Factors Impacting Effective Technology Use: Digital Models

Asking teachers how they are using computers in the classroom no longer conjures a simple response given the variety of available digital models. One model that has captured the limelight and pedagogical buzz in recent years is the flipped classroom. Bishop and Verleger (2013) define the flipped classroom as an educational technique that consists of two parts: interactive group learning activities inside the classroom, and direct computer-based individual instruction outside the classroom. Given that flipped classrooms promote student directed learning, does a correlation, therefore, exist between the Level of Teaching Innovation (LoTi) and those practitioners who subscribe to its theoretical underpinnings?

The 20^th Anniversary Edition of the LoTi Digital Age Survey will attempt to unravel the mystery of the flipped classroom along with other hybrid models (e.g.,rotation, online lab, flex, face-to-face self-blend, online driver) and their individual and collective impact on teaching practices.

To date, it is safe to say that the jury is still out in terms of impact. Our goal is to tabulate data over the next 12 months from the LoTi Digital Age Survey in hopes of helping stakeholders consider ways of maximizing their technology investments on both student achievement and teaching innovation.

This blog post is the third in a series of fourteen online entries highlighting factors that impact the effective use of technology in today's classrooms. This series focuses on each of the research variables used to conduct comparative analyses as part of the 20th Anniversary Edition of the LoTi Digital Age Survey.