Education Commons^™

Choice-Based Assessments And Their Use With 1:1 Technology Devices, Joshua Ottow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Choice-based assessments are classroom activities in which students are given some element of choice in how they meet defined learning objectives. As educators seek to adequately prepare students for the rapidly changing world that they will enter after high school, they have placed a greater focus on the types of assessment practices used in the classroom. Choice-based assessments, particularly when used with a 1:1 technology device, may have the impact of increasing student motivation to learn and enhancing the development of skills that they may need after high school (Schwartz & Arena, 2013; Tapscott, 2008). To date, there has been …

Managing One-To-One Initiatives: Implementation Analysis Through Expert Elicitation, Jordan R. Selvidge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to identify and analyze issues in the implementation of one-to-one computing initiatives and provide solutions for improvement. An understanding of the implementation process was developed through the analysis of data collected through 27 interviews with teacher experts in the field who have worked with the implementation of one-to-one programs. Teachers were purposely selected from the following groups: those who were completing their first year of teaching, those who had between two and ten years of teaching experience, and those who had eleven plus years of total teaching experience. This study distinctly addresses one-to-one initiatives …

A Comparison Of The Attitudes Of Administrators And Teachers On Cell Phone Use As An Educational Tool, Karen Smith Lockhart

Dissertations

Youth continue to make up the largest share of the cell phone market in the United States. In 2010, 58% of all 12 year olds owned their own cell phone. By 2015, 88% of teenagers owned a cell phone. Today’s teenagers are constantly on cell phones, using them to text, talk, access the internet, and take pictures. Technology is such a part of teenagers’ lives that they have been labeled by Marc Prensky and others as digital natives (2001). They have always had technology and cannot conceive of a world without it.

School systems have faced challenges with the new …

Teacher And Student Perceptions On High School Science Flipped Classrooms: Educational Breakthrough Or Media Hype?, Rebecca C. Hunley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For years educators have struggled to ensure students meet the rigors of state mandated tests. Challenges that often impede student success are student absences, school closings due to weather, and remediation for students who need additional help while advanced students can move ahead. Many educators, especially secondary math and science teachers, have responded to these issues by implementing a teaching strategy called the flipped classroom where students view lectures, power points, or podcasts outside of school and class time shifts to allow opportunities for collaborative learning.

The purpose of this research was to evaluate teacher and student perceptions of high …

An Examination Of Teacher Understandings Of Technology Integration At The Classroom Level, Shawn M. Carlson Phd

All Student Scholarship

The purpose of this dissertation is to describe and understand how teachers describe the changes in their practices as a result of ten years participation in a one-to-one environment. This research study focuses on one successful middle school’s adoption of laptops to support teaching and learning. A qualitative study using interviews of key participants was undertaken with teachers and administrators. The Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework was used in conjunction with Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation framework to understand from the participants’ perspective changes to their practice. The results indicate teachers underwent changes in their use of technology to …

Online Learning And Effective Leadership: The Importance Of Relationship Building And Culture, Nadine K. Rupp

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

Online and blended learning are becoming more important in k-12 public schools because of their flexibility and increased opportunity for students in urban as well as rural environments. Implementing and sustaining technology-based learning is a complex process that requires educational leaders to have a broad spectrum of knowledge and skills which are critical to the success of online programs. This case study research used in-depth interviews to gather data on how one district was able to provide a successful program using effective leadership skills. Three areas critical to success were identified in the data: clear vision and achievable goals, appropriate …

Engaging Faculty And Students Within Fully Online Asynchronous Academic Departments, Jessica R. Nelson

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Presenter will discuss common barriers to implementing online programs including challenges of hiring distance faculty, communication breakdown between faculty and students, and issues with academic integrity. Best practices will be presented in order to help chairpersons overcome barriers to the online learning environment and engage both faculty and students with the use of innovation and inexpensive uses of telerobics, telecommunications software and enhancing their own universities learning platforms.

Mapping Technologies’ Impact On A Professional Program Chair’S Workload, Randy Howe

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

Department chair practices appear more open and accountable to its publics than ever, a shift driven by want it now information demands from improved data gathering systems. In this discussion, a concept model will be presented to determine whether advanced structures and procedures live up to the hype of reducing chair workloads.

Mentoring, Managing, And Motivating Online Course Instructors: Emerging Chair Responsibilities, Mary B. Schreiner Ph.D., Scott Ballantyne Ed.D., Karen Thacker Ph.D.

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

The number of online university courses continues to grow, and instructors of these courses need unique kinds of involvement with their department chairs. The presentation outlines best practices department chairs can use to mentor, manage and motivate online course instructors, based on both experience and emerging literature in this field.

Access, Technology, And Parental Involvement: A Case Study On A West Los Angeles Charter School, Tanisha M. Barnett

LMU/LLS Theses and Dissertations

Research clearly indicates that parental involvement plays an essential role in the educational process of any student regardless of grade level. However, technology is changing the way schools communicate, which affects the way parents are involved in their children’s education. Research on the digital divide indicates that there are differences in access based on race and family income. In other words, lower income and minority families tend to have less access to technology, and therefore may be less able to fully participate in schools.

This issue of social justice was investigated at a small charter school located in West Los …

1:1 Laptop Experience And High-Stakes Testing: Effects On Eighth-Grade Student Achievement, Mary Lea Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research on 1:1 laptop implementations is missing key information about student achievement on high-stakes assessment. This post hoc, quasi-experimental, quantitative study explores how 1:1 laptop access affects student achievement on the mandated eighth-grade online science assessment in five Mississippi school districts throughout the state. Fifth-grade science assessment results are used as a baseline for student achievement. Three research questions examined mean scale scores on the science assessment, change in scores from fifth to eighth-grade, and the effect on scale scores as the duration of the 1:1 laptop implementation increased. Two of the three experimental districts shoa significant difference in the …

Examining The Potential Of Massive Open Online Courses (Moocs) At Historically Black Colleges And Universities (Hbcus), Andrés Castro Samayoa, Thai-Huy Nguyen, Marybeth Gasman, Felicia Commodore, Ufuoma Abiola

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

This article reviews the extant literature on distance learning technologies and historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). In the context of increased attention to massive open online courses (MOOCs), this article argues that HBCUs’ challenges with respect to their technological infrastructure suggests that they may be better suited to serve as advocates for bridging the persistent digital divide in the nation rather than adopters of MOOCs as a new instructional platform. The authors offer some suggestions for further research to ensure that HBCUS leaders can address larger systemic issues affecting the quality of education on their campuses.