TIK+theory


 * TIK (Teacher Integrated Knowledge) Theory **
 * Erica R. Hamilton (copyright 2013) **

The use of technology in K-12 classrooms varies from classroom to classroom and although types and uses differ, integrating technology in the classroom prepares students for the future (Bai & Ertmer, 2008; Ertmer & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, 2010). Teaching with technology is complex and often challenging for teachers, making it an important topic of study, particularly teachers’ integration of technology in K-12 settings (Mishra & Koehler, 2006). According to //The National Education Technology Plan 2010//, K-12 teachers must use technology to make learning individualized, relevant and flexible (U.S. Department of Education). At one point, new technology was a chalkboard (Terpstra, 2009). At another, it included an overhead projector and computer laboratories, perhaps even a desktop computer in every classroom. More recently, however, laptops, Smart Boards and digital tablets have become the newest forms of educational technology options and many school officials are clamoring for these devices, putting them into classrooms as well as the hands of teachers and students.

In many schools, this results in the creation of a 1:1 ratio, in which each person in the classroom uses a handheld digital technology device, enabling every student (and teacher) to participate in and/or facilitate learning activities (e.g., Fronick, 2012; Lamendola, 2012; Liang, Liu, Wang, Chang, Deng, Yang, Chou, Ko, Yang, & Chan, 2005). Although 1:1 technology, particularly 1:1 laptop initiatives, has been around for approximately 20 years, (Lei & Zhao, 2008), this model is now drawing more attention again, this time focusing on the affordances of 1:1 technology with electronic tablets, such as iPads and Android tablets. The push for increased educational technology use, particularly the 1:1 model, has many private companies such as Apple, Microsoft and Google clamoring for shares of the educational market, with the express purpose of putting technology into the hands of students and teachers, assuming that this will somehow improve teaching and learning.

There have been studies conducted on the use of 1:1 technology and teacher professional development related to technology integration (e.g., Zhao & Bryant, 2006; Lawless & Pellegrino, 2007; Mills & Tincher, 2003). There has also been research focused on preservice teachers learning to teach with technology (e.g., Niess, 2005; Schmidt, Baran, Thompson, Mishra, Koehler, Shin, 2009; Terpstra, 2009; Wentworth, Graham, & Tripp, 2008). Studies of teacher beliefs and technology use also contribute to the literature, helping us understand the ways in which teachers’ beliefs about technology impact how they think about and use it in their classrooms (e.g., Ertmer, 2005; Ertmer, Gopalakrishnan, & Ross, 2000; Palak & Walls, 2009; Schrum, Shelley, & Miller, 2008). Moreover, in research conducted on students’ uses of and performance related to 1:1 technology, Mills (2010) found that the amount of time teachers spent using and integrating technology impacted how much students used the devices. Lowther, Ross and Morrison (2003) studied elementary teachers and students and their uses of 1:1 laptops, finding that although teachers initially used the devices to promote cooperative learning, this particular approach declined after the initial integration. These results support Morrison, Ross and Lowther’s (2007) later work, in which they found that 1:1 technology in classrooms did not necessarily contribute to a change in teachers’ teaching but did, in many cases, provide increased access to the Internet as well as opportunities for student learning.

However, there is little research focused on teachers’ uses of and thoughts about 1:1 technology, specifically with tablets. According to Lei & Zhao (2008), additional research is necessary in order to examine student and teacher uses and outcomes, with regard to 1:1 technology initiatives, now including tablets (e.g., iPads, Android tablets, etc.) and BYOD (bring your own device) initiatives some schools have adopted. We must also ascertain how, when and why teachers choose to integrate this technology into their content area(s) as well as particular factors that contribute to their perceptions and usage. Moreover, as 1:1 technology tablet initiatives, in particular, continue to spread, the ways in which teachers think about and use these devices will directly influence the decisions they make about their content, pedagogy, and students’ learning.

When implementing and using 1:1 technology in the classroom, the concept of teacher knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge expands (Boling & Beatty, 2012). This expansion includes knowledge of 1:1 technology, represented by the interrelated nature of teacher knowledge, captured in Hamilton's (2012) Teacher Integrated Knowledge framework (Figure 1, below). In some ways, this expansion is reflective of Koehler and Mishra’s (2009) TPACK conceptual framework, in which teachers’ knowledge of technology intersects with their pedagogical and content knowledge. Utilizing Shulman’s (1986) concept of PCK, Boling and Beatty’s (2012) expansion of PCK, Koehler and Mishra's TPACK (2009), the TIK framework more readily captures the different types knowledge teachers need when integrating and teaching with 1:1 technology, such as laptops and tablets. These types of knowledge work in tandem with one another, creating a "full-circle" (so to speak) of knowledge teachers need when working and teaching with 1:1 devices in their classrooms.



Although it's difficult to capture all of the types of knowledge teachers need when teaching in a 1:1 environment, the TIK framework (Hamilton, 2012) seeks to capture the various aspects of what teachers need to know and, subsequently, be able to do when integrating and teaching with 1:1 devices. Broadly, incorporating 1:1 digital technology in educational settings is purported to increase individual and collective productivity; promote higher level thinking and learning; motivate students to learn; and, increase student achievement (Gulek & Demirtas, 2005). However, not all studies demonstrate such positive outcomes of 1:1 technology in classrooms (e.g., Brand, Kinash, Mathew & Kordyban, 2011; Cuban, 2001; Cuban, 2012). Many wonder whether technology really enhances learning and, more importantly, whether teachers will and/or do adjust their teaching to use these 1:1 technology tools in ways that extend students’ learning opportunities (Barseghian, 2012).

This is important to consider because when teachers use technology in their classrooms, their uses often do not support a student-centered instructional model but, rather, continue to promote a more traditional teacher-centered model in which teachers still direct and facilitate instruction (Ertmer & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, 2010). Therefore, although more technology is used, especially in 1:1 digital technology environments, teaching and learning often remain similar, if not the same, as before the integration of a given technology (Morrison, Ross, & Lowther, 2007). As school districts invest millions of dollars integrating 1:1 digital technology devices, namely tablets, it is important to examine the ways in which teachers make sense of this 1:1 model, the technology(s) itself, as well as their uses and rationales related to using the device, including whether or not incorporating this device actually changes teaching. Additionally, it is important to identify the factors that affect teachers’ uses, rationale(s) and changes, related to 1:1 technology. Using the TIK framework (Hamilton, 2012) may help us begin to make sense of the different types of knowledge teachers need and use in 1:1 environments.

NOTE: Reference information available upon request