Philadelphia. These five counties are: Delaware, Chester, Montgomery, Bucks, and Berks counties. The number of school districts contained within these counties gave the study a sample size large enough to satisfy its need for validity.

The statistical analysis of the data provided by the survey demonstrated that annual income of the district the amount of access to the technology, and the availability of technical support staff all played a significant role in the integration of technology into the classroom. It also indicated that new teachers are undertrained for the use of technology within the classroom when compared to their more experienced counterparts. Lastly, this study indicated that all districts had made a large investment in technology, yet very few actually had an objective method for assessing the success of the technogy as defined by the amount of time a student is exposed to technology for instructional purposes.

Each of the seven aspects were examined independently and the unique contribution of each to the overall plan was discussed. Concurrent with that exploration was the investigation of the dependence of the seven aspects on each other. This study provided information that allowed the reader to prioritize the six aspects to meet the individual needs of the school district.

TO TOP