Date of Award

2-1-2017

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Dr. Kay A. Keiser

Abstract

The purpose of professional development is to give teachers the skills and dispositions that they need to increase student achievement. There are many programs and initiatives that school districts can follow, but do they actually work. This is the question that school districts have to be asking themselves in order to determine if the professional development is worth the investment. Does the training that we give our teachers make a difference in what they do every day with students? This research seeks to answer the question ”Did the professional development initiative developed and implemented by this Midwestern suburban school district make a difference in the educational technology used during classroom instruction at the district’s twenty-five elementary schools?’ The research looks at, from the teachers’ perspective, did the professional development focusing on Digital Learning and best practices using digital resources, make a difference in the way that instruction was delivered in the classroom. Teachers were given a survey asking them to reflect on the integration of the digital resources in their classes. Responses were then compared to the levels of innovators using Roger’s Diffusion of Innovation Theory to see if the results were consistent with the expected results of other implementation experiences.

Comments

A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate College of the University of Nebraska in Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education. Copyright 2017 Angela M. Daigle.

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