Issues in the Observation and Evaluation of Technology Integration in K-12 Classrooms

AbstractThe evaluation of technology integration through direct observation in K-12 class-rooms can provide important information about the extent and nature of technology integration. But developing the instruments and protocols required to gather data across significant numbers of classrooms poses conceptual problems that must be addressed. Among these issues are the difficulty of capturing in an observation instrument the complexity of technology and the variety of uses to which it may be put in K-12 classrooms, the problem of assessing not only the presence of technology but also its appropriate use, the assessment of the degree to which the technology integration furthers the lesson objective, and the difficulty in assessing implementation of an innovation that is changing as fast as technology. This article discusses these issues and urges evaluators to consider them in developing observation instruments.