Innovation and Integration and Technology in the Classroom by Career and Technical Educators

Abstract

In addition to content knowledge experts, educators must embrace the importance of technology in the classroom, have the skills and intention to use technology, and have the knowledge to teach students how to use technology and digital resources. While all educators are exposed to various types of technology training, technology training is typically general rather than customized. A better understanding of educators’ Innovativeness and perceptions of importance and use of technology can provide information to develop more focused professional development, specifically tailored to support technology integration by all educators. The purpose of this research was to determine technology Innovativeness of secondary Career and Technical Education (CTE) educators and technology integration in classrooms. Using Rogers’ diffusion of innovation theory (Rogers, 2003) and the International Society for Technology in Education for Educators Standards (ISTE-E) as a framework, the researcher designed survey, the Innovativeness and Technology Integration Survey, was developed. The survey was designed to investigate the relationships between CTE educator characteristics, Innovativeness, and technology perceptions. Data analyses found that levels of Innovativeness significantly affected levels of integration. CTE program, certification type, and gender also affected level of integration significantly: Business/Marketing educators had higher levels of integration compared to Family and Consumer Science and Health Science educators; educators with a traditional Master’s level teacher certification rated importance of technology significantly higher than educators with a BA/MA Equivalent Technical Education certification; female educators had higher rates of technology integration than male educators. Focusing professional development and technology training on Innovativeness and/or CTE program could increase educators’ technology integration and competency to support student technology engagement. Institutional and alternative education programs should consider incorporating information about the ISTE-E Standards in their courses for all types of educator certifications. Additional research is recommended to determine types of technology resources used by educators and students and preferred professional development and training methods.