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Abstract
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand the pedagogies and practices of tech-savvy secondary English teachers, or teachers who “tech.” A new literacies framework was used to look at the out-of-school literacy practices of teachers and the impact it had on their approach to English instruction. In addition, a new materialist theoretical perspective, specifically Latour’s Actor Network Theory, was put to work in order to better understand complex entanglements presented when humans, technology, and other school matter come together in classrooms in a 1:1 Chromebook setting. Video ethnographic research approaches were employed to collect and analyze data. In addition to this written portion, a short form documentary was produced as a means of animating the embodied practices of teachers and students in the study. Findings indicated that English teachers who tech often engage in new literacies practices that impact their teaching identities and their understanding of how to create student-centered activities using digital tools in their classrooms. Findings from the study also helped in producing the concept of the paradox of tetheredness which explores the ways wireless technologies are capable of mediating connections between humans through the affordance of greater mobility. By attempting to understand the pedagogies and practices as well as educational experiences of teachers who tech, teacher preparation programs and school districts might be better positioned to understand how to support pre- and in-services teachers in producing teaching identities that recognize the potential for technology.
The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand the pedagogies and practices of tech-savvy secondary English teachers, or teachers who “tech.” A new literacies framework was used to look at the out-of-school literacy practices of teachers and the impact it had on their approach to English instruction. In addition, a new materialist theoretical perspective, specifically Latour’s Actor Network Theory, was put to work in order to better understand complex entanglements presented when humans, technology, and other school matter come together in classrooms in a 1:1 Chromebook setting. Video ethnographic research approaches were employed to collect and analyze data. In addition to this written portion, a short form documentary was produced as a means of animating the embodied practices of teachers and students in the study. Findings indicated that English teachers who tech often engage in new literacies practices that impact their teaching identities and their understanding of how to create student-centered activities using digital tools in their classrooms. Findings from the study also helped in producing the concept of the paradox of tetheredness which explores the ways wireless technologies are capable of mediating connections between humans through the affordance of greater mobility. By attempting to understand the pedagogies and practices as well as educational experiences of teachers who tech, teacher preparation programs and school districts might be better positioned to understand how to support pre- and in-services teachers in producing teaching identities that recognize the potential for technology.