Stakeholder perceptions of the use and value of computers and technology in an elementary school setting: a case study of the vision and reality of educational technology

The new millennium brings with it the evolution of technology-supported teaching and learning and also the incredible potential for educators to take advantage of incorporating that technology into their teaching. The purpose of this study was to describe the status of classroom computer use at an elementary (K-6) school with a population of 676 students in a rural county in the mid-south. A further purpose of the study included examining and describing the patterns of beliefs or attitudes toward the use of technology in education and the skill levels necessary for use. Teachers, administrators, and parents within one school were observed and surveyed offering qualitative and quantitative data in order to make recommendations regarding the direction of technological development for the school and determining the types of training needed. Results of this study indicate that discrepancies in beliefs regarding the use of technology as a teaching and learning tool exist among the various stakeholders at the participating school in the following area: 1) type/amount of use; 2) teacher training; 3) availability of technology; and 4) purpose of technology use. Results also point to areas of common goals regarding present and future technology use. Implications exist for future technology plans, professional development for teachers, and ways to remove barriers that presently exist to the use of technology as a teaching and learning tool.