FACILITATING LEARNING THROUGH TECHNOLOGY: A COMMUNICATION PERSPECTIVE ON EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION IN ELEMENTARY CLASSROOMS

Abstract

Educational technology is prevalent in today’s classrooms. The study explores currentchallenges in educational technology (ed tech) integration by looking into elementary teachers’ background and experiences with technology in the classroom. This thesis recruited six elementary teachers, grades second through fifth, from a local elementary school in the suburbs of Oklahoma City. The researcher interviewed the participants to gain their experience with ed tech, their take on support and training, and their suggestions for the future. Diffusion of Innovation framework worked with the study by determining how quickly (or slowly) the teachers adopted educational technology. The findings showed lack of support from admin, good and bad devices, training from peers and learning companies, along with suggestions and improvements for the future. This research is a communication perspective on educational technology in secondary schools. Keywords: educational technology, communication, teachers, diffusion of innovation, support, training, improvement