Investigating the Significance of the Role of the Educational Technologist in Middle School Environments: A Qualitative Study.

This paper is a report of a study of a federally funded technology innovation grant, C*R*E*A*T*E for Mississippi. Qualitative techniques were used to examine the significance of the role of a school-based educational technologist (ET) in four middle schools. The study also examined how the qualifications that the ET possesses impact the effectiveness of the project. Data were collected through observations, interviews, and document analysis. Preliminary results indicate that knowledge of technology alone does not make a successful ET. Results show that ETs with a background in the middle school setting have a greater impact than ETs without a background in the middle school setting. (Author/MES) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. Investigating the Significance of the Role of the Educational Technologist in Middle School Environments: A Qualitative Study Stephanie Davidson Department of Curriculum and Instruction Mississippi State University United States stenhaniedavidso@hotmail.com Melissa Nail Department of Curriculum and Instruction Mississippi State University United States mcn2@ra.msstate.edu Beth Ferguson Department of Curriculum and Instruction Mississippi State University United States bthf@hotmail.com Michael Lehman Department of Curriculum and Instruction Mississippi State University United States mdll@ra. m s state. edu R. Dwight Hare Department of Curriculum and Instruction Mississippi State University United States rdhl@ra.msstate.edu Southwest Educational Research Association 2001 Annual Meeting New Orleans, LA February 1-3, 2001 PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY