Voices of middle and high school teachers on the knowledge, skills, and motivation needed when using iPads in teaching

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston UniversityThis study reports teacher self-perceived needs for using iPad mobile technology (MT) in terms of knowledge, skills, and motivation. Using qualitative methods, twelve experienced teachers who had already used iPads in their teaching for at least one year were the participants in interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis. The teachers' observations and reflections on using MT in education can contribute to an understanding of how education may improve through the use ofMT. The overarching research question was: which factors, related to knowledge, skills, and motivation, do teachers report as influential when using MT, specifically iPads, for educational purposes? The questions that guided this study were: • What components of knowledge do teachers think they need to use iPads? • What skills do teachers think they need to use iPads? • What motivates teachers to integrate iPads in the classroom? The data suggested that the participating teaches relied on sixteen elements of skills, knowledge, and motivation when integrating iPads in teaching. However, when the teachers reported the application of those elements in the iPad integration process, they tended to focus on instructional goals, strategy and implementation, which revealed the intertwined nature of those sixteen elements that teacher rely on. Based on these teachers' intertwined application of skills, knowledge, and motivation toward to instructional goals, this study proposed a refinement of the TPACK conceptual model as a three- dimensional "web" diagram, to include these practical elements. The diagram also includes motivation. The history of educational media and technology has repeatedly found that motivation is an important factor in the technology integration process. Conclusions include that adding motivation to the model to expand the TPACK framework (Mishra & Koehler, 2006) is important and that the holistic view of TPACK and motivation allows educational stakeholders to gain a better understanding of teacher needs for MT integration. Findings also include suggestions for better strategies and policies regarding MT training to take advantage of the uniqueness of the iPad and other MT that may improve and enhance teaching and learning