<p> This study investigated the relationship between Common Core Algebra (CCA) courses that do not use TI-Nspire technology to CCA courses that use TI-Nspire technology. To address the problem of the study and attempt to answer the research question by evaluating the hypothesis, this study used quazi-experimental research design. Two quantitative data instruments were used to investigate the variables: A pretest was used to determine if all participants in the study were not at an advantage due to prior mathematical knowledge. A posttest was used to determine if there was a difference of the mean scores of the control and treatment groups. The population of the study was ninth grade students in a public high school who were enrolled in CCA. The major findings noted that the means of the pretest scores were statistically equivalent while the means of the posttest score were statistically different. The findings suggest the use of TI-Nspire technology in CCA classrooms is, in fact, a benefit to students. It further recommends the study be replicated with a larger student population and sample size within an expanded geographical area. </p>

The purpose of this study was to identify several key elements regarding the use of technology resources by a teacher education faculty within a College of Education located in the Southwest United States. This study employed both quantitative and qualitative research methods to: (1) report the current frequency of use of technology resources by the professors sampled in the study, (2) describe the major purposes for their use of technology as communicated via the survey data or through interviews with selected study participants, or both, (3) describe the types of technologies that are currently being employed by the professors studied, (4) describe the degree to which these professors require the use of technology by their students, and (5) explain the purposes behind these requirements as revealed by the selected professors through interview responses. The results of the survey data revealed that faculty use of technology for instructional purposes was minimal, the major purposes for which faculty in education courses use technology was to assist them in streamlining instruction and assignments, and that a limited number of education faculty required the use of technology resources by their education students. An analysis of interviews of the nine most frequent users of technology indicated that the use of technology appears to be a result of early positive experiences with technology. The purpose for use of technology for instructional purposes by frequent users is variable--such as developing an awareness of technology in their students and for modeling technology behaviors and classroom integration of technology. Recommendations from this study include the following. All faculty should be in the possession of a computer equipped with telecommunications capabilities for electronic mail and access to the Internet. Faculty should also have access to an extensive selection of technologies for use in education. Additional recommendations are: release time should be given to faculty for the purpose of attending technology demonstrations and conferences, colleges should hire only those new faculty members who are already somewhat proficient in the use of technology, and proficiency in the use of technology should be one component in the promotion and tenure process.

Video teleconferencing is a successful tool in the education and business industry because of its ability to reach a large audience at numerous remote locations. New computer and communications technology allows for advances in teleconferencing capabilities. In this thesis, an analysis of educational teleconferencing requirements is performed to develop viable educational teleconferencing design approaches. These design approaches must consider various transmission means and typical methods of instruction. One design approach is selected and a functional design is performed. The design is evaluated using performance models and the Simscript II.5 simulation language. Curve fitting techniques are applied to observed data to create probability distribution functions used in creating an accurate model. The performance evaluation is used to optimize the transmission protocol and validate the design. The simulation results show that with a 9600 baud transmission rate, the effects of degraded transmission lines, short display times or abnormally large file sizes, have no significant effects on the proper performance of the system.

<p> Practitioner Inquiry provided the framework for teachers (participants) and the teacher as researcher to work collaboratively engaging in a continuous process of planning lessons, reflecting on practice, systematically collecting data, and problem solving as they integrated technology within literacy curriculum. Three teachers (Trio Group) met weekly to discover how teachers learn about literacy technology integration, how they apply this in their classroom instruction, and how they share their ideas about literacy/technology integration with other teachers. These teachers shared their learning with a larger group of teachers (Technology Team) who then hosted a professional development session for the entire faculty to teach them how to integrate technology within instructional practice. Data was gathered from faculty surveys, lesson plans, the Trio Group&rsquo;s blog posts, videotaped collaboration, audio recordings of all meetings, researcher&rsquo;s field journal, and the final reflections of faculty. Data was analyzed using &ldquo;in vivo coding&rdquo; (Saldana, 2009), looking at each data source independently, and then creating larger categories that led to a descriptive view of the data in themes. Key findings that positively impacted teachers&rsquo; ability to learn how to integrate technology were: acknowledging teachers&rsquo; perceptions, providing time for collaboration with colleagues, application of practice, scaffolding the learning, and job embedded reflection. Implications include considering a broader view of literacy, technology, and instructional knowledge to include digital literacy and the TPACK framework (Kohler &amp; Mishra, 2009). Implications also include re-envisioning the roles of educators as well as traditional professional development. Collaborative Inquiry Circles were suggested as an alternative to the traditional methods of professional development that could lead to meaningful and sustainable learning opportunities for teachers.</p>

<p> Leaders remain perpetually connected to their work because of the rapid advancement of information technology. This research, using a qualitative approach, explored how increased connective technology is affecting school leaders with the central question: <i>How is hyperconnectivity experienced by school leaders?</i> Using personal interviews, the lived experiences of fifteen international middle and high school principals with one-to-one student-to-device programs were collected. Raw transcriptions of their experiences were analyzed using the descriptive phenomenological approach as outlined by Giorgi (2009). This approach allowed for the data to be reduced into a single narrative description shared by all participants indicating the essences of their lived experience as hyperconnected school leaders. </p><p> This shared narrative highlighted complex and paradoxical experiences associated with how these school leaders interact with technology. Their experiences indicated that work-life balance for hyperconnected leaders required strong personal boundaries and skillful use of connective technologies. Examples of effective leader development of self and community highlighted, paradoxically, the need to unplug to effectively deploy connected technology within their leadership practice. Conversely, this study also showed how leaders can be controlled by connectivity. They associated their roles as responsible school leaders with perpetual connectivity; in consequence, they fused their work and home lives, experienced increased stress, and struggled with work overload. These results imply that international school principals are impacted by increased connectivity in different ways. Findings from this study indicate those leading hyperconnected schools must pay attention to how connectivity is affecting themselves and members of their school communities. Principals must protect themselves from the increasing demands upon their attention that constant connectivity presents in order to make mental room for the self-reflection and creativity needed to provide novel solutions and approaches towards their leadership work.</p>

<p> As with traditional healthcare providers, emotional-social intelligence (ESI) plays a role in the holistic practitioner-client relationship. It is important to determine if students in holistic healthcare programs increase their ESI, and subsequently better serve their clients. The purpose of this quantitative, quasi-experimental study was to determine if online education can develop students&rsquo; ESI at levels similar to that of traditional programs. This study is based on the theory of ESI and transformative learning theory. The sample consisted of 95 students in an online program and 61 in a traditional program. Multiple linear regression, ANCOVA, and Pearson Correlation&rsquo;s were used to explore the relationships between the independent variables professional standing, program delivery method, program progress, and number of classes with elements consistent with transformative learning theory, and the dependent variable emotional-social intelligence, as measured by the EQ-i 2.0 survey. The results of the study revealed no significant differences in the development of ESI between online and traditional methodologies, except within the self-expression category, for which online was higher. The number of transformative classes taken had no effect on the dependent variable. The positive social change implications of this study include a better understanding of the development of ESI for holistic healthcare, which could lead to a greater potential for success, as well as being better able to contribute to the stability of their communities through meeting the needs of those seeking their services. In addition, determining the relationship between transformative theories of learning and ESI development may assist in creating courses better suited to increasing students&rsquo; ESI.</p>

<p> Advancements in technology often make life easier, make processes easier, and increase efficiency. While this is true as much in the public school system as it is in other aspects of life, technology integration initiatives often struggle in K-12 schools. In its first year of implementation, one statewide technology initiative targeting personalized learning for mathematics resulted in significantly improved proficiency in mathematics for students with high technology usage, but over 90% of students had low usage. This year, which is year two of the initiative, I went into some of the classrooms in the Junior High with the highest technology usage to better understand what facilitates successful technology integration. Data were collected from six teachers and one administrator through interviews and observations. I also looked at factors such as change management, learning environment, and student motivation in order to understand the relationship of these factors to teacher perceptions of factors that influence technology integration. Though many influential factors emerged that all seemed highly interrelated, the most common theme that emerged across all factors was that letting teachers show each other how to use the technology to make life easier and improve learning for students may result in higher levels of technology integration.</p>

<p> This study examined the experiences of collegiate, online, distance learners. This research developed an understanding of the dynamic interplay between students&rsquo; emotions and their experience of social presence within this unique learning environment. Through surveys and interviews, the research secured perspectives of the emotional and social climates in the learners&rsquo; experience of this evolving educational environment. The data were sorted based on themes from prior research exploring successful distance learning experiences. Analysis and synthesis of emergent themes, Likert scores, and percent agreement led to the development of a professional discussion, conclusions regarding the guiding research questions, and recommendations for future practice and study.</p>

<p> As online education becomes more available for high school students, the enrollment continues to grow. Unfortunately, the attrition rate is also increasing and educators are challenged to find a better vetting process to determine if students will be successful in his or her first online high school course. Growth mindset and grit have been predictors of success in high attrition situations and in some cases demographics such as age and gender have also been predictors of success. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among grit, mindset, age, and gender to determine if these variables were indicators of success in a student&rsquo;s first online high school course. A survey was distributed to high school students taking their first online course. Demographic questions were asked, followed by the short version of the grit scale (Grit-S) and a mindset assessment. These items were used to measure the relationships of age, gender, grit, and mindset when compared to the student&rsquo;s end of course grade. This study was a quantitative approach to gather data and add to the literature for online education. The results of this study did not find a significant difference in student grade when organized by grit, mindset, or gender categories. However, a significant relationship between age and course grade was found to be significant at the p &lt; .05 level. Supplemental analysis showed a significantly larger drop rate in an asynchronous model than a synchronous model. The results of this study will potentially impact one school in changing their course design from asynchronous to synchronous.</p>

<p>Sociological and cultural analysts have noted the reticence of public secondary schooling to recognize and build academic activities around the participatory culture in which adolescents are so readily involved (Jenkins, Purushotma, Weigel, Clinton & Robison, 2009). Despite the Common Core State Standards having required students to demonstrate they can maximize technology to perform a range of skills involving targeted specialized research, organized writing, and visually intentional presentation (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices [NGA], Council of Chief State School Officers [CCSSO], 2010), very few classrooms have followed through. The avoidance and or failure of these educational technology integrations in secondary subject content classes raised questions. A survey of the literature showcases the many ways in which technologies were not fully matched to the tasks, expectations, or teacher skills. The mystery of epic technological classroom can be resolved if we apply the lens of Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge (Shulman, 1986; Mishra & Koehler, 2006) which speaks about the interactions and alignment tensions among these three areas. When one has applied this TPACK lens we can best understand a range of surveyed literature that speaks to disconnect among technology affordances, teacher pedagogies, and requirements of content knowledge. Among a range of TPACK research emerges a sub-set that advocates for the value of cognitive scaffolding through hard scaffolds and soft scaffolds (Saye & Brush, 2002). Previous research has suggested the hard scaffolds can offer a built pedagogy filled with student project expectations and that soft scaffolds can provide specific practices support that is customized and relevant for participants. This research study engages in design-based research to refine hard and soft scaffolds to support high school social studies students through a multi-phase oral history project. Engaging 2 sections of students at a progressive public high school, the researcher engaged in a two-iteration cycle of design activities between November 2014 and March 2015. A student work digital portfolio was turned in after students used the first iteration scaffolds. After a teacher-provided analysis of student work using the researchers provided rubric, tweaks were made to the scaffolds. A post-interview with participant teachers provided further refinement.