Running head: COLLABORATION FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Shawn Harris ID #: 80245111 University of British Columbia ETEC 533 65A Technology in the Mathematics and Science Classroom Assignment: Framing Issue- Collaboration for Professional Development in Integration of Technology January 31st , 2013 Instructor: Samia Khan

Running head: COLLABORATION FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Framing The Issue In the adoption of new technology I re framed my initial issue and thought that the recurring theme would certainly be the need for professional development in the primary schools where educational technology is becoming more and more prevalent. Currently in my context, the emphasis has been to explore and see the effectiveness of professional development in integration of technology which should encourage collaboration and interactivity so as to encourage critical thinking skills and metacognition in a socially constructive environment. In reflection, this theme was quite common among interviews conducted and shared through the etec 533 discussion threads and so I felt it was necessary for me to explore. Throughout my interview, it was obvious that teacher A was an early adapter of technology, self taught and also collaborated with other colleagues throughout his teaching years to keep up with the technological age. He could not emphasize more that teachers need professional development to deal with the digital natives who sit in their class and are eager to soak up knowledge and even to construct their own. I have been teaching for over 14 years and I find that education is not providing adequate exposure to, training with and use of instructional technology and its integration for even teachers in training or more so in-service teachers. Teachers in training and in service teachers not only need to know the so-called computer literacy skills, but they also need to know how to integrate those and other skills into the curriculum. In addition, through professional development and collaboration, they also need to know and use a variety of techniques and strategies for implementing the integration effectively. It is this concern that I seek to carry out my research on the issue as more collaborative development opportunities are needed. Therefore this annotated bibliography explores what research has revealed on teachers desire for collaborative professional development and whether there are indications on the effectiveness of such training. This knowledge can help inform and guide school and staff committee policies, along with help facilitate discussions on what the changing educational landscape will look like in terms of professional development. Methodology I was advised by my supervisor that my initial literature selected for the annotated bibliography be replaced with empirical studies from primary research journals and to that end I made changes to the issue or topic as well to one that is of even more concern to many. Having selected my topic from the recourses folder seven (7), I then began my search through the CiteUlike citation library along with searches through the UBC library and even Google. Key words and phrases for searching include collaboration, science, teachers, attitudes, technology adoption and professional development. The articles for this annotated bibliography were chosen because of their focus on collaboration and collaborative processes with data collected by direct interactions with teachers. Bibliography MacDonald, R. (2009). Supporting learner-centered ICT integration: the influence of collaborative and needs-based professional development. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 17(3), 315-348.

Running head: COLLABORATION FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT This research is directly related to the issue of collaboration in professional development, as it is suggested that a community of practice through personal learning networks can function for all learners collaboratively supporting each other. A mixed-method study was carried out to investigate how teacher attitude and professional development influence learner-centered Information Communication Technology (ICT) integration. A questionnaire, interviews and observations were used to gather data in a school district in Nova Scotia, Canada. Teacher data were categorized by grade level, discipline, and teaching experience. MacDonlad noted that many teachers and mathematics teachers in particular, felt that they did not have enough time to collaborate through professional development activities. Findings suggest that learner-centered ICT integration is more likely to occur needs-based, collaborative professional development programs are provided. Study data suggest that membership in a community of practice may be one way to increase learner-centered ICT integration. Teachers involved in this study perceived that they learn best from colleagues and that discussion with one another correlated with more student-centered integration in their classrooms. Teachers seem to benefit from dialogue and collaboration not only with colleagues, but also with students and collaboration is especially beneficial to support and encourage ongoing technology integration. Teachers new to technology may need training by experts and scaffolding by more knowledgeable partners. It is essential to ensure implementation of sufficient professional development to all levels and departments. Junior high school teachers felt that they received less professional development than teachers in elementary and senior high schools and had less time for discussing ICT integration. MacDonald found that elementary teachers learned less about ICT and ICT integration on their own and demonstrated a possible need for more ongoing professional development to support and encourage technology integration. MacDonald felt it was necessary to strike a balance between encouraging and supporting teachers in technology integration and ensuring that they develop the skills and knowledge needed for individual success. Two other interesting findings were revealed in the research relating to how collaboration around technology can be guided in public schools. First, collaboration in small groups between two to six people was found to be most effective. Secondly, collaboration did not have to be restricted to single school in order to be effective. It would be interesting to see a similar study performed but with a closer comparison between seminar-based professional development and collaborative professional development scenarios. Schrum, L. (1999). Technology professional development for teachers. Educational Technology Research and Development In Educational Technology Research and Development, Vol. 47, No. 4. (18 December 1999), pp. 83-90. This article examined technology professional development for preservice and inservice teachers. According to Schrum, it reviewed the current status of technology in their schools, what they know about professional development in the area of technology, and research on efforts to increase preservice teacher use of technology in appropriate ways. Schrum mentioned that the ultimate goal for universities and school districts is to ensure that preservice teachers and inservice teachers can use technology appropriately. She stated further that before the education profession can accomplish this task, they must take stock of the current situation. Therefore the purpose of this research was to provide an overview of the status of technology use in our schools and to find out if technology professional development is taking

Running head: COLLABORATION FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT place. The article discussed research and efforts to prepare preservice educators to use and teach with technology. Schrum research article mentioned that educators are making progress in learning about and using technology. However, results of survey research in this area are contradictory. In 1995, the Office of Technology Assessment found that a majority of teachers felt inadequately trained to use technology resources (OTA, 1995). Years later, a majority of teachers reported having had some training on technology, but far fewer had had training on multimedia or use of the internet. Schrum stated in her research that traditional staff development tends to be four-hour session after school when everyone is tired and focused on other issues. Unfortunately, there is very little evidence that this type of staff development makes a difference. However, the stage has been set for further research to be carried out. Mouza, C. (2009). Does research-based professional development make a difference? A longitudinal investigation of teacher learning in technology integration. Teachers College Record, 1(5), 1195-1241. Mouza outlined how teacher practice evolved and changed with time and how little long-term research there is on technology and professional development. In a three year research project, Mouza followed seven teachers, where each of these participants attended two Eiffel professional development models. Over the course of the study, six of the teachers used technology in their daily activities. They used technology increasingly over the 3 year period of the study. The findings showed that the teachers actively integrated technology into their teaching practice, in a cyclical growth process. Mouza demonstrates that the integration of technology is not only achieved via teacher-teacher interaction, but can also be achieved through teacher-student interactions. The work done by Mouza is significant to collaborative professional development because she looked at a specific process that did not contain a great deal of collaboration. The findings determined that the two initial professional development activities contributed significantly to the increased use of technology by six of the seven participants in their practice. There is however no discussion or mention of on-going professional development over the course of the study. This, combined with the findings, seems to suggest that successful technology integration can be achieved without professional collaborative development. This however is difficult to substantiate as Collaboration was not the focus of the study. It does however have enough merit to perhaps consider further study on confidence in technology and the significance it has in motivating professional development and collaboration. Sugar, W., Crawley, F., & Fine, B. (2004). Examining teachers decisions to adopt new technology. Educational Technology & Society, 7(4), 201-213. This study examined teachers beliefs about technology adoption as a reasoned, deliberate, intentional and decision-making process. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from teachers in four schools located in the southeastern region of the United States. Overall results indicated that technology adoption decisions were influenced by teachers individual attitudes towards technology adoption, which were formed from specific underlying personal beliefs about the consequences of adoption. The study was conducted through a pre-assessment survey followed by an open-ended questionnaire and a closed-ended questionnaire. While the study was

Running head: COLLABORATION FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT not intended for examining teacher beliefs on collaboration, one of the results does give important information relevant to collaboration. Sugar et al. establish that external support from key persons and contextual resources (e.g., funding) were insignificant factors affecting teachers technology adoption decisions. Sugar et al.s result on the personal component in technology adoption in more ways than one contradicts the framing issue around needing collaborative professional development and in fact does not seem to align much with the research done by Mouza (2009) who thought that collaborative professional development plays a significant role in integration of technology. However, even though it appears to contradict the desire for collaboration around technology, the authors note that they may lack an understanding how technology can assist their careers as teachers. (Sugar, Crawley & Fine, 2004, p.211). This suggests that the absence of peer consultation and collaboration may be the driving force behind the resistance of technology adaption. Sugar et al. present a theme that there is a misunderstanding on what technology can provide a classroom and how this technology can best be harnessed. Conclusion Research and my own experience has shown how effective collaborative learning can be in understanding science phenomenon and applying math concepts to real life situations even in a traditional classroom. In such a successful pedagogical setup when collaborative technology is introduced, it should be done in a way so as to enhance the effect of what is already being achieved. Hence, professional development is critical in supporting teachers use of technological tools in classrooms. From this selection of research into professional development on technology integration, it is clear that collaboration can be an important function for teachers. While aspects of collaboration have been shown to lead to effective professional development, it is difficult to say exactly what role collaboration takes in this process. However the research shows that collaboration attends to personal needs and desires of teachers and that there are positive effects downstream in the classrooms. I also found that none of the articles addressed exactly how collaboration can take place. Even if we know that collaboration is important, the question remains as to how and who will initiate it. More importantly, without leadership and resources from employers, it may be extremely difficult to implement. Sugar et al. recommend that school administrators work closely with teachers to address their beliefs and concerns about technology adoption and provide an influential level of personal support and resources. They also offer recommendations for educational software designers for developing future technology resources for teachers. MacDonald stated that the use of collaboration amongst teachers about their experiences integrating technology could help to identify and address their beliefs. I have found that teachers are unlikely to collaborate and integrate technology if they do not believe that it is valuable to do so. MacDonald (2009) suggests that professional development needs to uncover the assumptions and barriers of teacher perception and beliefs and address them. Finally, Mouza (2009) offers a different point of view and framework for analyzing professional development and raises the question of whether comfort is the overruling factor that governs the integration. Whether it is through intense workshops, on-going collaboration, or through persistent classroom use, it is possible that each method has affordances by which teachers gain comfort in their technological adaptations and thereby drive their integration.

Running head: COLLABORATION FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT References Garet, M. S., Porter, A. C., Desimone, L., Birman, B. F., & Yoon, K. S. (2001). What makes professional development effective? Results from a national sample of teachers. American Educational Research Journal, 38(4), 915-45. MacDonald, R. (2009). Supporting learner-centered ICT integration: the influence of collaborative and needs-based professional development. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 17(3), 315-348. Mouza, C. (2009). Does research-based professional development make a difference? A Longitudinal investigation of teacher learning in technology integration. Teachers College Record, 1(5), 1195-1241.

Schrum, L. (1999). Technology professional development for teachers. Educational Technology Research and Development In Educational Technology Research and Development, 47 (4), pp. 83-90. Spitulnik, M., Higgins, T. (2008). Supporting teachers use of technology in science instruction through professional development. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 17 (5), pp. 511-521. Sugar, W., Crawley, F., & Fine, B. (2004). Examining teachers decisions to adopt new technology. Educational Technology & Society, 7(4), 201-213. Uum, M., Gravemeijer, K. (2011). Characteristics of effective professional development for primary science and technology. In Professional Development for Primary Teachers in Science and Technology, 9 (2011), pp. 237-249