Critical Issue: Promoting Technology Use in Schools

Critical Issue: Promoting Technology Use in Schools

ISSUE: Although there has been a strong push to get educational technology into the hands of teachers and students, many obstacles to implementation still exist. Equipment may not be placed in easily accessible locations. Hardware and software often pose problems for teachers in the classroom, and just-in-time technical support may be unavailable. Teachers may lack the time and the motivation to learn technology skills. Professional development activities may not provide ongoing, hands-on training for

teachers or practical strategies for implementing technology into lesson plans. Initial technology funding may not be sustained and thus not capable of providing upgrades, maintenance, and ongoing professional development. Fortunately, these obstacles can be addressed and overcome. This Critical Issue provides practical information for promoting technology use in schools.

OVERVIEW: The push to provide technology in schools has been successful in recent years. According to Goldman, Cole, and Syer (2000), most schools have computer labs and many have computers in every classroom. More than 90 percent of all schools are connected to the Internet, and more than 33 percent of teachers have Internet access in their classrooms. Yet teachers readily admit that they are not making as much use of technology as they could. According to an Education Week survey, nearly 30 percent of teachers said their students use computers only one hour per week; nearly 40 percent said their students do not use computers in the classroom at all (Trotter, 2001). Although technology is more prevalent in the schools, several factors affect whether and how it is used. Those factors include placement of computers for equitable access, technical support, effective goals for technology use, new roles for teachers, time for ongoing professional development, appropriate coaching of teachers at different skill levels, teacher incentives for use, availability of educational software, and sustained funding for technology.

Placing Computers for Equitable Access

Access to technology is an important issue for teachers and students. Although schools may have computers available, one factor that determines their use is where those computers are located. If computers are connected to the Internet but are not in a convenient location, the availability to students and teachers will be limited. Across the case study sites, there were five different strategies for allocating computers for student use:

* Distribution among the regular classrooms

* Computers in labs

* Mobile computer labs

* Incremental roll-out

* School-within-a-school

The standard computer lab is commonly used in schools. If the use of the computer lab is carefully scheduled, it will provide high equipment utilization; on the other hand, keeping the computers in one place may be a barrier to using them on a continual but intermittent basis as a part of the curriculum. Some schools prefer to place computers in the regular classroom. These computers often are distributed through incremental rollout. In incremental rollout, technology is given to a limited number of classrooms at first and then expanded to an additional classroom each year. Sometimes the computers are distributed on a grade-by-grade basis with primary grades first and upper grades later receiving the most up-to-date equipment. This approach requires continual, yearly funding.

Some schools have chosen to start with their Internet connection in the school library. This location necessitates that the library-media specialist is aware of educational sites to supplement students' classroom activities. The library-media specialist also needs to work with teachers and the technology specialist to determine the best use of the equipment. In situations where software also is a limited commodity, the school library may house and catalog the software, as is done with other educational materials. This situation makes the software available to all teachers and allows teachers flexibility in assigning work to students.

Whatever decisions are made on allocation of equipment, it is imperative that all staff members are included in the decision making and that long-term plans are made for acquisition and upgrading of materials. Such collaborative decision making and planning helps ensure staff buy-in, equity of access, and effective use of technology in teaching and learning.

Providing Technical Support

Without continuous technical support, technology integration in the classroom will never be satisfactorily achieved (Bailey & Pownell, 2002). Most teachers have heard horror stories about equipment failure, software complexity, data loss, embarrassments, and frustration. They don't want to be left hanging with 30 students wondering why nothing is working the way it is supposed to be. When teachers are trying to use technology in their classrooms and they encounter difficulties, they need immediate help and support.

Providing Time for Ongoing Professional Development

Learning the new roles and ways of teaching that go hand-in-hand with technology integration requires that teachers have opportunities to participate in an extended process of professional development. Teachers need time to acquire technology skills and develop new teaching strategies for integrating technology into the classroom. Except for occasional in-service programs, teachers often have no time built into the school day for their own professional development.

When professional development activities are conducted after school, teachers may not have the energy necessary for engaging in learning. Burgos (2001) notes, "The research on staff development tells us that it's least effective when it's done at the end of the school day." Some researchers suggest that the ideal time for teachers to participate in professional development activities is during the summer, when students are not a consideration and teachers do not have as many demands on their time. But teachers are more likely to apply new instructional strategies if they receive feedback and support while trying the new strategies in their classrooms.

Coaching Teachers at Different Skill Levels

A school may be home to educators with a wide variety of skill levels in technology: computer gurus anxious to put the capabilities of the newest hardware and software to use; moderate technocrats,