Line Up Your Ducks! Teachers First!: Teachers and Students Learning With Laptops in a Teacher Action Research Project

Abstract

Teachers are increasingly expected to incorporate technology into their practices. However, they need experiences with using new technologies in their classrooms and support to talk about and reflect on those experiences. "Teachers first" was one of the main principles that Lankshear and Synder (2000) identified as key to teachers incorporating new technologies into their practice. To put this principle into place, you need to "line up your ducks": there needs to be a structure, sustained support for that structure, and opportunities for active teacher participation. This article links findings from the first year of the "Learning with Laptops" project by focusing on the most experienced "teacher learners" and connects it with the research literature on teacher and student engagement. The findings contribute support for the principle: teachers (as learners) first!