National Louis University Digital Commons@NLU Dissertations Summer 8-2014 Tap the Screen: Technology Integration in Our Students’ Lives Matthew .J Fuller National-Louis University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss Part of the Educational Leadership Commons Recommended Citation Fuller, Matthew J., "Tap the Screen: Technology Integration in Our Students’ Lives" (2014). Dissertations. 75. https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/75 This Dissertation - Public Access is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons@NLU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@NLU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. TAP THE SCREEN: TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION IN OUR STUDENTS’ LIVES Matt J. Fuller Educational Leadership Doctoral Program Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of Doctor of Education in the Foster G. McGaw Graduate School National College of Education National Louis University June, 2014 NLU Digital Commons Document Origination Statement ! This document was created as one part of the three-part dissertation requirement of the National Louis University (NLU) Educational Leadership (EDL) Doctoral Program. The National Louis Educational Leadership EdD is a professional practice degree program (Shulman et al., 2006). For the dissertation requirement, doctoral candidates are required to plan, research, and implement three major projects, one each year, within their school or district with a focus on professional practice. The three projects are: • Program Evaluation • Change Leadership Plan • Policy Advocacy Document For the Program Evaluation candidates are required to identify and evaluate a program or practice within their school or district. The “program” can be a current initiative; a grant project; a common practice; or a movement. Focused on utilization, the evaluation can be formative, summative, or developmental (Patton, 2008). The candidate must demonstrate how the evaluation directly relates to student learning. In the Change Leadership Plan candidates develop a plan that considers organizational possibilities for renewal. The plan for organizational change may be at the building or district level. It must be related to an area in need of improvement, and have a clear target in mind. The candidate must be able to identify noticeable and feasible differences that should exist as a result of the change plan (Wagner et al., 2006). In the Policy Advocacy Document candidates develop and advocate for a policy at the local, state or national level using reflective practice and research as a means for supporting and promoting reforms in education. Policy advocacy dissertations use critical theory to address moral and ethical issues of policy formation and administrative decision making (i.e., what ought to be). The purpose is to develop reflective, humane and social critics, moral leaders, and competent professionals, guided by a critical practical rational model (Browder, 1995). Works Cited Browder, L. H. (1995). An alternative to the doctoral dissertation: The policy advocacy concept and the policy document. Journal of School Leadership, 5, 40-69. Patton, M. Q. (2008). Utilization-focused evaluation (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Shulman, L.S., Golde, C. M., Bueschel, A. C., & Garabedian, K. J. (2006). Reclaiming education’s doctorates: A critique and a proposal. Educational Researcher, 35(3), 25-32. Wagner, T. et al. (2006). Change leadership: A practical guide to transforming our schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. ! ! 3.18.14 Abstract The focus of this study is to document and describe the integration of technology in the everyday lives of students in Grades 3–8 attending a high-performing public school district in an affluent Chicago suburb. The following research questions guide this study: • How do students in Grades 3–8 integrate technology into their lives? • What are the implications of students’ technology integration for teaching and learning? • How can teachers capitalize upon students’ technology integration in ways that inform instructional practice? A review of the literature presents related information in areas that explore the increasingly digital world of our students; curriculum, instruction, and research; innovation, creativity, and learning environments; student social and cognitive development; and student technology use. In this ethnographic study, qualitative research methods are used to interview 55 students in 17 focus groups. An analysis of focus group data is presented in the following categories: technology device access and use; gaming; electronic book readers; television and online video; imposed limits on technology; communicating using technology; and technology in the school environment. Student technology use information is presented in the student voice and is then discussed in the context of improving teaching and learning. This study recommends that both parents and teachers should intentionally seek to understand the technology-enabled pursuits of children to better understand the “whole child.” Further, teachers and other school leaders are encouraged to welcome student-owned technology in school and encourage project- based learning opportunities. i Preface The most valuable aspects of this research project that impacted my leadership practices were the review of literature and the experience of conducting the focus groups and analyzing the data. The extensive process of completing the review of literature made it clear that very little research exists that relates out-of-school student technology use to technology integration in school for students in Grades 3–8. As a technology leader in a progressive education environment where knowing the “whole child” is valued, it has become clear that further research to benefit both teachers and parents is needed to truly be able to personalize learning and differentiate instruction. Also, the review of literature allowed me to learn that virtually no differences exist between “digital natives” and “digital immigrants” (Prensky, 2001a, 2001b), a popular theory that I believe has divided teachers and students as technology users. The process of conducting focus groups and analyzing data from students in my own district was, by far, the most valuable leadership experience from this study. Although I had predicted a high level of technology access in the community and significant depth of student technology skill and knowledge, the focus groups allowed me to experience this information first hand. Further, as a leader, I am now able to stand behind my recommendations regarding future technology needs of the district with a high level of confidence. This program evaluation has clearly demonstrated the readiness of students in District 36 to proceed with more technology integration opportunities and provides me with targeted information to support recommendations for technology-based teaching and learning systems, programs, and professional development opportunities for teachers, staff, and administrators. ii Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................ i Preface ................................................................................................................................. ii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... iii SECTION ONE: INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................1 Purpose .....................................................................................................................1 Rationale ..................................................................................................................1 Goals ........................................................................................................................3 Research Questions ..................................................................................................4 SECTION TWO: REVIEW OF LITERATURE .................................................................6 Our Increasingly Digital World ...............................................................................8 Curriculum, Instruction, and Research ..................................................................15 Innovation, Creativity, and Learning Environments ..............................................21 Student Social and Cognitive Development ..........................................................25 Student Technology Use Statistics .........................................................................30 Review of Literature Conclusions .........................................................................36 SECTION THREE: METHODOLOGY ............................................................................38 Research Design Overview ....................................................................................38 Participants .............................................................................................................38 Data Gathering Techniques ....................................................................................39 Data Analysis Techniques ......................................................................................41 SECTION FOUR: FINDINGS & INTERPRETATION ...................................................43