Background The
Looking for Technology Integration (LoFTI) protocol
was developed by SEIR*TEC at SERVE in collaboration
with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
Educational Technology Division, as part of the LANCET
project (Looking at North Carolina Educational Technology).
Its conception was guided by a team of NC educators,
including principals, teachers, technology facilitators,
and NCDPI staff and consultants.
The
LoFTI protocol was created to align with the tenants
of the NC IMPACT technology integration model, while
considering other contemporary frameworks for examining
technology use in teaching and learning.
Data
and Reporting The
LoFTI protocol can be used to collect observation data
about a variety of broad areas of technology implementation
and impact, in any setting where teaching and learning
are taking place:
The environment - arrangement, student grouping, and
instructional collaborators
Teaching
and learning activities - content area, teacher, student,
and assessment methods
Student
engagement
Use
of technology
Hardware
and software in use
Analysis
of data provides a profile of technology use in the
school as a whole, rather than for individual staff
members. After a number of observation record forms
have been completed, educators can translate collected
data to the Data Tally Tool, which presents totals in
a format that emulates horizontal bar charts. This summary
data can then be reviewed and discussed, in order to
better understand technology integration in your school.
For
most LoFTI sections, the observer is noting when an
instance of a specific "look-for" occurs.
For example, there are five possible choices describing
"Student Grouping" and it is possible that
some students may be working independently while others
are in small groups. Similarly, it is possible that
teacher or student activities change during a LoFTI
visit, in which case more than one choice will be selected.
These realities make the determination of frequencies
and percentages problematic.
Using
the LoFTI in Your School While
the LoFTI protocol will be made available for mobile
computing devices in the future, the protocol is currently
available as a PDF document, ready for duplication and
distribution to respondents.
To
deploy the paper-and-pencil LoFTI,
go to the
download page, and select the version most appropriate
to your setting. As observations are completed, transfer
the data to the PDF
Data Tally Tool, which will present an emerging
profile of technology integration in the school.
Appropriate
Uses The
LoFTI protocol is specifically intended to determine
how technology is being used in typical school settings
by teachers and students. It is intended to provide
information to help school-level planners - administrators,
technology and media specialists, and school or technology
planning team members - make purchasing, resource allocation,
or other decisions relating to technology. When used
in conjunction with the School
Technology Needs Assessment (STNA), LoFTI can complete
the picture of how well professional development activities
are translating into changed teacher practice and student
activities.
It
is not appropriate to use the LoFTI to assess individual
teachers' skills with, understandings of, or attitudes
about technology, nor should this instrument be used
to compare schools or staff members for the purpose
of assigning awards or sanctions.
