Susan Miller

The Study of a State Initiative: the Dissemination of Educational Technology Susan Miller

The purpose of this evaluative study was to describe the adoption of distance learning technology in the adult classroom by teachers who have been trained in state funded programs. The study explored technology training as a potential means for active learner involvement and interaction. The study investigated the effectiveness of teaching strategies used to train educators in the use of technology. This qualitative analysis also focused on professional development training sessions and analyzed teacher participation in the consortium effort developed to train them the most effective use of distance learning technology for reinforcing learning. Participants in the study were 8 educators in the southeast quadrant of the state of Oklahoma. All of the educators had received the initial technology training to be classified as a Master Trainer. In-depth interviews were conducted with six educators. Later follow-up interviews were conducted as a member check. Portions of a training session were observed which involved tow educators as trainers. The open coding method was used to interpret the data. The researcher looked for patterns to emerge from the coded data.