Technology in the classroom grows exponentially each year...but do we have data about three critical questions?  Are we using the technology we have on a regular basis?  When we do use technology, how is the technology being used?  When used, are we doing so in a manner that deepens student thinking and learning?  The IPI-Technology Component provide empirical evidence to answer these and other questions about the impact of technology in the learning process.     

The IPI-Technology Component is a new addition to the IPI Process.  The IPI-T was developed, piloted, refined, field-tested, then refined, and field-tested some more during the 2011-2012 school year.  A preliminary version of the process was shared with educators at the Iowa One-to-One Conference in Des Moines on April 11, 2012.  The IPI-T is an add-on to the basic IPI Process--meaning that a school must first be a user of the basic IPI Process before adding the IPI-T Component profiles to its data study.  The reason for this requirement is simple...IPI-T coding and analyses are more complex than is the the case with the basic IPI Process.   The data collectors are making several additional decisions and the facilitation of the faculty collaborative study is also more challenging.  The necessity to train ONLY experienced IPI data collectors to use the IPI-T process was evident throughout the pilot studies and the field tests. 

What types of data are provided through the IPI-T Process?  Two IPI Category codes are taken during each classroom visit.  One is the basic IPI code that defines the IPI Category for the entire class (all students).  The second IPI code defines the IPI Category for those students who are using any form of technolgoy and those students who are supposed to be using technology but may be disengaged.  In addition to the IPI Category codes for the technology users, the data collector indicates how technology is being used by the students across six technology-use categories.  The data collector also documents who were the primary users of the technology (e.g. studetns or teachers or both) and who was the creator of the technology (e.g. Commercially Developed, Teacher Developed, Student Developed, or "other").  From the data profiles, the faculty can study the data and answer the three questions posed in the opening paragraph as well as the data describing who is using the technology and who developed the technology.  All responses provide the opportunity to have meaningful faculty collaborative learning about student learning. 

For more details about the IPI-Technology Component of the IPI Process, see the main drop down menu entitled IPI Technology Component.  You will find discussions about the Rationale for the IPI-T Component, an Overview of the IPI-T Process, the IPI-T Categories, IPI Workshop Requirements, and the Origin and History of the IPI-T Process.