Technology Proficiency Among K-12 Award-Nominated Teachers in Tennessee: A Survey of Teachers

The integration of technology in K-12 classrooms is a prevalent topic among school faculty and administrations across the United States. There are many teachers that use technology in distinctive ways, whereas others are more reluctant to adopt technology into their teaching methods. The purpose of this study was to examine two groups of teachers in the state of Tennessee and explore how and why they use technology. The first group of teachers has been nominated for a Tennessee Teacher of the Year award over the past two years. The second group of teachers has never been nominated for the award. There were a total of 48 participants in this study.

The questionnaire attempted to assess the usage of technology resources in the classroom by K-12 teachers, as well as the perceived potential of technology as a teaching and learning supplement. The questionnaire gathered demographic information as well as technology use, including: 1) frequency of its use, 2) student use, 3) teacher use, both during instruction and for productivity, 4) how usage has changed over the past three years and 5) beliefs about its potential.

Major conclusions to the study were the following: 1) the award-nominated teachers use technology resources more frequently with their classes than their peers who have never been nominated; 2) both groups of participants have the same objectives for student technology use; 3) both groups of participants use technology resources for teaching as well as productivity; 4) both groups of participants have used technology resources similarly over the past three years, although the award-nominated teachers have more recently become comfortable with using technology resources; 5) both groups of participants believe that technology offers a great deal of potential for instruction and learning.