Mathematics Teacher Practices and the Impact of Computer Technology (Paperback)

This study investigated the effectiveness of technology innovation grants awarded to 55 secondary school mathematics teachers bet-ween 1997 and 2003. Although professional development resources often are allocated for integrating technology and for applying con-structivist theory into the mathematics classroom, little is known about the return on these investments. The grant recipients were sor-ted into 3 groups, by the grant award date, and descriptive statistics was used to summarize the perceived impact of technology on constructivist statements. A 25-question mail-in survey instrument was used to gather information about teacher level of technology integration, teacher observations of students when using technology, the impact of technology on constructivist behaviors, and other de-mographic data related to years of teaching and courses taught. This study contributes to social change in professional development by providing a model to determine the efficacy of how funds allocated for instructional resources, instructional programming, the purchase and implementation of instructional technology and the allocation of resources to professional development programs.