From Desks to Desktops: A Phenomenological Study of K-5 Teachers’ Experiences of Technology Use within Maryland Public Schools
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2024
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Abstract
Educational technology plays a role in most classrooms. Online education has permeated elementary school programs, offering technology-rich instruction. The problem is a digital use divide has been created because teachers who have transitioned from a traditional setting to a virtual setting may implement and use more technology tools in the classroom. Because online education at the primary level is fairly new, there is limited research on its design and delivery. The purpose of the study was to explore K-5 teachers’ experiences of technology use after transitioning from a traditional setting to a virtual setting within Maryland public schools. The key questions that guided the study focused on the experiences of technology use and perceptions of how technology use changed after transitioning from a traditional setting to a virtual setting within Maryland public schools. Through a qualitative phenomenology methodology, data were collected via eight semi-structured interviews and eight questionnaires completed by virtual teachers in Maryland public schools. Interview transcripts and questionnaire responses were coded using thematic analysis. Results indicated virtual teachers have students use technology to show their learning in creative ways through more or better hardware and numerous applications. Virtual teachers perceived that students were being prepared for the future and were benefiting from quality technology use. Findings can be used to better understand the benefits of technology use and create the infrastructure needed for better technology integration in traditional school settings.
Keywords: 21st-century skills, digital use divide, educational technology, phenomenology, technology integration, virtual education
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