ERIC Number: ED546230
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 112
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 978-1-2676-0605-1
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Interactive Whiteboard Professional Development: A Look through the Eyes of Early Childhood Educators
Evans, Nicole Southerland
ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, Mercer University
With vastly ever-changing technology, there come greater possibilities in the school classroom. One possibility includes the interactive whiteboard, IWB (Higgins, Beauchamp, & Miller, 2007). However, there is little research on how to effectively promote the use of an IWB in the classroom for anything other than as a mediating tool. One option to advance teachers' technological skills and enhance the use of an IWB within the classroom is through professional development (Davis, Preston, & Sahin, 2007). According to Knowles (1976), professional development can make an impact on adults if andragogy is taken into consideration during the planning and implementation of professional development in any field of study. Knowles believed that any adult educator would need to know Andragogy. Andragogy refers to the art of helping adults learn, which is different than how children learn which is known as pedagogy. The researcher accessed educators who had participated in IWB professional development. The teacher participants completed semi-structured interview questions (Cresswell, 2007) as well as contributed to a member check (Maxwell, 2005). The researcher analyzed the data qualitatively in order to describe how Knowles' Theory of Andragogy (1970) was incorporated into the participants' IWB professional development. Additionally, the researcher looked for patterns to determine instructional techniques utilized within their professional development and how teacher capacity was impacted by the professional development. It was determined that many andragogical assumptions were incorporated into the professional development. However, further research is needed in order to determine the depth for which each assumption was beneficial to the teacher participant. Additionally, it is not known whether the adult educator intentionally included Knowles' Theory of Andragogy. The participants also responded positively towards the IWB professional development while offering some suggestions for improvement. Therefore, this study has the possibility to influence future adult educators. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Descriptors: Bulletin Boards, Educational Technology, Interactive Video, Computer Uses in Education, Preschool Teachers, Early Childhood Education, Computer Literacy, Faculty Development, Semi Structured Interviews, Qualitative Research, Teaching Methods, Andragogy, Educational Theories
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Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Preschool Education; Early Childhood Education; Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A