Through the revolving door: Re -examining technology integration and teacher identity in urban schools vis-a-vis the agency/structure dialectic.
Item
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Title
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Through the revolving door: Re -examining technology integration and teacher identity in urban schools vis-a-vis the agency/structure dialectic.
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Identifier
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AAI3213175
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identifier
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3213175
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Creator
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Kress, Tricia M.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Kenneth Tobin
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Date
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2006
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Education, Technology of | Education, Teacher Training | Education, Sociology of
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Abstract
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This auto/ethnography brings to the foreground issues of identity, culture, and community as it documents my one and a half year collaborative journey with Carol, an English literacy teacher in a "failing" New York City public high school, as she began to integrate technology into her classroom. By describing and exploring patterns of cultural enactment (and contradictions to those patterns) within Carol's school and within a curriculum-writing group, this study examines how Carol's agency and identity re/construction were afforded or limited by communities of practice and school structures. Carol's experiences were analyzed on the micro, meso, and macro levels using data sources including videotapes, audiotapes, field journals, written reflections, and various other artifacts.;In response to two broad questions, I learned that examining technology integration as Carol experienced it meant addressing the very core of what it means to be a teacher and a student in an urban public school. At times Carol found it difficult to re/construct her identity in a setting where she was pulled in many directions at once. She often needed to address more pressing concerns of dealing with urban schooling issues such as security and control. As a teacher who did not have a strong community of computer users for support, it was difficult at times to develop a mastery of technology. By the end, Carol was able to subtly transform the culture of her classroom by adding her own computer to her room and on occasion bringing her students to the computer lab. She also began to see her students in a new light as they interacted with the technology during and after class. My journey with Carol led me to understand that technology integration in urban schools needs to be explored in further depth by addressing additional questions about: the intersection of power, culture, and technology in urban schooling; what it means to provide equitable schooling; and how teachers re/construct their identities and refine their practices within the structures of urban schools.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
