| This study investigated the effectiveness of technology innovation grants awarded to 55 secondary school mathematics teachers between 1997 and 2003. Although professional development resources often are allocated for integrating technology and for applying constructivist theory into the mathematics classroom, little is known about the return on these investments. The grant recipients were sorted into 3 groups, by the grant award date, and descriptive statistics was used to summarize the perceived impact of technology on constructivist statements. A 25-question mail-in survey instrument was used to gather information about teacher level of technology integration, teacher observations of students when using technology, the impact of technology on constructivist behaviors, and other demographic data related to years of teaching and courses taught. This study confirmed that technology-using teachers perceive that technology has an impact on constructivist teacher practices. However, no significant difference was found among or between the three groups on statements about the impact of technology on constructivist practices. Thus, funds expended for professional development on technology use in instruction may be a justifiable investment yielding long-term benefits. Critical thinking and generating knowledge equip students with skills to contribute substantively to societal growth and development. This study contributes to social change in professional development by providing a model to determine the efficacy of how funds allocated for instructional resources, instructional programming, the purchase and implementation of instructional technology and the allocation of resources to professional development programs. |
