Article Review #2

USE OF INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES IN SCIENCE CLASSROOMS:

TEACHERS’ PERSPECTIVES by:Funda SAVAŞCI AÇIKALIN and Hasan Ali Yücel 

 Initially this article caught my eye because it dealt with technology usage in a Science classroom. I thought it would be interesting because I teach Writing and Science and I'm always looking for ways to enhance my science instruction. My goal is to make it engaging for students by using various resources to enhance their learning. One way I try to do that is by trying to use lots of technology. 

As I continued to read the article, I realized that this particular study was done for educators who taught secondary education. At first I thought well this doesn't apply to me but I could still use the information. As I began to read more and more I found the results of the study to be somewhat interesting and relate able.

The purpose of this study was to look at how science teachers use educational technologies in their science classrooms. Within the study there were 63 teachers who had just completed their alternative certification program. These teachers were asked to create a lesson plan that included an ideal school environment meaning money not being an issue. Teachers were asked to use technology within the lesson plan and then asked to explain their reasons for using those technologies.  All of the participants in the study have a Bachelor of Science degree in physics, chemistry, and biology. Meaning that they all knew their content in which they were to teach. 

The interesting part of this all is the fact is the findings of the study. The study looked at each teacher and what types of technology they used in their classrooms. Interestingly enough the findings revealed that PowerPoint was the most used technology in their lesson plans. 46 % of teachers used PowerPoint. Among PowerPoint, 41% of them used textbooks and blackboards to teach their lessons. Animations were the least used by all participants by 10%. While 24% of them chose to use worksheets to enhance their instruction. According to the article, none of the teachers in the study used the internet, smart boards, spreadsheets, or computer simulations. These findings raised an eyebrow for me in the beginning. 

I first began to think what are the some of the factors that cause them not to use those technologies.  The first thing that came to mind was simple. The cause of using PowerPoint and textbooks was because of the content taught and the grade level. I don't teach secondary, but I assume that it's easier to have students use textbooks and follow a PowerPoint when they lecture. The findings showed that only 10% o them used animations. I was thinking hopefully that they used some of those animations within the slide presentation at least.I also wondered why none of them used a smart board or internet. The only answer I could come up with is the fact that they have a lack of knowledge due to the alternative certification. I too have an alternative certification and didn't know much about anything when I first started teaching. As the years went on I learned more about cooperative learning groups, various types of instructional technology and ways to integrate them into our curriculum. So I can see how they would revert to what they know in using PowerPoint because that is something that we are all familiar with. However, just because they are older students doesn't mean they couldn't benefit from use of the internet or smart board. There are a lot of awesome and engaging activities for older students to use on the smart board. 

One thing I know that helped me was technology professional development. It really showed me various ways to integrate technology into all subjects. Maybe this is something that these teachers could have benefited from.

 SAVAŞCI AÇIKALIN, F. (2014). USE OF INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES IN SCIENCE CLASSROOMS: TEACHERS' PERSPECTIVES. Turkish Online Journal Of Educational Technology, 13(2), 197-201.