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Walk through the halls of your school after 4:00 any afternoon and look for evidence that technology is being used by teachers … what do you see?

• A classroom with a bunch of computers, a scanner or two, a couple of digital cameras, bulletin boards covered with printed copies of digitally-produced work, and the teacher still hard at work, eager to show you a student’s latest HyperStudio project: Jupiter is flying around the outside of the screen while a rock song plays in the background.
• Next door, the lights are off and you have to look pretty hard to locate the classroom’s one computer — there it is, over in the corner, with a dust cover on it, covered with… dust (or a stack of papers, a plant or some books). It’s not even plugged in.
• Down the hall, there’s a classroom with neatly printed poems — you know the ones where the students take the letters of their names and write a word describing themselves: Joyful Intelligent Mighty. You recall that this is an activity that this particular teacher always does in February for friendship month, but now it’s March.
• On the second floor, you see a classroom festooned with computer-generated banners and student certificates. The one computer you see is on the teacher’s desk, safe from the students.
• Finally, you see a classroom that seems to have several computers and peripherals such as cameras and scanners, but the focus is clearly on the curriculum — maps, globes, books, essential questions posted on the bulletin board to inspire student investigations, and a timeline for an upcoming project listing milestones, are all in evidence.

If you are like most educators in the U.S., you can identify several classrooms in your school that match each of these descriptions. Why aren’t all classrooms like that last one? With the investment that school districts across the country have made on technology over the last several years, what is going on here? How is it that there are computers gathering dust? How is it that some teachers have so much, while others have so little? Didn’t the school buy enough computers? Didn’t they run enough professional development programs? As the school leader, shouldn’t you do something?

In the 1980’s Apple Computer commissioned a study of classroom teachers to discover how they come to technology. Their study, funded by the National Science Foundation, serves as a source for educators wishing to integrate technology into their school curricula and wishing to provide effective professional development for their teachers.

The research project involved putting computers into the hands of teachers and students, and then watching to see what changes occurred in classrooms as a result. Typically, participants volunteered to participate, then were given state-of-the-art Apple computers. The teachers were given minimal training, and then asked to integrate the computers and reflect on their experience using a journal. There were several variations to this model. The first involved each student and the teacher receiving a classroom computer; the second was more expansive and included additional computers for the home of each student and teacher; a third variation provided a laptop computer for each student and one for the teacher.You can see a more extensive description of this project by visiting the Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow site (http://www.apple.com/education/k12/leadership/acot/).

This week's article focuses on one narrow part of the findings of this research: the developmental stages that teachers go through as they adopt technology tools that enhance instruction.The ACOT research showed that teachers go through a sequence of five stages once technology arrives in their classrooms. As you read the following, think about what you know of Piaget's developmental stages; think about teachers you know who are at each stage; and think about your own evolution in the use of technology tools.

Entry: The teacher is aware of the technology but chooses not to get involved in it. Teachers at entry may be fine teachers otherwise. They simply do not buy into a connection between technology and their core mission of teaching kids the curriculum. They would love to leave the technology to the technology teacher. Even if they have to go with their kids to the lab, they will not touch the mouse. Entry level teachers also distrust new technologies, imagining threats to curriculum, classroom management, and security. If they are assigned to attend a technology workshop, they will avoid it if possible. If they are forced, they will attend, but will avoid having to actually use the tools.

Adoption: The teacher adopts one or two technology tools that make sense to her/him. These are usually personal productivity tools that make work easier for the teacher. The tools involved rarely have anything to do with teaching and learning. You might see a teacher very excited about Bannermania or Email, word processing of class assignments, or PrintShop Deluxe. These are all tools that allow the teacher to accomplish a productivity task that is more difficult to accomplish without technology. Adoption level teachers still think of technology as something taught by someone else as a separate subject. They are reluctant to have students use the computer in their classroom largely because they have difficulty trouble-shooting themselves and worry that the students will run into a problem that the teacher can’t solve. So, the computer sits safely on the teacher’s desk.

Adaptation: This is where the rubber meets the road! The teacher finally begins to try and use some technology with the students. Often, the first attempts are using word processing and having the every student in the class create the same kind of document. However, it’s a huge challenge, largely because the teacher is still not really sure how to manage a whole-class project. Without changing anything else in the curriculum, the teacher puts the computer on as an additional layer to the lesson. Students write their assignment on paper, then bring the paper to the computer, then type onto the computer, then print on paper. There is no value-add to using the technology. And, it’s slow work. Often, in frustration, the teacher goes back to the Adoption stage where life was simpler. Adaptation is a tentative stage, one that teachers return to several times as their confidence builds.

Appropriation: This is a stage of excess, where the teacher, now filled with confidence and mission, embeds technology in every possible curriculum activity. This is the teacher who manages to appropriate all the technologies in the building, try them out, and make them central to his/her daily classroom life. This is the teacher who waltzes into the library, stakes out the new digital camera, waits a few days, then pounces. "I notice we have a new camera." "Yes," says the innocent library-media specialist, "It’s for the whole school." "Of, course, I understand, but no one is using it. It’s been on the shelf all week. How about I sign it out and you’ll let me know when someone asks for it." Score! When the librarian comes calling a month later, the camera is being used for a project on a daily basis and can’t be spared. Eventually, the appropriation teacher will tap some little-used fund in the school to buy several digital cameras that can be used just in his/her classroom.

Innovation: The Innovation teacher knows when to hold ‘em, when to fold ‘em. This teacher is more selective in the use of technology and has returned to the curriculum-focus that is central to good teaching. Technology is just one of the tools in the classroom, not the only tool. Students have a choice of presentation methods: digital slide shows, skits, dioramas, etc. The important thing is the curriculum: has the student demonstrated an understanding of the topic at hand? A student can no longer dazzle this teacher with a slide show of digital images and music devoid of content. Rubrics for assessing curriculum content, standards met, and appropriate media are used to grade the student’s achievement. Innovation is the ideal but it’s a moving target. The research showed, and experience proves, that you can reach the Innovation stage with one set of technology tools, but when a new tool appears on the horizon, you are likely to react from an Entry standpoint.

Whatever your role in education, an awareness of these stages can help you and your colleagues to grow in your implementation of technology in the classroom. Here are some tips on moving forward through the stages:

Look for a hook.With an Entry level teacher, you need to be creative in figuring out what will bring an Entry teacher into Adoption. The hook may come from a fellow teacher who is happily in the Adoption stage. Remember that the hook may be a simple software tool such as a grade-keeper that has little to do with classroom integration but is likely to make the teachers’ personal or professional life easier.

Provide exposure to folks at the next stage. For every stage, this is critical. Exposure may take the form of short celebrations at staff meetings of teachers’ latest projects. Make sure you ask teachers at different stages to share. Exposure may take place by asking two teachers to work on developing a curriculum project together, with one member of the pair at a higher stage than the other.

Walk the walk. If you’ve a mind to bring teachers along the stages of technology integration, consider your own use of technology and your own path through the stages. Teachers notice right away if their leader or peer is a comfortable learner, especially in the area of technology. If you model the use of appropriate tools for your job (word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, Internet research, and so on), then make sure you are working on new skills and talking about your challenges, you create a safe environment for teachers to be learners as well.

Recognize your own Entry behavior and find your own hook. When introduced to a new technology, it’s fine to be cautious but if you suspect it may be useful for your work, consider how you might use the technology for your own personal interest. The research tells us that playing with a new tool for yourself allows you to learn it more easily. So, take that digital camera on a family trip, build yourself a small web page, or use iMovie to produce a video of a family party.

Create a climate where everyone is a learner. If you are public about your own learning, this comes more easily. Encourage other teachers to try incorporating appropriate technology into a lesson you will observe. Then, applaud their risks, understand their challenges, and don’t get too critical if some part of the technology doesn’t work. Work with your technology teacher and/or your Innovation teachers to set up open lab time for teachers to get coaching on whatever technologies they are trying to master. These can occur before or after school, on a release day, or online as an email/discussion board.

Enjoy your passage through the stages and welcome other teachers as fellow travelers!