Introduction and Purpose Statement

Integrating Technology Resources in a Secondary Mathematics Classroom

Molly McKee

University of West Georgia

Introduction

Technology and education are both areas that are constantly changing and evolving.  To provide students with the best possible education, educators must learn how to effectively incorporate technology into the classroom.  The use of technology in the classroom is lagging behind current technology trends.  Classroom technology needs to parallel the types of technology students are using outside the classroom.  In the area of mathematics, the primary technology resource is a calculator.  Greater efforts need to be made to integrate all sorts of technology into the secondary mathematics classroom.  Secondary mathematics units that consist primarily of technology centered learning have the potential to increase student comprehension on district benchmark tests and raise student engagement depending on the level of proficiency the instructor has with the given technological tools.

Technology is one of the six principles created by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) for school Mathematics.  The Technology Principle states that “technology is essential in teaching and learning mathematics; it influences the mathematics that is taught and enhances students’ learning (NCTM, 2005, p.24).  The Common Core Standards that are currently being implemented across the nation align with the goals of NCTM’s technology principle.  The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics number five, entitled use appropriate tools strategically, states:

When making mathematical models, [students] know that technology can enable them to visualize the results of varying assumptions, explore consequences, and compare predictions with data.  Mathematically proficient students at various grade levels are able to identify relevant external mathematical resources, such as digital content located on a website, and use them to pose or solve problems.  They are able to use technological tools to explore and deepen their understanding of concepts.  (p.7)

Although the ideal mathematics curricula presented by NCTM and the Common Core standards are attainable, implementation can prove to be challenging.  It is the responsibility of educators and the educational system to ensure that integrating technology in to the classroom and curricula are successful.  Teachers must be open to learning new ways to teach, and administrators must offer teachers an opportunity to learn new techniques.  It is impossible for teachers to make substantial and effective changes in their classrooms, if they are not provided with proper direction and instruction on how to achieve success (Apple, 1992).

As technology changes and becomes more prevalent in everyday society, educators need to become comfortable with using technology as an instruction tool and students need to learn how to operate the tools they will be using in future professions.  Research needs to be done to establish if instructional technology is an enhancement to current teaching styles or if it will hinder student learning.  Since student engagement and retention is always an important factor in education, we need to discover if integrating technology into the classroom will increase these factors. 

Research Questions

            The purpose of this mixed methods pilot study is to investigate the effects technology integration has on student mathematical comprehension and subsequent standardized test scores.  The research questions being addressed through this study are: Does a technology enhanced unit plan increase student comprehension and retention in high school mathematics?  How does technology affect student comprehension in the secondary mathematics classroom?  How do teacher perceptions and expertise with technology affect technology integration in the secondary mathematics classroom?

The instrument used to collect the quantitative research data will be benchmark exams created and administered by the district. Benchmark exams are local formative assessments that have been previously used to gauge student achievement, comprehension, and retention. The qualitative research will be conducted by using a variation of the Survey of Preservice Teachers' Knowledge of Teaching and Technology created by Schmidt, Baran, Thompson, Koehler, Mishra, and Shin. The survey must be altered because the original is intended for pre-service teachers the research for this study will be conducted with in-service teachers. The reliability of the scores of the survey, documented by Schmidt (2009), is as follows:

Reliability of the Scores (from Schmidt et al, 2009).

TPACK Doman	Internal Consistency (alpha)
Technology Knowledge (TK)	.86
Content Knowledge (CK)
Social Studies	.82
Mathematics	.83
Science	.78
Literacy	.83
Pedagogy Knowledge (PK)	.87
Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK)	.87
Technological Pedagogical Knowledge  (TPK)	.93
Technological Content Knowledge (TCK)	.86
Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK)	.89

Purpose

The purpose of this pilot study is to measure how effective technology integration is on student engagement and comprehension in secondary mathematics classrooms.  The direct goal of this study is to use the results of other researchers in conjunction with research on available technology resources to determine if it is possible to create an effective mathematics unit taught primarily through the integration of technology.  The research from this study will contribute to the current literature and research on technology integration in a variety of ways.  The existing research conducted by scholars such as Stiler (2007), focuses specifically on integrating one type of technology to enhance an entire curriculum, rather than using a variety of resources to expand the enrichment a specific unit.

The results of this study will directly benefit all teachers of the new common core mathematics curriculum.  Siegle (2004) discusses the benefits of technology for the advancement of gifted students, while Smith and Robinson (2003) stress how the use of technology can be used to aid in the remediation and advancement of students with special needs.  Therefore, the secondary goal of this study is to demonstrate how technology can be integrated into any type of classroom environment to increase student comprehension and engagement on all levels.

References

Apple, M. (1992). Do the Standards Go Far Enough? Power, Policy, and Practice, in Mathematics Education. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 23(5), 258-291.

Beaver, R. & Moore, J. (2004). Curriculum design and technology integration: a model to use technology in support of knowledge generation and higher-order thinking skills, Learning & Leading with Technology, 32(1), 42–45.

Delen, E. & Bulut, O. (2011). The relationship between students’ exposure to technology and their achievement in science and math. The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 10, 311-317.

Georgia Department of Education. (2005). Office of curriculum, and testing. Available from Georgia Department of Education, http://:public.doe.k12.ga.us

Lawrenz, F., Gravely, A., & Ooms, A. (2006). Perceived helpfulness and amount of use of technology in science and mathematics classes at different grade levels. School Science & Mathematics, 106(3), 133-139.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2005). Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. Reston, Virginia:NCTM.

National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers (2012). Common Core State Standards Initiative . Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.

Safdar, A., Yousuf, M., Parveen, Q., & Behlol, M. (2011). Effectiveness of information and communication technology (ICT) in teaching Mathematics at secondary level.  International Journal of Academic Research, 3(5), 67-72.

Schmidt, D.  A., Baran, E., Thompson A.  D., Koehler, M.  J., Mishra, P.  & Shin, T.  (2010).  Technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK): The development and validation of an assessment instrument for preservice teachers.  Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 42(2), 123-149.

Schmidt, D.  A., Baran, E., Thompson A.  D., Koehler, M.  J., Mishra, P.  & Shin, T.  (2009).  The continuing development, validation and implementation of a TPACK assessment instrument for preservice teachers.  Paper submitted to the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association.  April 30-May 4, Denver, CO.

Siegle, D.  (2004) The merging of literacy and technology in the 21st century: a bonus for gifted education, Gifted Child Today, 27(2), 32–35.

Smith, S.  J.  & Robinson, S.  (2003) Technology integration through collaborative cohorts: preparing future teachers to use technology, Remedial and Special Education, 24(3), 154–160.

Stiler, G.  (2007).  MP3 players: Applications and implications for the use of popular technology in secondary schools.  Education, 128(1), 20-33.

Washington State, Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (2002) Washington State Educational Technology Plan: a blueprint for Washington’s K-12 common schools and learning communities.  Retrieved from: http://www.k12.wa.us/ edtech/TechIntDef.aspx#_ftn1