A study of self -efficacy, instructional practices, and uses of technology in semifinalists or recipients of Pennsylvania's teacher of the yea

As we move into the global economy, the need for workers with technological fluency grows. Although the workplace of the 21st century requires workers to have information and communication technology skills, the presence and use of technology in public schools has not yielded positive results. Teachers do see the importance of using technology for instructional purposes, yet lack a concrete idea of how to integrate technology in ways that promote student learning and constitute exemplary uses of technological resources.;This mixed model study provides information on how exemplary teachers adopt and integrate technology into their classrooms. It examines self-efficacy, instructional practices, and uses of technology in Pennsylvania teacher of the year semifinalists and recipients from the years 1997--2004.;The results from the t-test and from the teacher responses indicated that despite the fact the teachers in the study have access to technology in their classrooms and in computer labs and have had extensive technology professional development experiences, their uses of technology are limited to tasks that merely supplement traditional teaching or that help teachers manage the daily activities of their jobs. The study only found limited instances of teachers using technology to advance constructivist classroom practices. This study also found conflicting evidence about the nature of teacher technology beliefs and uses. Although teachers in the study had moderate to strong beliefs about technology's influence on student learning and teacher pedagogy, teachers report that they are infrequently using technology. Looking at the research from the theoretical framework on self-efficacy, this study showed that teacher beliefs may have some influence over teachers' uses of technology, but there is limited evidence that teacher beliefs influence how technology is used. Finally, this study showed that professional development impacts teachers' uses of specific technology for specific purposes. When teachers have the skills to perform the tasks and the belief that the task fits a purpose, they use technology to accomplish that purpose.