Kerry Whitehead ETEC 588

Cross-Case Study Analysis

I have been teaching, either students or adults, for 11 years. I have been in education for

21 years. I have been around technology the same amount of time. When I started teaching, I

knew I wanted to incorporate technology into the classroom because I knew that technology is

what would grab the students attention. In my teaching career, my main issue was the fact that

my subject area was state tested. It was mandated by the state that my students pass their test.

So there was not much room for creativity. As I was interviewing the English III teacher for my

assignment, I began to wonder if technology use in the classroom was affected by whether or not

the content taught was state tested. For this cross-case study, I chose to use an eighth-grade

History teacher and an eighth-grade English Language Arts (ELA) teacher. Both of my

interviews were non-tested subjects. I selected the other two interviews because they are state

tested subject areas.

As I looked through the socioeconomic responses, none of the interviewees had anything

in common except their perception of their financial status. They all saw themselves as average

or slightly above. They are all different ages; their ages spanned from their 20s to their 50s.

They all have various degrees and different levels of teaching experiences. The experience

ranges from two years to ten years. None of them would be willing to stand in line for the

newest gadgets but three out of the four like their personal devices and like to keep up with their

devices.

The interviewees had a little more in common with regards to the communication

behavior questions. They all obtain their information from different sources; it ranged from

social media (Facebook or Twitter) or the mass media. They all considered themselves to have a

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high exposure to these sources. They all seek information often, some were daily, and some

were at least two to three times a week. As to whether they saw themselves as opinion leaders.

Only two of the interviewees saw themselves this way. The two that saw themselves at opinion

leaders were core content subject teachers. One was a tested subject, and one was not.

As for the personality section, there were many similarities in this section. They all saw

themselves having a high level of empathy for others. One of the interviewees remarked, they

felt to be an effective teacher, one needs to be able to put themselves in another's shoes. They

all hold onto their beliefs strongly. As to whether or not they would adopt an innovation if it

were in conflict with their beliefs, two of the interviewees would hold to their beliefs but would

be willing to compromise. If they could reinvent the innovation to fit their beliefs, they would

be more willing to adopt. They are all open to change. They feel that change is necessary and

inevitable.

The teaching practices section is where the differences truly started. They all deliver

instruction differently. It appears that all the interviewees had regular access to laptops for the

teachers and a presentation device, whether it was an Apple TV or mounted projectors. As for

the technologies that students have access to, it is different for all four interviewees. One teacher

stated that the students have access to iPads during the day. One teacher reported that they have

to check out a cart from the library or schedule to use the library lab. The other two teachers

have access to either laptops or Chromebooks on a daily basis. One of the teachers is a tested

subject area, and the other one is an elective. All the teachers would like to see their students be

independent and capable learners. However, with technology, many of them feel that the

students are not that disciplined and still need to be managed. All the teachers feel like designers

of instruction. Even the teachers that are in tested subjects. One tested subject teacher claims

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that their district does not have a set curriculum. The other tested subject teacher uses the state

mandated curriculum is a good guiding principle, but they have freedom on how the material

is covered. The other two have each created their curriculum for two main reasons: they are not

tested, and there was not a curriculum in place when they were hired.

After reading through the four interviews, technology-based professional development

does not seem to be a priority. Only one of the four interviewees mentioned professional

development being utilized. The same teacher that participates in professional development

through conferences and personal research/share appears to have the greatest amount of

technology reported. This teacher reports having iPads, computers, Chromebooks, green screen,

and a 3D printer. YouTube for this teacher is blocked. One advantage that this teacher has is that

they are the technology contact for the campus. For two of the interviewees, most Internet

resources are open. The main resource that is closed is streaming. Sometimes the English III

teacher likes to stream clips to reinforce lessons and is unable to due to streaming being blocked.

For three of the four responders, technicians are responsive. Also, for three of the four

responders, there are persistent issues with WiFi. One interviewee says there is a plan but it is

not well-thought out and so they are very skeptical of the plan. The other teacher says there is a

plan and it is detailed, but it is not communicated very well to the teachers. Two of the

responders report their campus/district has a technology plan and claim that they had no idea

there was a technology plan for the district. Unfortunately, because they had no idea a plan

existed, they were unable to answer the remaining questions effectively. All the teachers seem to

be committed to teaching the students with technology because they understand that technology

helps meet the needs of the students.

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The evaluations of the four interviewees were mixed. Only one interviewee was solidly

in the Appropriation ACOT stage; this was the eighth-grade ELA teacher. This teacher was

considered an innovator in regards to the adopter category. This teacher was also the only one

viewed as a technology campus contact. Two of the interviewees had characteristics from both

the Adaptation and Appropriation ACOT stages. These two teachers were seen as being early

adopters in regards to technology. The fourth interviewee was in the Adaptation ACOT category

and considered an early majority deliberate adopter.

In conclusion, I did not find any evidence in the four interviews that technology use was

affected by whether or not the subject area was a state tested subject. However, one of the state

tested content areas reported no district curriculum in place. The other tested subject teacher said

that the state mandated curriculum is a good guiding principle but doesnt mention whether or

not there is a curriculum in place on the campus or in the district. These issues could possibly

affect the use of technology in the district. The English III teacher mentioned that her campus

has a district mandated curriculum in place that must be followed for the tested subjects. She did

teach a tested subject last year.