Instructional technology specialists and curriculum work in the Midlands School District (South Carolina).

摘要

The purpose of this study was to investigate the job responsibilities of district-level instructional technology specialists in the Midlands Public School District as they pertained to curriculum work. A conceptual framework for this study was created by exploring the literature related to district-level curriculum work and the work of instructional technology specialists. The unit of study for this case study was the instructional technology specialists in the Midlands School District. Because this was a qualitative study, data were collected from various sources: pertinent documents, shadowing, individual interviews, and a focus group. Data were collected and analyzed in a planned sequence so that one set of collection and analysis activities could inform subsequent ones.; The results of the data analysis showed many connections between the work of the instructional technology specialists and that of district level curriculum work, and showed that the instructional technology specialists were indeed doing curriculum work. They also demonstrated that the instructional technology specialists considered themselves to be curriculum workers. Other results from the individual and focus group interviews revealed issues the study participants considered to be limitations to their contributions to curriculum work in the district and barriers to getting their work done. The district's organization, disconnects between technology and curriculum in the district, leadership and accountability problems, and exclusion from decision-making were some of these factors. Implications for practice and recommendations for school districts and schools of education are made, as are recommendations for future study on this topic.