| The purpose of this study was to examine the experiential differences of teachers with respect to technology and to determine whether these differences impact how technology is integrated into the classroom. Changes in the skills sets of younger teachers who have had many years of exposure, training, and use of digital devices suggest possible advantages that novice teachers have over their veteran counterparts. Conversely, teachers with many years of experience have a clearer vision and a practical understanding of what works and what does not work in an instructional setting with diverse learners.; Quantitative data was collected from 36 subjects who completed a survey distributed to 63 elementary school classroom teachers. In addition, following an invitation to participate in email interviews, qualitative feedback was received from seven individuals who agreed to provide written reflections about their technological experiences.; Data obtained included information about demographics, perception of technical skills, frequency of use, and perceived usefulness of teaching methods in the integration of technology. Comparisons were made based on years of teaching experience as well as gradelevel assignments. Analysis and interpretation of the magnitude of differences was accomplished through the calculation of effect sizes. Use of this descriptive measure provided a means by which to determine whether the differences between the two groups were substantial.; The data analysis indicated that while the novice teachers consistently rated themselves more proficient in technical skills than the veteran teachers, both groups perceived their pedagogical skills to be at a comparable level. Overall, however, both groups ranked themselves at or below the midpoint on the scale of expert to novice. Additionally, while many individuals in both groups found particular approaches to teaching with technology extremely useful, they reported infrequent use with their students. According to some of the interviewed subjects, this disconnect may be attributable to a lack of understanding of how to actually apply these techniques in practice. This would suggest the need for more instructive training of an explicit nature. |
