Technology Integration in Georgia Public Elementary Schools

The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify actions and practices that effective technology leaders use to support and sustain technology integration in elementary school classrooms. Three Georgia public elementary school principals who had been identified as top building level technology leaders and three each of their teachers were interviewed using researcher developed interview questions that addressed the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) seven factors for successful technology implementation. The interviews provided insights into the principals\u27 and teachers\u27 perspectives regarding the principals\u27 roles in effectively implementing classroom technology in their schools. Interview data were analyzed inductively through pattern identification and coding. Three themes emerged from analysis of the principals\u27 interviews: obtaining hardware, software, and training; communicating expectations for technology use; and, defining what was considered effective use of technology. The three themes that were gleaned from teachers\u27 interviews were: the principals\u27 encouragement, enthusiasm, and support for technology use; willingness and ability of the principal to provide needed educational technology hardware, software, and training; and, how the principals sought to ensure the desired amount and type of technology integration in their teachers\u27 classrooms. One theme-provision of equipment and training-was shared between the two groups, and seemed to be the foundation on which the rest of the leadership actions were built. The other themes showed that the two groups\u27 perspectives of the principals\u27 roles were similar and supportive of each other, as the teachers\u27 emphases were essentially the way they perceived the principals\u27 performance of their fundamental effective leadership behaviors. All of this led to successful technology integration