Explaining Technological Pedagogical Change: A comparison of pedagogical technologists in schools

Explaining Technological Pedagogical Change: A comparison of pedagogical technologists in schools This paper explores the role of selected pedagogical technologists and examines what they do to impact schools’ ways of working with and through technology. In particular, it investigates the characteristics of the pedagogical technologists’ interactions with other school stakeholders, particularly teachers.

A pedagogical technologist helps teachers and other stakeholders in a school to use technology to best support student learning, taking into account technological, pedagogical content knowledge.

A pedagogical technologist is neither a teacher in a traditional sense, nor a technician. In examining the pedagogical technologist, the paper employs a qualitative, multiple-case study research strategy with the pedagogical technologist role being the case unit of analysis. The study adopts an iterative, grounded approach to data collection and analysis. Grounding data collection and analysis entails initial data collection and analysis informing subsequent data collection and analysis in terms of development, primacy and validation of concepts. Data is collected by observing, interviewing and interacting with selected pedagogical technologists and other school stakeholders. Balance and variety are emphasized in the development of the study and the presentation of findings.

Some persistent qualities of interactions between pedagogical technologists and other school stakeholders are illustrated in the data. The preeminent interaction characteristic is the pedagogical technologist explaining technological pedagogical change to others in a way that they can understand.

The content of this explaining includes the sharing of technological pedagogical practice or solutions, and the sharing of the technological pedagogical beliefs, values and assumptions which underlie the practice and solutions. The form of this explaining often incorporates technological pedagogical knowledge, other knowledge, interpersonal skills and metaphorical language. The significance of this interaction characteristic on teacher education is discussed. Other implications for practitioners, organizations and researchers are discussed.