Conditions for Classroom technology Innovations

11 factors significantly impact the degree of success of classroom technology innovations.  3 domains for these, the teacher, the innovation and the context.
A fundamental issue around the interaction between technology and education is the conditions under which technology can be effectively used in classrooms to improve student learning.
Primary purpose of study was to better undersand the conditions under which technology innovations can successfully take place in classrooms, identification of factors that facilitate or hinder teachers' use of technology in the classroom.

Results and Discussion - The innovation - the project
The nature of the innovation was important.  The success depended on how much the innovation was different to the status quo; distance.  This looked at distance from school culture, distance from existing practice and distance from available tech resources.  It also depended upon how much the innovation depended on others people resources, things beyond the teachers control.

Distance from school culture: often not too different from current thinking, just a dfferent way to present information often using students knowledge.  Where the distance to the school culture was great, the innovation was not very successful.    Ideas that were supposed to be implemented in the school weren't really happening and the project didn't work as such. Everyone in the school must be on board and willing to give it a go if it is going to work, this is for innovation based project as well as other ideas.

Distance from existing practice: this is down to how different it is to what the teacher does already.  Most successful were ones that were built upon from previous experiences.  The more different it is the harder it is to implement and sustain.

Distance from tech resources: amount of new technologies needed for successful completion of the innovation.  The smaller the distance, the more successful the outcome.  Using tech already present to minimal installation or purchases to run, etc a new piece of software.

Dependence on others: all innovations required the cooperation, participations and support of others.  Those with a low level of dependence were again most successful.  The more people needed to get on board the more dificult it is to implement.

Innovations were more successful when the change was gradual and the "distances and dependences" were smaller.

Although 3 domains, there is interdependence between them.  "That is, when the teacher was strong, the projects seemed to have a better chance to scceed, when wth innovations that exhibited a high degree of distance and dependence and less-than-supportive contexts..."

Mastery Learning link.  Pedagogy is important, knowing why/how we do it.