A teacher's dual
roles as a client and change agent: An examination of the adoption of and teaching
with
hypermedia technology
Altamirano, Ma Leticia C.; PhD
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY,1998
EDUCATION, TECHNOLOGY (0710)
Researchers have focused little attention on college teachers' experiences in
using new computer
technology. Instructional designers and educational technologists should know
how college faculty
make use of computers to be able to approach the instructional problems which
college teachers might
experience in adopting new technology. This qualitative research study focused
on a teacher educator,
and the dynamics of her teaching when using a new hypermedia technology. In
investigating the
dynamics of her teaching, the study viewed how the teacher undertook the role
of a <italic>client</italic>
as she pursued her teaching tasks while incorporating the use of a technological
innovation.
Simultaneously, the study also investigated how the teacher portrayed the <italic>change
agent's</italic> role, as she introduced the technological innovation to
her students and helped them
use it as a means to learn about the course's subject matter. The findings of
this study revealed that the
teacher experienced two simultaneous diffusion processes, which were influenced
highly by what the
teacher brought with her to technology use. In addition, the teacher's role
as a client in innovation use is
comprised of three subsequent phases, namely, the adoption of innovation use,
the integration of
innovation use into the lessons, and the learning of tools and equipment in
relation to innovation use.
Moreover, as a change agent, the teacher primarily focused her tasks on planning,
implementing, and
assessing student technology use. Major conclusions include that, in teaching
the course, the teacher
portrayed dual roles as she experienced two simultaneously occurring diffusion
of innovation processes.
Throughout the two diffusion processes, the teacher received timely support
to aid her with the software
and hardware aspects of technology use. The help which the teacher received
while being a client also
supported her needs as she pursued her role as a change agent. Because of this,
the teacher's
instructional role primarily focused on gaining a better perspective of innovation
use through interactions
with colleagues and learning from their similar experiences. In addition, the
teacher was able to direct her
attention to innovation use while teaching her course. Finally, the teacher's
portrayal of her role as a client
in one diffusion process went well beyond the usual connotation of the term
since she was an active,
autonomous, and assertive user of innovation and learner of technological tools.
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