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Abstract
Teachers focus on teaching students technology skills, which include making the technology work, but many teachers are not comfortable with the skills of integration and active learning using technology. An important factor for effective integration of technology is the teachers' ability to integrate instructional technology activities to meet students' needs. The purpose of this study was to determine teacher perceptions of instructional technology integration in the classroom. The study was designed to explore how teachers were currently using and integrating technology for teaching and learning in the classroom. Teachers were compared in their integration of technology based on gender, age, number of years in the teaching field, grade level taught, content area, and education level. Findings suggest that teachers who use technology regularly are more likely to integrate technology in the classroom. Major conclusions were that significant differences existed for technology use and integration based on grade level while there were no differences based on gender, age, teaching experience, content area, and educational level.
Introduction
Effective integration of technology is the result of many factors, but the most important factor is the teachers' competence and ability to shape instructional technology activities to meet students' needs. Teachers know their content and pedagogy, but when it comes to technology, teachers often learn along with students. Teachers focus on teaching students first-level technology skills, which include how to work the technology, but many teachers ignore the secondlevel skills of knowledge integration and a deeper understanding of analyzing information (Fulton, 1997).
Sheingold (1990) said integrating technology in the classroom is not about teaching students to operate computers, but integrating technology is about helping teachers to use technology as a tool for learning. Fulton (1997) used technology fluency to describe the changing definition of what students need to know about technology. Fulton indicated that teachers model technology fluency by using technology in the classroom, applying technology across the curriculum, and integrating technology to facilitate collaboration and cooperation among students.
Bauer and Kenton (2005) said that computer technology is an effective way to widen educational opportunities, but teachers are not using technology as an instructional delivery system. Bauer and Kenton's research found that teachers were highly educated and skilled with using technology, but teachers were not integrating technology on...