| This paper examines how public school teachers apply classroom computer (or "digital") technology when there is ample resource. By focusing on affluent schools, our analysis controls for what has been called the "first digital divide"---the gap in technological access experienced by students across lines of race and socioeconomic status. Controlling for this gap allows us to examine the "second digital divide," the difference in the ways in which students actually experience technology in their classrooms (Attewell, 2001). In other words, this paper asks, how do public school teachers use computer technology when their access to resources is relatively unconstrained? What kind of teacher and school-level characteristics influence the way computers are actually used in classroom? These questions were addressed using the most recent (1999--2000) wave of data from the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) Public School, Principal, and Teacher components. Since factor analysis failed to bring up dichotomous factors that conform to the presumed conceptual framework, a series of regression analysis was conducted separately over variables indicating ways computers are used in the most recent two weeks. There seems to be between-school variance when computers are used to obtain information, practice skills, solve problems, do word processing, and correspond via Internet. However, when computers are used for collaboration and multimedia projects, no significant school effects are found. The following teacher and school-level characteristics were found to affect the ways computers are used in classroom: At teacher level, a teacher's priority rating of computer technology, level of control over instructional materials and skills to be mastered, age, class size, teaching experience, professional training on computer technology, and number of computers with Internet access in classroom; at school level, percentage of computers used for instruction, flexible instructional hours, number of computers in school, average level of control among teachers, school enrollment, average class size, and teachers' average age. Regardless of variations across schools, however, most schools tend to use computers in traditional ways. This indicates if school and district policy-makers believe transformational use of computers will help reform and restructure public schools, they should build up or strengthen characteristics that enhance transformational ways of computer usage, such as organizing professional workshops on technology use and model classroom sessions to demonstrate how computers are used for classroom instruction. Squandering money on installing computers may not serve the purpose. |
