Previous studies indicated that the technology integration practices of teachers in the classroom often did not match their teaching styles. Researchers concluded that this was due, at least partially, to external barriers that prevented teachers from using technology in ways that matched their practiced teaching style. Many of these barriers, such as professional support and access to hardware and software, have been largely diminished over the last twenty years due to an influx of money and strategies for enhancing technology in primary and secondary schools in the United States. This mixed-methods research study was designed to examine the question, “What technology do teachers use and how do they use that technology to facilitate student learning?” K-12 classroom teachers were purposefully selected based on their full-time employment in a public, private, or religious school in a Midwestern state in the United States, supported by the endorsement of a school official. There were 1048 teachers from over 100 school corporations who completed an online survey consisting of six questions about classroom technology tools and professional development involving technology. Survey results suggest that technology integration is pervasive in the classroom with the most often used technology tool identified as PowerPoint. Moreover, teachers identified that training about technology is most effective when it is contextually based in their own classroom. Follow-up interviews were conducted with ten percent (n=111) of the teachers in order to examine the relationship between teachers’ daily classroom use of technology and their pedagogical practices. Results suggest a close relationship; for example, teachers with student-centric technology activities were supported by student-centric pedagogical practices in other areas. Moreover, teachers with strongly student-centered practices tended to exhibit a more pronounced need to create learning opportunities with technology as a base for enhancing 21st century skills in students. Teachers indicated that external barriers do exist that impact technology integration, such as a lack of in-service training, a lack of available technology, and restricted curriculum, but that overcoming internal barriers, including personal investment in technology, attitude towards technology, and peer support, were a bigger indicator of success. Recommendations are made for restructuring professional development on strategies for contextualizing technology integration in the classroom.

Pre-service teachers develop technology competency during their tenure in the college classroom.These stages coincide with Bloom's Revised Taxonomy and offer the opportunity to learn and model technology integration.656 pre-service education students from five universities across the United States completed a qualitative survey aimed at identifying how they perceived technology integration throughout their teacher education program.Three themes, corresponding to Bloom's Revised Taxonomy, were identified; 1) preservice teachers first identify and understand technology as a tool, 2) pre-service teachers apply technology and analyze the process of integration, and 3) overall, pre-service teachers do not evaluate and create technology integration experiences.The results of this study are discussed thematically in relation to Bloom's revised taxonomy.Limitations are discussed and recommendations for future research examined for pre-service teacher technology training.

Computer and video games are can provide context and motivation for student learning. Educational games are not inherently successful at either education or entertainment, however. This study seeks to obtain information about the design, development, and distribution of educational games directly from individuals experienced in working with these games. The Delphi method will be employed to discover key factors for a game’s success in order to further the growing discussion about educational game creation.

This study examined students' perceptions of peer feedback and learning in a large, undergraduate course that incorporated supplementary online discussions. Peer feedback (PF) was facilitated via an automated rating system, within Blackboard discussion forums, for half of the students enrolled in the course. Following the peer feedback process, students in the PF group perceived higher levels of confidence and comfort for posting and responding in online discussions than students who did not receive peer feedback. A significant difference was noted on perceptions of confidence for contributing relevant ideas to the discussions, with the PF students expressing higher levels of confidence, yet not all students perceived benefits to their learning. Implications for the implementation of peer feedback in online and blended courses are provided.

This study investigates the impact of peer feedback used as an instructional strategy to increase the quality of students' online postings. While peer feedback has been demonstrated to support students' learning in traditional classrooms, little is known about its efficacy in online discussions. To address this gap, we examined students' perceptions of the value of giving and receiving peer feedback, specifically related to the quality of discussion postings in an online course. In addition, we investigated the impact of that feedback by comparing the quality of students' postings, based on Bloom's taxonomy, from pre-course to post-course. Results suggest that the quality of students' postings was maintained through the use of peer feedback despite students' preferences for instructor feedback. Students noted that peer feedback can be valuable and, more importantly, described how giving peer feedback not only reinforced their learning but enabled them to achieve higher understanding.

Asynchronous online discussions are common in online and blended courses. This study examined the impact of online discussions in blended undergraduate courses in three disciplines: educational technology, engineering, and English education. Results showed that students from all courses were comfortable using online discussions and saw them as a way to express opinions and learn course content. However, differences in the outcomes for three groups suggest that certain online discussion strategies are more useful than others.