Center for Open Access in Science (COAS) OPEN JOURNAL FOR EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH (OJER) ISSN (Online) 2560-5313 * ojer@centerprode.com

OJER Home

2017 - Volume 1 - Number 1

Evaluation of Instructional Technology: A Case Study of Early Childhood Teacher Candidates

Esther Ntuli * ntulesth@isu.edu * ORCID: 0000-0002-8080-8768
Idaho State University, College of Education, Pocatello

Open Journal for Educational Research, 2017, 1(1), 1-14 * https://doi.org/10.32591/coas.ojer.0101.01001n
Online Published Date: 15 December 2017

LICENCE: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

ARTICLE (Full Text - PDF)

KEY WORDS: instructional technology, assessment, early childhood, teacher education, in-service teachers.

ABSTRACT:
With the rise in technology use in early childhood classrooms, there is need to explore the strategies used to evaluate the effectiveness of such technology. Research indicates the proliferation of unvetted technology tools on the market and in online open source formats. Meaningful technology evaluation needs to be completed before, during, and after implementation in the lesson. Using a qualitative research design, data were collected from teacher candidates’ post-practicum reflective essays and one-on-one interviews. Findings indicate that during practicum a few teacher candidates used sound pedagogical strategies to evaluate the appropriateness and effectiveness of instructional technology. Findings also reveal the need for cooperating teachers to have strong technology pedagogical strategies in order to help teacher candidates who may be struggling with technology integration and assessment strategies. Based on the findings it is recommended that early childhood teacher preparation and professional development programs address alternative ways to assess the effectiveness of instructional technology tools used in the classrooms.

CORRESPONDING AUTHOR:
Esther Ntuli, College of Education, Idaho State University, 921 S. 8th Ave, Pocatello, ID, 83209, UNITED STATES. E-mail: ntulesth@isu.edu.

REFERENCES:

Aldridge, J., & Goldman, R. (2007). Current issues and trends in education (2nd ed.).  Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Alliance for Childhood (2000). Fool’s gold: A critical look at computers in childhood. Retrieved January 8, 2016, from http://drupal6.allianceforchildhood.org/fools_gold.

Amiel, T., & Reeves, T. C. (2008). Design-based research and educational technology: Rethinking technology and the research agenda. Educational Technology & Society, 11(4), 29–40.

Barrett, H. (2001). Electronic portfolios. Retrieved January 20, 2014, from http://electronicportfolios.org/portfolios/encyclopediaentry.htm.

Bohlin, R. (2002). Avoiding computer avoidance. Retrieved April 2, 2014, from http://it.coe.uga.edu/itforum/paper35/paper35.html.

Bucci, T.T., Petrosino, A. J., Bell, R., Cherup, S., Cunningham, A., Dickinsion, G., Ervin, J., Hofer, M., & Wetzel, K. (2004). Meeting the ISTE challenge in the field: An overview of the first six distinguished achievement award winning programs. Journal of Computing in Teacher Education, 21(1), 11-21.

Buckleitner, W. (2006). The relationship between software design and children’s engagement. Early Education and Development, 17(3), 489-505.

Buckleitner, W. (1999). The state of children’s software evaluation – Yesterday, today and in the 21st century. Information Technology in Early Childhood Education, 211-220.

Caplan Foundation for Early Childhood (2016). ASSET STEM Education, Retrieved November 19, 2016, from http://earlychildhoodfoundation.org/.

Chen, L.-L. (2004). Pedagogical strategies to increase pre-service teachers’ confidence in computer learning. Educational Technology & Society, 7(3), 50-60.

Children’s Technology Review (2014). Retrieved May 20, 2014, from http://childrenstech.com/.

Creswell, J. W. (2011). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Copple, C., & Bredekamp, S. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Dossani, R. (2016). Integrating STEM learning in early childhood education. US. News & World report, retrieved July 8, 2016, from http://www.rand.org/blog/2016/06/integrating-stem-learning-in-early-childhood-education.html.

Edmondson, S. & Irby, B. (2008). Ten tips for producing a top qualitative research study. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Eliason, C., & Jenkins, L. (2008). A practical guide to early childhood education curriculum (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.

Flagg, B. N. (2013). Formative evaluation for educational technologies. NY: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.

Gall, M., Borg, W., & Gall, J. (2006). Educational research: An introduction. White Plains: Longman.

Haugland, S. (2005). Selecting or upgrading software and web sites in the classroom. Early Childhood Education Journal, 32(5), 329–340.

Haugland, S., & Wright, J. (1997). Young children and technology: A world of discovery. New York: Allyn and Bacon.

Haugland, S. W., & Shade, D. D. (1994). Software evaluation for young children. In J. A. Wright & D. D. Shade (Eds.). Young children: Active learners in a technological age (pp.63-76). Washington, DC: NAEYC Press.

Herring, M., Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. (2008). Handbook of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK). Routledge, NY: The AACTE Committee on Innovation and Technology.

ISTE. (2002). Using model strategies for integrating technology into teaching. Retrieved January 7, 2014, from http://www.iste.org/docs/excerpts/NETTB2-excerpt.pdf.

Jenkinson, J. (2009).  Measuring the effectiveness of educational technology: What are we attempting to measure? Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 7(3), 273-280.

Johanson, J., Bell, C., & Daytner, K. (2008). Evaluating the effectiveness of a technology-based preschool literacy project: A final report of the LitTECH outreach project. Retrieved March 10, 2014, from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED502331.pdf.

Judson, E. (2006). How teachers integrate technology and their beliefs about learning: Is there a connection? Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 14(3), 581-597.

Karolcik, S., Cipkova, E., & Hrusecky, R. (2015). The comprehensive evaluation of electronic learning tools and educational software (CEELTES). Informatics in Education, 14(2), 243-264.

Lever-Duffy, J., & McDonald, J.B. (2011).Teaching and learning with technology (4thed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Ma, Y., Williams, D., Prejean, L., Lai, G., & Ford, M. J. (2008). A model for facilitating field experience in a technology-enhanced model pedagogical laboratory. Journal of Computing in Teacher Education, 24(3), 105-109.

McAfee, O., Leong, D. J., & Bodrova, E. (2006). Basics of assessment: A primer for early childhood educators. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children.

McDevitt, T. M., & Ormrod, J. E. (2013). Child development and education (5th Ed.). Boston: MA, Pearson Education, Inc.

McManis, L. D., & Gunnewig, S. B. (2012). Finding the education in educational technology with early learners. Young Children, 67, 14-25.

Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A new framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record 108(6), 1017-1054.

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (2012). Technology and interactive media as tools in early childhood programs serving children from birth through Age 8.
Retrieved August 16, 2014, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PS_technology_WEB2.pdf.

National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8.
Retrieved January 16, 2014, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/position%20statement%20Web.pdf.

National Association for the Education of Young Children NAEYC. (1996). NAEYC position statement: Technology and young children. Young Children, 51(6), 11–16.

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). (2013). Fast facts:  Computer and internet use. Retrieved November 20, 2016, from https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=46.

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). (2010). Fast facts: Educational technology. Retrieved June 14, 2016, from, https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=46.

Ntuli, E., & Kyei-Blankson, L. (2013). Teacher assessment in technology: Integrated early childhood classrooms. In Wang, V. C. X. (Ed.), Handbook of Research on Teaching and learning in K-20 Education (pp. 300-316). PA: Hershey, IGI Global.

Ntuli, E., & Kyei-Blankson, L. (2012). Teacher assessment of young children learning with technology in early childhood education. International Journal of Information Communication and Technology Education, 8(4), 1-10.

Ntuli, E., & Kyei-Blankson, L. (2010). Teachers’ understanding and use of developmentally appropriate computer technology in early childhood education. Journal of Technology Integration in the Classroom, 2(3), 23-35.

Parette, H. P., Blum, C., & Boeckmann, N. M. (2009). Evaluating assistive technology in early childhood education: The use of a concurrent time series probe approach. Early Childhood Education Journal, 35, 5-12.

Reeves, T.C. (2007). Design research from a technology perspective. In J. Van Den Akker et al. (Eds.), Educational Design Research (pp. 52-66). Routledge, New York.

Robinson, D. H., & Schraw, G. (2008). A need for quality research in e-learning. In D. H. Robinson and G. Schraw (Eds.), Current perspectives on cognition, learning, and instruction: Recent innovations in educational technology that facilitate student learning (pp. 1-9). Charlotte, NC: Information Age.

Roblyer, M.D., & Doering, A. H. (2012). Integrating educational technology into teaching (6th ed.). Boston: MA, Pearson Education, Inc.

Saldana, J. (2009). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Scardamalia, M., & Bereiter, C. (2006). Knowledge Building: Theory, pedagogy, and technology. In K. Sawyer (Ed.), Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences (pp. 97-118). New York: Cambridge University, Press.

Shamburg, C. (2004). Conditions that inhibit the integration of technology for urban early childhood teachers. Information Technology in Childhood Education Annual, 2004(1), 227-244.

Shields, M. K., & Behrman, R. E. (2000). Children and computer technology: Analysis and recommendations. The Future of Children, 10(2), 4-30.
Smith, R. O. (2000). Measuring assistive technology in education. Diagnostique, 25, 273-290.

STEM for All. (2016). Summary: The administration is working to expand STEM education and employment opportunities to all students. Retrieved February 11, 2016, from https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2016/02/11/stem-all.

Wardle, F. (2002). The role of technology in early childhood programs. Retrieved January 28, 2014, from http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=302.

© Center for Open Access in Science