Technology in a Sixth Grade Classroom
A Mini-Case Study submitted by Jee Park
ED 151X, Prof. D. Fetterman
December 6, 2000
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the teachers and students of PMS* for letting me conduct this ministudy.
Introduction
The use of technology in education is a controversial subject around the country.
Technology, in this context, refers to computers and other computing devices, as well as the
Internet. Some "techno-reformers" believe that it will be a change agent and cure the
many ailments of public schools. (Cuban, 1996) Others are skeptical that it will have lasting
effects. Many studies have focused on the issue surrounding access to such technology, but
few have examined the actual effects of its inclusion in the classroom. The relevant
question seems to be shifting from, "Can students and teachers get Internet access and
computers?" to "How can students and teachers use them to improve learning?"
This study focuses on a sixth grade classroom that is about to embark upon a
technological journey. Although they are already among the 84% that have computers in
their classroom (Smerdon, et. al, 2000) and use other forms of technology such as books,
markers, and posters, they are about to be included in the small percentage of public school
classrooms that provide laptop computers for each student.
In the early spring of 2001, two teachers and their sixth grade classes will participate in
a three-month pilot program at Peninsula Middle School (PMS)*. At the beginning of the
study, the two teachers had not been determined. The pilot program is the first phase of a
three-year program, which will eventually place laptops into the hands of each student and
teacher at the school. This program will certainly have huge effects on school community,
and the leaders of the program are anxious to see if the benefits of such a program will
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outweigh the obstacles of success, such as funding. This study focuses on existing
instructional practices and student achievement and provides a basis of comparison
between the learning experience before and after the introduction of laptop computers.
The study begins by background information describing the school district and sixth
grade teachers of PMS. The study then looks at the factors involving the success of a laptop
program: parents, teachers, and students. It then moves to the actual uses of technology
in the classroom by teachers and students. This study focuses on Kerry Mason* and the
two groups of students she teaches on a daily basis. Kerry is a first year sixth grade
Language Arts and Social Studies teacher who works with Jane Graham*, a tenured sixth
grade Mathematics and Science teacher. Finally, the study closes with conclusions and
recommendations based on the findings.
Guiding Questions
A laptop program requires the cooperation and commitment of three major groups:
parents, teachers, and students. Although PMS has not yet determined the logistics of the
laptop purchase, parents will either have to buy or lease the laptop when and if the laptop
program progresses through the pilot phase. This implies a financial commitment to some
degree by the parents, which in turn requires a level of confidence in the value of the
program.
In Peterson's literature review, she sites that "teachers' pre-existing beliefs and
practices strongly influence the manner in which they adopt any classroom innovation.
Recent studies, focusing specifically on the integration of technology in the classroom,
suggest that technology in and of itself does not cause changes in teaching and learning
processes…" She sites a particular study that suggests that computers affect the behavior
of teachers. A study involving the use of a computerized geometry teacher (Shoefield,
1995) showed that teachers who taught with computers "circulated among the students,
providing individualized assistance and 'coaching' as needed." Furthermore, Peterson cites
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another study by Goodson and Mangan (1995) that "found that teachers of subject areas
that had previously relied upon student-centered, small group strategies … were able to
incorporate instruction more extensively than others." (Peterson, 1999)
The students are also crucial in the laptop program in that they will be responsible for
bringing the computer to and from school each day. Several daily activities may involve the
laptop and if it is not taken care of or brought to school, students may miss learning
opportunities. Possession and use of laptops require a certain degree of discipline,
responsibility, and maturity on the part of students. If the students are not equipped with
these skills, traits, or habits, the laptop program may not prove worthwhile. Consequently,
this study also aims at answering, "What is the current climate for failure or success of a
laptop program at PMS?" In other words, do the parents, teachers, and students have the
potential to make the laptop program succeed?
Computers are not the only forms of technology used in classrooms today. As Kozma
points out, technology includes a variety of media, such as books, television, computers,
and multimedia environments, and each form has unique benefits for learning. (Kozma,
1991) Lisa Peterson, a teacher involved in a 6th grade laptop program describes, also
suggests "Like paper and pencils, markers and glue, books and magazines, laptop
computers are merely tools that students and teachers can use to develop and share their
understanding of the world." (Peterson, 1999) All of the aforementioned tools can be
considered technology, whether or not they require a plug into a wall socket. This study will
focus on the use of such diverse "technology" in the sixth grade classroom and will attempt
to answer the question, "What forms of technology are used in the classroom and how are
they used to enhance the educational experience?"
Site Background
Peninsula Middle School (PMS) is located in an upper-middle class suburb in Silicon
Valley. PMS is a public middle school that instructs students in grades six through eight. It
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used to be a seventh and eighth grade middle school, but started to include the sixth grade
with the growing demand for middle schools in the last two decades. The suburb is again
experiencing a high demand in middle schools, causing PMS to use temporary trailers to
accommodate some classes, and a third middle school is planned to open next fall. The
location of the third middle school is under dispute, as the school district and a large
neighboring university are having difficulty creating an agreement about the land involved in
the issue.
Parents and students can choose among three different programs at PMS. Traditional*
is for students who require more structure and direction in their classroom instruction.
Another program, Broadview*, is aimed at students who learn best by seeing and
understanding the interconnectedness among subjects. Broadview takes an interdisciplinary
approach to learning. The third program, Hybrid*, is a combination of both approaches.
Hybrid integrates individual and group learning techniques. Traditional and Hybrid are each
taught by a team of teachers. One member of the team is usually the Math-Science
teacher, and the other instructs Language Arts-Social Studies.
The student population at PMS is relatively homogeneous. Most of the students live in
the upper-middle class surrounding neighborhoods of the school, but there are some
students who live in the less affluent suburb near PMS. Latino, African-American, Asian,
East Indian, middle eastern, and students of other ethnic backgrounds also attend the
school.
The Parent Teacher Association has been essential in this laptop pilot program and
influential in infusing technology into the classrooms and throughout the school. The
President of the PTA, who has a child in the sixth grade, has been particularly effective in
raising money for the laptop program and to hire more teachers in order to keep class sizes
down. This pilot program has been controversial within the school district. The other
middle school is not involved in such a program. Additionally, the PTA of the other existing
middle school is not as successful in raising funds and there have been issues around how
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to share the money, if at all. One opinion focuses on the fact that the middle schools are
public, and therefore any funds that are raised should be pooled and shared between the
two schools. Others disagree.
Methods
Before beginning formal observations in the Kerry's classroom, I attended a pre-study
meeting to gain an understanding of the pilot laptop program and its scope. I then
attended a portion of a professional development day, which was attended by eight sixth
grade teachers. During the three hours I attended the professional development day, I
conducted informal interviews during the lunch break and attempted to be a non-participant
observer. Shortly after the professional day, I arranged to observe Kerry's classes. I
observed nearly eight hours of class time. During and after each class, I conducted informal
interviews.
Pre-Study Meeting
In the second week of October, I, along with two other Stanford students and two others
affiliated with Stanford, attended a meeting with Pam Hansen*, an employee of Large
Telecommunications Company (LTC) who is also a former PMS teacher, and Lisa Graves*, a
part-time teacher and technology coordinator at PMS. They are spearheading the Laptop
program at PMS. The meeting had been organized by the Stanford professor, whose
children attended PMS. We sat in a small area of the school library's office and discussed
the possibility of evaluating the laptop program. PMS wants to record, collect, and analyze
the effects of the Laptop pilot program on the educational experience of students involved in
the program and the teaching experience of teachers leading the students in the program.
In preparation for the pilot, all sixth grade teachers were asked to attend one of two twoday professional development sessions to help them become familiar with their new iBooks,
brainstorm about ways to use technology in the classroom, and to gauge the interest level
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for participation in the pilot program. The first session had already taken place, but the
second one was to occur in the next week.
Observations and Informal Interviews
I tried to be a non-participant observer during the second day of the second professional
development session. Both of the two-day professional development sessions took place at
LTC. The purpose of observing the professional development session was to gain insight
into the attitudes and aptitudes of teachers and technology. I also wanted to learn about
their interests, hopes, and goals in using technology in the classroom.
In the second week of November, I was a non-participant observer of Kerry and her two
classes, who are the focus of this study. I spent approximately nine hours at PMS, which
was spread over four consecutive days. During that time, I also conducted two informal
interviews with Kerry, two informal interviews with Jane, Kerry's Math and Science Team
Teacher, and one informal interview with Julie Allen*, the coordinator of the district's Novice
Teacher Assessment and Support* (NTAS) program. Julie is also Kerry's coach and mentor
through NTAS. Informal interviews were employed, as they were more natural and befitting
the situation than formal interviews. My goal was to be as unobtrusive as possible as a
researcher, and found that information was more easily and perhaps more accurately
gathered in informal interviews.
Unusual Circumstances
Parent Conferences occurred at the end of the week in which I did my observations.
This caused some irregularity in the school schedule. Furthermore, the week before I made
my observations, the students had only been in school for four days and Kerry was away on
a NTAS retreat. Additionally, the Thanksgiving was the week after my observations. These
circumstances may be important to consider when assessing the findings of this study.
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Factors Affecting the Success of the Laptop Program
In order for the pilot laptop program to be successful, the parents must believe in the
value of the program and have confidence in the teachers leading it, the teachers must be
able to assimilate to the impending changes in their classroom, and the students must be
responsive.
The Parents of PMS
The parents of PMS are very involved in their children's education, but it is uncertain
whether the participation is voluntary or required. Some evidence suggests that parents
willingly participate in the school. The PMS PTA has a large membership and has been able
to raise significant funds. Additionally, many parents seem to be comfortable
communicating with their children's teachers. Kerry and Jane are in ongoing communication
with parents, which is frequently facilitated by email. Kerry usually arrives at school about
an hour early so that she can read and respond to their messages promptly. She feels that
communicating with parents "prevents problems from happening." Although she does not
feel as if such prompt response is expected of her, she believes that "to be considered good
at what you do, you need to do it."
Parent involvement is also requested at PMS. During the first three weeks of school,
Kerry and Jane require students to get their "binder reminders", the assignment notebooks
in which students write their homework, signed by a parent. Furthermore, just before the
study began, student grades were sent home, and parents were asked to sign the grade
reports as well as write a letter concerning their child's strengths and areas needing
improvement. Kerry has manila envelopes hanging at the back of her room to collect these
documents. Parents are also asked to attend conferences, the first of which happened at
the end of the week during which I observed Kerry's classes. Instead of conducting the
meetings on Thursday and Friday of that week, as most of the other teachers had done, she
and Jane chose to have their conferences during Friday and Saturday of that week. Since
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she had been out of the classroom for the NTAS retreat during the week before, she did not
want to take more class time away from students.
Although the relationships between parents and teachers seem to be amicable, it seems
to be slightly disingenuous. During my first observation, Kerry offers me a stack of email
and correspondence that she has “waiting to file” in a tray next to her desk. She has saved
digital and hard copies of every correspondence she has sent to or received from a parent.
She keeps them for her own "self-preservation" and is planning to make a file for each
student after she is through with parent conferences. On a separate occasion, she adds,
"Parents just want the best for their kids. Sometimes that means scrutinizing what you
(teachers) do."
The Teachers of PMS
Teachers at PMS seem to spend a lot of time on tasks other than preparing and teaching
classes. This is first suggested by Kerry and Jane's choice to have conferences on a
Saturday. Additionally, Kerry meets with a handful of students on a daily basis after school
in order to go over their homework assignments so that they are clear about what they are
to do that evening at home. Kerry and Jane are also responsible for updating their
homework assignments on the PMS website. Furthermore, Kerry and Jane advise one of the
two classes they team-teach.
These responsibilities add to the already challenging task of preparing for and teaching
fifty students every day. With the impending pilot laptop program, teachers are asked to do
even more. In addition to the two-day professional workshop at LTC that they already
attended in the fall, they will be required to attend another one in the spring. Also, in the
closing discussion at the last professional day, teachers decided to archive useful websites
in the 6th grade locker, a shared folder on the PMS server. Teachers agreed to save and
annotate the websites they found during their individual explorations. Teachers were also
encouraged to journalize their activity and to dedicate some time each week for perusal of
the Internet. Although these were suggested after the teachers themselves realized the
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richness of the Internet as an educational resource, searching, modifying lessons available
on the web to suit their needs, and archiving their activity takes time.
My observations of the professional development day also suggest that teachers are at
various levels of comfort with technology and the Internet. Renee*, a math and science
teacher, looks at the board to check that she has put the correct URL into the browser. The
URL on the board reads “edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/webquest.html”. She asks, “Do I need
a ‘http://’ or a ‘www’ before that? It won’t come up.” Later, Renee arrives at a different
site and looks perplexed by the "frames" and "no frames" options. "Bernie Dodge" is
mentioned on many of the sites about Webquests. Curiously, she clicks on his name and is
surprised to see a new email window with his name in the “To:” prompt. She had expected
to get a picture or other information about him, but decides to take the opportunity to email
him. Jane later finds a useful URL for Renee and in providing the address adds, “It’s ‘.htm’
because it ran out.” Another teacher needs help ordering a book she has found online.
These observations suggest that some of the teachers seem unfamiliar with some of the
conventions of the Internet, URL's and websites.
Teachers also seem to have different attitudes towards technology. Many teachers seem
impressed and hopeful of their findings on the Web. Upon finding an assignment about
elements online, one teacher says “This is so cute. Describe an element for an alien.” She
seems impressed by the music and sound emanating from the screen, as well as the
assignment’s inclusion of a Power Point presentation. She makes a link to the page on her
companion page.
Some teachers appear to be inspired to develop their own curriculum or modify the
lessons found on the Web. Renee says excitedly, “What would be cool … to get money from
the district to create web quests!” Another teacher realizes that the lesson she has found
must be modified because she does not have enough time to use it as is.
One teacher voiced her concern for her students when they enter high school. "They
may not have a laptop…they need skills like note-taking." Her comment implies that
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students may not gain some of the necessary non-technical skills they will use in the future.
Considering that this comment also came from a teacher who is relatively inexperienced
with technology (she is the one who needed help ordering a book online), the comment
hints that technology may actually detract from some students' educational experience.
Teachers also seem to be unclear about how the laptops will or should be used in the
classroom. During the discussion at the end of the workshop, Kerry asked for "a video of
what it (having laptops) looks like in the classroom." All of the teachers want Lisa and Pam
to share their findings from the laptop conference they will attend in the coming week.
Another teacher asks the group, "What can this (the laptop) help me do better?" The same
teacher later adds, "What things won't this (the laptop) be helpful for?" He further suggests
that "It (the laptop) won't replace everything. We should think of things its not going to
do." These questions and comments indicate uncertainty about the affect laptops will have
on teachers as well as students, and also suggest that teachers may be careful about the
expectations they place on the laptops.
Kerry and Jane seem to be promoting student-centered classrooms that encourage
students to take responsibility for their learning. The outcroppings of both teachers'
classrooms send this message clearly. In both classrooms, the desks are arranged in fours
and one five. All of the desks face each other, and each desk has a cubby on left side to
hold books and other supplies. The teachers' desks are towards the back of each of the
rooms. (See Figure 1 in the Appendix for a detailed layout of her classroom.) This
configuration lends itself to collaboration among students and shifts to focus from the
teacher to the students.
On nearly every wall of Kerry's classroom, posters encourage students to take an active
role in their education. One poster reads, "If you finish early, 1. complete late or unfinished
work 2. complete extension/enrichment activity 3. read outside reading 4.write in journal".
Other posters describe "A good learning environment", "Class Expectations", and “3 R’s –
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Respect, Responsibility, Ready to learn”. These explicitly remind students of their
responsibilities in the classroom.
Kerry reinforces these messages in her actions. During one activity, she explains that
they will put the answers on the overhead projector so that students who need to see them
can. “Some of us are audio learners; we learn by hearing. Some of us need to see it, and
some of us need to handle it or touch it.” In these statements, Kerry encourages
metacognition as well as appreciation for different learning styles.
During another observation, she reviews a self-evaluation on the overhead projector.
“As part of the grading for this project, your group members will grade you,” she says as an
introduction to the transparency. For each of the questions, Kerry asks them to describe
their reasons on the form. The questions ask students to evaluate individual and group
efforts, to highlight particular group members who worked well and those who did not do
their share, and to describe how the group worked together.
After she explains the form she adds, “You know this is not set in stone, and you always
have input in how you’re graded. Does anyone think this is unfair or wants to change it?
Give me a thumbs up if this is ok with you.”
Many thumbs go up, but not all. Kerry fields questions about the form and makes
changes on the transparency during the discussion. Kerry's willingness to involve the
students in their evaluation process remind students that they are active participants and
that she is working with them towards a common goal, their education.
The collaborative nature of the relationship between Kerry and her students is further
evidenced on two other occasions. On one occasion, Kerry tells the students that they will
also get passes during part of the day so that they can join their parents for part of the
meeting. The students' participation in the conference implies that teachers, students, and
parents are working collectively towards the common goal, the students' education.
On another occasion, Kerry gives the students time to catch up on their reading of Time
for Kids. After giving them a brief overview of the articles, she tells students that they will
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discuss them in about twenty minutes. When they are ready to discuss the articles, Kerry
makes her way to the front of the room and asks, "Would anyone like to lead the article? I
don't feel qualified to do it." Kerry admits to the class that she had not had a chance to
read it, and a girl volunteers to lead the discussion. Kerry is unafraid to show her students
that she is not the sole keeper of information in the classroom. She is not the only font of
knowledge and empowers students to control the learning environment and to act as
"experts", whenever they can.
In one of the informal interviews, Kerry describes her experience in graduate school.
She graduated from a teaching program at a local, state university and student taught at
two elementary schools in Silicon Valley in addition to her time a PMS. Her program
emphasized a "student centered" classroom, which Kerry found philosophically attractive,
but practically unrealistic. She feels that students need some teacher intervention and says
that she tries to make activities engaging and relevant for students. "By this time they've
(the students) heard 'It's not quite what I was looking for' so much that they don't know
how to think out of the box." Kerry tries to help students take risks and be creative.
Her success is demonstrated in one of the student presentations. The students have
been working on a project, which entails a poster, presentation, handout, and bibliography
about "Early Humans". The "Human or Ape?" group gives their handout to the audience at
the beginning of their presentation. Some of the handouts have "orange stickies" on them.
The students who received the marked handouts leave the room with one of the members
of the group. The group hangs the poster on the white board with magnets. Their poster is
graphically intensive. They show the progress of humans from monkeys. All of the images
on the poster appear to have been scanned photocopies, enhanced with colored pencils.
The group presents their findings, and is briefly interrupted by the return of the students
from the hall. These students are going to play Charades with some of the terms that are
included in the presentation and handout. The audience gets all of the terms correct except
one. Eventually, a member of the audience acts out the term by drawing "cave art of
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hunting rituals" on the white board. These students found a creative way to present their
findings, and in a debriefing that followed the presentation, members of the audience said
that they appreciated this presentation in particular because of the audience participation
feature. The willingness of the boy from the audience to draw "cave art" further supports
that Kerry's classroom is a safe environment for students to take risks.
Julie Allen, Kerry's NTAS coach corroborates Kerry's success. Julie enters the room as I
am observing one of Kerry's classes. Looking at Kerry, she says that she is "an exceptional
first year teacher". Julie coaches several new teachers in the district, and even the others
at PMS are "not as good" as Kerry. She adds that Kerry keeps her students on task and
engaged in the activities.
Perhaps the greatest testament to Kerry's art and skill as a teacher is the fact that she
and Jane will be the pilot team for the laptop program. This was determined towards the
end of the study and at the time of this writing, parents and students were not yet made
aware of the decision. Considering the importance of the success of the pilot and the
consequences of failure, it is meaningful that the administration chose Kerry and Jane to
conduct the pilot. It suggests their confidence in Kerry, despite the fact that she is a first
year teacher.
The Students of PMS
The students in Kerry and Jane's classes seem to be mature beyond their age. They are
used to having adults in the classroom and seem unaffected by my presence. On the day I
start my observations, Kerry tells them that Julie will be observing later that period and that
they will also have visitor from Japan later that week. None of the students seem bothered
by this announcement. A small African-American boy raises his hand while she speaks.
Kerry calls on him and he tells her and the class that he saw Julie over the weekend at a fair
on African art. He made sure to say hello to her. Julie remembered him. The child's
inclination to approach Julie, an adult with whom he is acquainted but does not know well,
indicates that he is either an especially outgoing child or that the context in which he knows
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Julie affords his comfort in saying hello to her. Having observed the child for several hours,
I believe that both conclusions are true.
During the informal interview, Julie volunteers that the class is extra ordinary; all of the
students are "very strong". PMS wanted Kerry to be able to focus on the content and the
curriculum during her first year of teaching, and not the classroom management issues.
The kinds of activities observed in the class suggest that Kerry trusts her students to be
productive and responsible for their learning. After she and the students finish discussing
the aforementioned self-evaluation form, Kerry lets the class work on their project for the
rest of the period. Her actions reveal the trust she has in her students to be thoughtful
about their individual and group learning processes. The mere fact that she is able to do
group projects with her students and to let them work with one another, without direct
instruction by her also indicates the depth of her trust in the students' ability to work
autonomously in groups.
Moreover, on a couple different occasions, Kerry let students go to the library to do work
on their presentations. During one of my observations, a male student of middle-eastern
descent leaves the classroom with two laminated sheets that he has gotten from the back
table. Later in the same observation, Kerry allows another student to go to the library to do
work for their project. Kerry trusts that these students are on task and productive even if
they are out of her site.
On another occasion, Kerry instructs the class to take out their Hatchet books and
notebooks. Hatchet is a book the class is reading; it is about a boy who is lost in the
wilderness and only has a hatchet to survive. After getting their attention, Kerry explains
the activity to the class. Each table will become "experts" on three questions and will write
the answers to its questions on overhead transparencies. She hands out a transparency
and an overhead to each table. The class will then be divided into new groups of six, and
each member of the new group will be the "expert" for their three questions. These groups
will share their answers with each other. (This pedagogical method is commonly known as
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“jigsawing”.) Jigsawing requires a commitment from students to stay on task, as the
activity essential requires peer teaching, which is both beneficial and challenging. Kerry's
choice to use this pedagogical strategy in her classroom provides additional evidence that
she believes her students are capable of this level of intellectual exercise.
In spite of many successes in group work, there appear to be some difficulties. On one
occasion, Kerry speaks privately at the back of the room with the middle-eastern boy. She
then summons the two Asian girls in his group. She talks to the girls about working
together in the group to get the best project. The girls listen to her and then return to their
table. Sensing that the girls are not completely satisfied by the conversation, Kerry follows
them to their desks and says, “If you can find a way to get him to feel that he’s
contributing. Help him. Include him.” This instance suggests that not all of the students
are equipped to work productively in groups. Additionally, some of the questions that arise
during the discussion of the self-evaluation intimate that the groups do not always work as
well as anticipated. One student asks “What if someone overcontributed?”, suggesting
dominance or lack of equal participation in the group. Another student adds, “I think it’s
unfair because some people try but other people don’t see it that way,” which highlights the
difference in perceived behavior and the actual intentions of students. Finally, during the
jigsaw activity, one of the groups sitting near my observation perch seemed to be distracted
some of the time. Although much of their time was spent sharing answers, some of them
talked about sports teams they were or will be on.
Children's Use of Technology in the Classroom
Non-electronic Tools
The predominant technology used in this classroom was of the non-electronic type.
Poster board, paper, glue sticks, staplers, scissors, colored pencils, and markers were the
tools observed for creation and production in the classroom. Two of their current
assignments require presentations of some form. As mentioned, the Early Humans project
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included a large poster, and a smaller second assignment of creating a map in conjunction
with their Hatchet reading involved designing in the interior of a blank outlined region. The
students had to work within the constraints of paper and marker mishaps. Some groups
had to use the back of their poster board because of spelling mistakes. Others had to
adjust for miscalculated space on the poster.
Electronic Tools
While observing Kerry's classroom, I saw only one student using the computer. During
the time Kerry gives the students to work on their projects, one girl goes to the Macintosh
computer at the back of the room to print out her group's handout. She seems confused
because her handout does not come out of the printer. Kerry tells her that the program is
set to print the document to the library. She suggests that she send the document to
Jane's class, since she will be there next period. The student replies with a nod, but later
returns to tell Kerry that she was unable to send it to Jane's printer. Kerry does it for her.
Although the student's problem is also common to adults, it indicates that the girl may have
the behavior knowledge or the skills necessary to complete the task of printing a document.
However, the vignette suggests that she lacks the conceptual understanding of how multiple
printers can be set up and networked with other computers.
Although I observed only one student using the computer in order to work on the Early
Humans project, I collected artifacts at the various presentations which show that other
students used the computer in order to do the handout required of the project. Out of six
handouts collected, all of them were either totally or mostly generated with a word
processing program. (See Appendix for artifacts.) Three of the handouts included graphics,
but it is uncertain as to how they were included in the document. Kerry said that one of her
goals for the Early Humans project was to teach students how to scan images into the
computer and the boy who left the class with laminated sheets and later returned
triumphantly to the class with scanned images. These provide evidence to support that
students know how to scan images into the computer. However, I do not know if students
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were them able to manipulate the images electronically or if they were simply printed, cut
out, and colored, as they appeared on many of their Early Humans posters. During one
observation while discussing the bibliography with her students, Kerry did mention having
students write up their individual contributions to the bibliography so that they could "cut
and paste them easily", which suggests that the students are familiar with the nomenclature
of word processing programs.
Although students were able to change and manipulate the font, create bullet pointed
lists, and make some changes to the format of the document, some portions of the
handouts were handwritten. This could be for many different reasons. Students may not
have known how to accomplish the task on the computer. They could have run out of time,
since handouts were to be given to Kerry the day before the presentation in order to be
photocopied for the class. Perhaps they did not have an available computer. In any case,
the handouts were not completely generated electronically.
In addition to computers, students used the overhead projector to communicate and
present their ideas. In the jigsawing activity, students wrote the answers to their group's
questions on transparencies that were displayed on the overhead projector.
Teachers Use of Technology in the Classroom
Non-electronic Tools
Most of the tools Kerry uses for instruction are non-electronic forms of technology.
Kerry uses the white board, handouts, and posters regularly. She writes the daily
homework assignment, schedule for the day, notes, and other reminders on the white
boards at the front and back of the room. Jane seems to use the ones in her room in the
same way. During my observations, Kerry gave her students a total of seven handouts that
she generated for them. This number does not include the handouts that students had
created for their projects. Materials in text and graphical forms seem to remain important
in this classroom.
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The outcroppings in Jane's room suggest the use of an alternative form of technology,
which may more appropriately be classified as an advancement due to technology. The
windows in Jane's room are lined with "fast plants" that the students have been growing for
nearly three weeks. Fast plants have a six-week growth cycle and were developed
particularly for educational use. The students will harvest their pods soon and will learn
about pollination with the "bee sticks", dead bees that still have their hair and have been
glued to sticks so that students can simulate pollination. Jane tries to integrate hands on
activities such as this one as much as she can, but admits that not all topics in science lend
themselves to such activity.
Electronic Tools
The overhead projector was the only electronic tool used during class time. However,
there is evidence to show that Kerry uses the computer to generate her handouts for class
activities. (See Appendix for examples of Kerry's handouts.)
Furthermore, she uses technology to stay in communication with students and parents.
Kerry and Jane are supposed to update their homework assignments on PMS's web page,
but Jane reveals in an informal interview that she is having some trouble getting into the
system. This is the indisputable area in which technology added value was in
communication between parents and teachers. Jane and Kerry both mentioned receiving
email to parents regarding their students. Technology facilitates this communication, which
is beneficial to both parties.
Although both teachers have a television in their classes, Kerry's was not used during
my observation and Jane admitted to having problems with hers. Jane hopes that
eventually, she will have the television hooked up to her computer so that she can have the
agenda for each class displayed. Jane is also excited about the prospect of doing math and
science activities with "real-time data" like the one on presidential elections she saw
recently on the Internet after the introduction of laptops. Jane also anticipates being able to
individualize math instruction with the use of laptops. Students have varying abilities in
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class, and she thinks that computers could help customize the warm up math activity that
her students do.
Value Added By Technology
When discussing the topic of technology in the classroom, one of the central questions
that educators must ask is "What is the value added by using technology?" In this
classroom, books, paper, the overhead projector, and markers seem to be the primary
technology. The students had to work within the constraints of poster board and marker
mishaps. Some people may argue that this requires more planning of the part of the
student since the media is unforgiving. The same people may suggest that the reason that
some students did not catch mistakes on their handouts is that the formatting is deceiving
and leads them to believe that the content is not as important as the form of the content.
It seemed that students were creative in their expression of their posters and
presentations. Kerry had mentioned wanting students to learn how to do a Power Point
presentation, but she chose not to due to time and scheduling constraints. Nonetheless, I
am uncertain whether that would have added value to this project. If more technology had
been integrated into the project, the groups may not have chosen to do a skit, involve the
audience in a game of Charades, or incorporate other creative elements to their
presentation. In the same vein, if the announcements were to be emailed to each student,
the woman making announcements over the PA system, singing an advertisement for the
school's musical, and emphatically ending them with a "Go out there and make it a terrific
Thursday!" would no longer be heard. Some people would argue that some of PMS's culture
would be lost at the cost of efficiency.
Nonetheless, it did seem that students learned some technical skills, such as scanning
pictures, researching on the Internet, and creating documents, that may not only be helpful
for the future, but seemed to have emotional effects. The boy who scanned pictures for his
group seemed to feel empowered by being able to scan the images for the group. He
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clearly felt valued and accomplished. Furthermore, some students have an inclination
towards using computers in their schoolwork, as is evidenced by the girl who announced
that she was the "fastest typist in her summer camp" during the jigsaw activity. She
preferred to type her notes, and to deny her the option to do so would be just as misguided
as denying a visual learner the option of a graphical representation of a problem.
Moreover, one critical area in which technology added value was in communication
between parents, teachers, and students. Jane and Kerry both mentioned receiving and
sending email to parents regarding their students, as well as the homework hotline on the
PMS web site. Technology facilitates this communication, which is beneficial to all parties.
However, another 6th grade teacher did mention that this was only as effective as the
reliability of their network server.
Conclusions and Recommendations
From the findings of this study, it seems that the current use of technology, although
limited, is beneficial and appropriate for the classroom. It seems that this particular group
of parents and students are well prepared for their new adventure with laptops. The
parents seem to have confidence in the teachers and feel comfortable communicating with
them. The students appear to have some of the baseline technical skills and classroom
skills to be productive with laptops. They have generally demonstrated the ability to work
in small groups, individually without constant direct instruction, overall maturity and
responsibility for their education.
The area of uncertainty is with regard to the teachers. There is no question that these
teachers, if any, have the pedagogical and personal tools to succeed in the program. They
already act as facilitators and coaches during many activities, and seem mentally prepared
for the challenge that lies ahead of them. However, these teachers need examples, just as
their students, of quality work in this area. They need to know what a successful laptop
program can do, what it looks like, and how they can make it even better. Teachers need
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to prepare for the changes that will certainly come with the introduction of personal
computers. As Peterson describes in her personal experience, "Changing the nature of the
tools available to me as a teacher ended up changing the nature of daily life in my
classroom." (Peterson p.3) These teachers are likely to find the same to be true in their
classrooms and will need support and time to process and archive these changes. It is my
hope and recommendation that these are provided to these teachers specifically in the next
months before and during the pilot program, and that they are also offered to the greater
teacher community in light of the impending grade-wide rollout. Success of the program, at
every level, seems to depend on this.
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Appendix
Bibliography
Cuban, Larry, 1996. Techno-Reformers and Classroom Teachers. Education Week, 16.
Kozma, Robert, 1991. Learning with Media. Review of Educational Research, 61 (2), 179211.
Peterson, Lisa, 1999. Transforming the Daily Life of the Classroom: The District Six Laptop
Project. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of American Educational Research
Association: Montreal, Quebec, Canada. April 19-23, 1999.
US Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics. Teachers' Tools for
the 21st Century: A Report on Teachers' Use of Technology. NCES 2000-102 by Becky
Smerdon, Stephanie Cronen, Lawrence Lanahan, Jennifer Anderson, Nicholas Iannotti, and
January Angeles. Washington, DC: 2000.
Figure 1: Layout of Kerry's Classroom
bulletin board #1
projection screen
hangs from ceiling
front white board
front
cabinets
rolled up
US flag
overhead
projector
TV hangs
from ceiling
desks
Windows
overlooking
courtyard
bulletin
board #2
shelves
bookcase
file
cabinets
tables
Sony stereo
& Discman
Bookcase
Teacher’s
Desk
rear
cabinets
iBook
easel
Mac
Printer
bulletin board #4
PC
rear white board
*all names have been changed to protect identities
Mac
old Mac
bulletin board #3
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Detail in Figure 1
The main board at the front of the room is divided into two sections. The white dryerase board takes up the majority of the space. It is covered with posters of Buddhism and
Mohenjo Daro, two maps, the daily schedule, and homework assignments.
Pictures of the seven continents appear above the front white board. To the right of the
continents, a poster reads, "If you finish early". Next to the front white board is a bulletin
board (#1) which displays posters, drawings, and words about Early Humans. A poster
which reads, “Give me 5”, is hung above this bulletin board.
To the right of the white board is another large bulletin board (#2) which is composed of
three upper and two lower sections. On the upper left of this board hangs a poster reading
"A good learning environment". The middle top of the board is titled "Class Expectations".
The third upper section of the board is titled "Welcome to 6th grade Magic, Things to look
forward to”. Below, topics, activities, books, and other events are highlighted. These
include "Power Point presentations", Julie of the Wolves, "Language arts", "Cheetah Bucks",
"White Mountains", "Outside reading", "Wanted posters" (an autobiographical poster and
presentation), "Author of the Month", "Ancient Civilizations", "Greek Myths", "Ropes
course", and "Beginnings Project".
The lower section of this bulletin board contains an area containing posters, articles, and
information about Hatchet. An election poster containing photocopied information that has
been glued to it shares this section of the bulletin board. The area adjacent to this portion
of the bulletin board is actually part of the wall. An African Art print hangs from it. The
bulletin board continues after the art print. It contains “Problems of the Week”, which are
brainteaser-type problems, and student-created posters of the top 5 things needed to
survive in the wilderness.
Two tables and a bookcase sit in front of the bulletin board. The right table has file box
with hanging folders containing extension and enrichment problems. The bookcase next to
it has a clipboard with a sign-out sheet for the books it holds.
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The second door to the classroom is next to the tables. On the other side of the exit is a
pair of large cabinets, which almost look like wardrobes. Six manila envelopes hang from
the front of the cabinets. "G-Core" and "M-Core" each have envelops labeled "Signed HW",
"Signed letter", and "Signed grade printout".
At the back of the room, bulletin board #3 has a map of the world. Bulletin board #4 is
titled "Author of the Month". This month highlights the author of the Harry Potter series
and contains pictures, posters, and questions and answers by the author. Kerry's desk and
cabinets are in front of this bulletin board. The desktop Macintosh behind her desk is turned
off, and an iBook lies open on top of her desk.
The rear white board contains a list of students who have overdue assignments or other
items to bring in. These lists correspond to the labels on the manila envelopes. It also has
a poster of student birthdays. A series of Time magazine covers the area above the white
board. These "Famous Faces" include Martin Luther King Jr., Henry Ford, Mother Theresa,
and Hillary Clinton.
A table containing three computers and a printer sits in front of the white board and
bulletin boards. There is an old covered Macintosh computer, which looks like an SE. An
easel holding the “3 R’s" poster stands in front of the computers.
A Sony stereo, portable CD player, and two classical music CD's sit atop two file cabinets
next to Kerry's desk.
The windows next to the file cabinets, which line the entire left side of the room are
covered with student-made pictures relating to Early Humans. The shelves which site next
to file cabinets and in front of windows contain a file of spelling and "wordly wise"
(synonyms, antonyms, and other language arts activities) activities. National Geographic
magazines and English Workshop books also sit on the shelves.
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