Best practices for implementing information and communications technology in high schools

¶ … era of high-stakes testing in the nation's high schools and calls for increased accountability on the part of educators, the need for identifying what works best in improving academic outcomes has never been greater. One of the most promising additions to the high school classroom in recent years has been information and communications technologies (ICTs). Therefore, the problem to be considered by this study concerns the need to develop a set of best practices that high school classroom teachers can consult and follow when implementing and administering ICT initiatives in their classrooms. The guiding purpose of the study will be to (a) help high school classroom teachers in the United States better understand how ICT can be used to achieve improved academic outcomes for their students; and (b) help educational leaders better understand what support high school classroom teachers need to use ICT in the most effective fashion.

Assignment 1: Topic Page

INTRODUCTION

In an era of high-stakes testing, increasing calls for educator accountability, and dwindling state budgets for education, it is important for the nation's schools to use the resources they have available to their best effect. One important resource that is frequently being underused or misused is the digital expertise possessed by most young people today. Many young learners entering high school today typically possess a wide range of computer skills that they have learned inside and outside of school. These so-called "digital natives" have been raised in a world in which computers and other Internet-enabled peripheral devices are commonplace and most are able to use computers and these other Internet-enabled devices expertly. Further, many of these students have already used computers and the Internet in their classroom in elementary and middle school and they naturally expect to continue the use of these and other information and communications technology (ICT) devices in their high school classrooms -- and for good reason.

According to Lim and Khine (2006), a growing body of research has documented the positive effect that ICT can have on improving academic outcomes in high school settings, but there is more involved in achieving these goals than simply placing computers in the classroom and expecting positive results. Unfortunately, there remains a paucity of research concerning how ICT can be used to its best effect in achieving improved academic outcomes for these young learners. For example, Andrews (2004) points out that, "It is certainly true that the computer has been introduced into primary/elementary and secondary/high school literacy classrooms as an intervention, though this has been a gradual and fitful process" (p. 14).

More troubling is the fact that many high school teachers lack the experience and expertise to use ICT to its best effect. In this regard, Lim and Khine emphasize that, "One of the key determinants of the success of lack of success of any ICT initiative in education is the teacher. A teacher's vision of the use of technology to improve his/her existing classroom practices will eventually determine the extent and effectiveness of ICT integration in the classroom" (p. 97). This point is also made by Richards (2006) who reports, "The Internet is an embarrassment of riches that is next to worthless without an educator to facilitate learning and integration in classrooms" (p. 60). Therefore, identifying opportunities to improve high school teachers' use of ICT in their classrooms represents a timely and valuable enterprise which is the purpose of this study which is outlined below.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The overarching goal of this study will be to identify ways that ICT can be used to its best effect in high schools classrooms. In support of this goal, the objectives of the study will be to achieve the following described research purpose and answer the research questions listed below.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The purpose of this study is two-fold as follows:

1. To help high school classroom teachers in the United States better understand how ICT can be used to achieve improved academic outcomes for their students; and,

2. To help educational leaders better understand what support high school classroom teachers need to use ICT effectively.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The proposed study will be guided by the following research questions:

1. What are the primary factors that contribute to the successful implementation and use of ICT in high school classrooms?

2. What are the primary barriers and constraints to the successful implementation and use of ICT in high school classrooms?

3. What preparatory steps are needed to help facilitate the implementation and use of ICT in high school classrooms?

PROBLEM STATEMENT

The problem to be addressed by this study is to develop a set of best practices that high school classroom teachers can consult and follow when implementing and administering ICT in their classrooms.

METHODOLOGY

The methodology to be used by the proposed study will be a mixed methodology consisting of a review of the relevant peer-reviewed and scholarly literature combined with a survey of high school teachers who have implemented ICT in their classrooms. The use of the first component of the mixed methodology is consistent with numerous social researchers who emphasize the need to review what is known about a given subject before formulating opinions and drawing conclusions (Neuman, 2003), as well as identifying any significant gaps in the literature (Gratton & Jones, 2003). The combination of the secondary resources consulted in the literature review with the primary data to be developed from the survey of ICT-equipped teachers is also consistent with other social researchers who emphasize the need to include both sources of information wherever possible. For example, Dennis and Harris (2002) note that, "Primary data are information that is being collected for the first time in order to address a specific research problem. This means that it is likely to be directly relevant to the research, unlike secondary data, which may be out of date or collected for a totally different purpose. Ideally, an effective research project should incorporate both primary and secondary data" (p. 39).

EXPECTED RESULTS

It is expected that a number of success stories concerning how ICT was implemented and use to good effect will be identified during the literature review, with many of the obstacles and constraints involved a lack of training and expertise on the part of the teachers. The results of the survey are expected to help inform how these barriers to success were overcome and what steps were taken to help ensure the overall effectiveness of the initiatives.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Background and Overview

Perhaps the overarching theme that emerges from research into the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the classroom is just how rapidly these technologies are evolving. The rapid pace of innovation in ICT in the classroom makes it vitally important for students to know how to use these technologies to their best effect, of course, but it also demands that teachers stay "one step ahead" of their students in order to help them understand how to assist their students in their use (Labbo, 2006). One of the other major themes that quickly emerges from the review of the literature concerning the use of ICT in the classroom is just how vastly different some of the outcomes have been, even in schools of comparable size and demographic compositions. In some cases, the introduction of even relatively modest resources such as a few computers with Internet access, have resulted in enormous improvements in academic outcomes while in others, the implementation of a broad-based (and expensive) ICT initiative have failed to achieve the expected results (Albrini, 2006; Lacina, 2009). These differences, of course, beg the questions, "What makes the use of ICT in the high school classroom most effective, and why?," and these issues are discussed further below.

Current and Future Trends in ICT Applications in Education

As noted above, innovations in ICT continue to introduce new technologies that are being adapted to classroom applications every day, and this pace of change appears to be increasing as well. How these future innovations in ICT resources will affect classroom instruction remains unclear, but some future trends can be extrapolated from the current trends in the use of ICT in the classroom. According to Kiridis, Drossos and Tsakiridou (2006), "Nowadays, ICT has become a significant component of school curricula, a supportive tool for providing teachers and students with enhanced teaching and learning opportunities in the whole range of school subjects" (p. 74). These trends in ICT applications in the classroom can be explicated based on the current curricular offerings of a number of industrialized nations around the world. For example, Kiridis and his associates add that, "The content of the national curriculum statements of countries such as the UK, the United States and Australia provide clear evidence for this shift from the teaching of ICT alone to the infusion of ICT as a significant tool in the school curricula" (p. 75).

Other current trends can be seen in what types of ICT resources are most commonly being used for classroom applications. For instance, Ng (2008) advises that, "The amount and variety of resources freely available on the World Wide Web (WWW) at no cost to students and teachers have increased dramatically over the last ten years. These applications include collaboration, virtual experimentation, virtual field trips, project work and distance education" (p. 24). Yet other ICT-based innovations that have fundamentally altered the manner in which educational services are being delivered in the classroom include both informal and formal applications. As Labbo notes, "New electronic literacy genres include the informal (e.g., emails, chat rooms, discussion boards, video conferences), and the formal (e.g., web site design, power point presentations of an assembly of knowledge, multimedia video compilations)" (2006, p. 200).

A survey conducted by Hurd (2006) concerning how ICT resources are typically used in classroom settings provides a useful snapshot of current trends as well. According to Hurd (2006), more than 50% of the teachers surveyed use interactive whiteboards for classroom instruction that is focused work using PowerPoint and other software applications. In addition, Hurd notes that, "Relatively few teachers use single computers within class as part of a circus of activities, and computer moderated team games, which were once relatively popular, are now used only occasionally by less than a quarter of teachers" (2006, p. 36).

Extending these current trends in ICT development and application in the classroom into the future, it is reasonable to suggest that the Internet will remain the common denominator that is involved, but the ways in which young learners will interact with online resources and use these in classroom activities will continue to be redefined by more powerful, sophisticated and interactive peripheral devices. In this regard, Leithner (2009) points out that, "The goal when using the Internet in the classroom is the creation of independent learners through scaffolding lesson plans and authentic tasks, such as using podcasts" (p. 34). It is therefore contingent upon teachers to keep abreast of these innovations in ICT resources and how they are being used to facilitate learning, but it will also be important for them to identify how these technologies can be best applied to their own unique circumstances to help keep learning activities relevant to the lives of their students. If school districts elect to focus their ICT resources in a computer laboratory, they may not be making the most of the advantages these resources have to offer in classroom settings.

Current trends in the use of interactive whiteboards, for example, can help overcome this limitation, but the use of these ICT resources requires a thoughtful approach to their use to ensure that learning is relevant and actively engages student interest. As Hurd emphasizes, "Networked interactive whiteboards tend to free teachers from this constraint. However, they can reinforce a teacher-centered focus within the classroom unless teachers work hard to develop strategies for active student engagement" (p. 36). Furthermore, many school districts have purchased expensive interactive whiteboards based on the benefits and advantages listed in the product description only with little thought being given to how to use these in their own classroom environments (Lacina, 2009). The rapidity of the pace of innovation in ICT resources being used in the classroom also makes the development of a set of best practices challenging, but these trends all point to the increased use of ICT resources for educational applications in the future.

TIMELINE

The proposed study will follow the preliminary timeline shown in Table 1 below.

Table 1

Preliminary timeline for project completion

ACTIVITIES/TASKS

TIME (MONTHS) (2010-2011)

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1

Bibliographic Searches

X

X

X

2

Photocopy info from non-bibliographic sources

X

X

3

Reading

X

X

4

Submission of thesis proposal

X

5

Fine tune research question and methodology

X

8

Data collection

X

X

X

9

Data analysis

10

Writing up of thesis

X

X

X

11

Revision, editing and submission

X

X

12

Submission of thesis

X

BUDGET

The author possesses the word processing and data analysis software needed to complete with secondary and primary research. Therefore, the only costs that will be involved in the completion of the study are (a) Questia premium account, about $30 ($10/month for 3 months); (b) premium account at an online survey service such as Zoomerang, SurveyGizmo or SurveyMonkey to administer and aggregate the survey results, about $20 ($10/month for 2 months) for a total of about $50.