9454779 Bunderson This is a research project to delineate a set of new roles in a flexibly reproducible, differentiated staffing pattern for elementary schools. Role delineation (or job analysis) is an essential specification step in producing designs, plans and materials for technology transfer. The subject matter to be transferred is the masterful use of technology in teaching, individual study and project-centered education. Technologies of interest include digital multimedia and networking technologies, for use in both teacher-centered group environments and learner-centered labs. Expertise in the set-up, masterful use, maintenance and trouble-shooting of computers and telecommunications software and links does not exist in schools as presently organized. It is probably not possible for busy, multiply-tasked school personnel in current roles to add new technical tasks, even with limitless training. Instead, people with different specialized technical, teaching, and administrative roles must be trained and recruited along with magnifying the capabilities of current teachers in order to gain the remarkable benefits possible through the effective use of technology. The fundamental research problem is that conventional job-analysis methodologies apply to established jobs not to new jobs/roles that may exist by analogy in science, engineering and business settings, but not in schools. Thus a revised methodology emphasizing synthesis for communication and specification, not just analysis, which in any case must assume jobs that are constant enough to be analyzed, is introduced in this study. Objectives and Their Significance: 1. To delineate through an experimental methodology for job analysis/synthesis the inter-related roles of teachers. administrators. supporting professional specialists, and technical support personnel as they may be established in technology-intensive leaning environments. 2. To develop publications, presentations, and instruc tional systems using multiple forms of media, especially visual media, as a means of communicating these new roles and functions in relation to several prototypical technology configurations. These visual materials and supporting detail will serve in technology transfer plans. They will also include research-based design specifications for future project teams who wish to develop integrated, networked learning and assessment systems for preservice and in service training of technology-using teachers. 3. To develop one such integrated system of instruction and assessment and implement it in a preservice course on technology for elementary school teaching candidates. This course will both teach and model prototypical technology configurations and their use within a differentiated staffing model to deliver innovative science, mathematics, and other learning content. 4. To publish descriptions of the new role delineation methodology used in this project that iterates between analysis and synthesis of models of the work in each role. These publications can use as examples the data and visual materials produced in this project. The products of this research can influence the building of the human infrastructure of educators needed to use new technologies in a productive way. It will define the technology configurations that structure the roles -- configurations that can evolve over time and need not be installed all at once. It will suggest a coherent and thoughtful set of roles for differentiated staffing and will contrast these roles to extant job analysis of conventional teacher roles. It will contribute to methodology for role delineation of rapidly changing, technology-intensive jobs.
