Collaborative Teacher Inquiry into iPad Use in Grade 3 Classrooms: Mobilizing Knowledge through a Long-Term School-University Partnership

• Published in: Brock education Vol. 25; no. 1; pp. 73 - 90
• Main Authors: McQuirter Scott, Ruth, Dortmans, Donna, Rath, Cathy, Meeussen, Nancy, Boin, Jennifer
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brock University Faculty of Educatino 01.09.2015
• Subjects: Case Studies; College School Cooperation; Educational Technology; Elementary School Teachers; Foreign Countries; Grade 3; Handheld Devices; Inquiry; Language Arts; Longitudinal Studies; Preservice Teacher Education; Teacher Collaboration; Teacher Leadership; Teaching Methods; Technology Uses in Education; Telecommunications; Canada
• ISSN: 1183-1189; 1183-1189

In this paper, we report on a longitudinal case study exploring Grade 3 teachers' implementation of iPads in the Language Arts classroom. A school-university partnership was formed based on a collaborative teacher inquiry model. We examined factors that shaped our collaboration. The project resulted in greater teacher sharing of iPad implementation strategies and growth in leadership skills among the teachers. A surprising finding was the degree of reciprocal learning about digital pedagogy that the university researchers experienced during the study and were able to share with their Pre-service Education classes. We emphasize the potential of school-university partnerships for narrowing the current gap between theory and practice in technology-enhanced learning.