Barriers Impacting Teacher Use Of Technology In The Classroom

The use of technology in the classroom is an important tool to utilize as an educator. Technology allows for educators to have instant access to a plethora of resources that would not be available if technology was not used in the classroom. Teachers have the ability to plan lessons, create presentations, and have interactive games for students to use as a learning tool through the use of different digital devices. Modern day technology is rapidly advancing and providing teacher with many different tools to use in the classroom to enhance the students learning experience.

Technology of the past 20 years has become a focal point of teaching and learning. As a teacher, it is my job to facilitate the learning for an individual by creating an environment that not only conducive for learning, but also places the child in a position to discover and learn them for themselves. Technology has given teachers to opportunity to take learning beyond the classroom, and has begun to reshape their role in the learning process.

Teachers can use technology within the classroom to assist with providing instructional guidance and education to students. However, the use of technology in the classroom has both its advantages and

Technology in the classroom is important for teachers, parents, and students alike, because technology use has become a necessary skill for survival in today’s vastly expanding technology driven global economy. Research has shown an increase in student’s success rates when exposed to technology in the classroom. Also technology has opened lines of communication between educators and parents to keep students on track, and help teachers educate better.

In the ITEC 7460 Professional Learning and Technology Innovation course, I completed an Individual Teacher Technology Assessment using Knight’s (2007), Partnership Approach. The purpose of this artifact was to assess the technological need of a teacher and coach that teacher in effectively implementing digital tools. Using a Loti Questionnaire, six-point Likert Scale, and interviews, I assessed Mrs. Smith, an AP Calculus Teacher, to determine her level of technology use, her attitudes towards change, and identified her needs as well as those of her students.

Society is becoming more reliant upon technology every day. Technology is found in hospitals, banks, grocery stores, homes, and schools across the nation. As technology becomes more prevalent in the classroom, teachers need to learn how to use it effectively. Differentiating instruction, facilitating learning, enhancing communication, and facilitating instruction are all appropriate ways to use technology in the classroom (Standards for Teachers). Once these types of technology are mastered, student performance, creativity, and thirst for knowledge should begin to increase.

The first set of questions were used to see what technology teachers use and how often they use them. The seven different devices that were surveyed are computers, smart boards, mobile devices, tablets/iPads, digital cameras, clickers, and televisions/projectors. Each device was rated based on use either daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, or never. Using this data we can see which devices are used most and least by teachers. These charts also show us which devises teachers and students are most familiar with in the classroom. The most significant statistic from this first set of questions is that 91% of teachers use computers daily and weekly in the classroom (Fig.

The biggest problem with today’s education is how rapid technology is advancing. So rapid, in fact, that schools are attempting to keep up, but are sadly falling short. Teachers are being required to incorporate new technology into their everyday methods of teaching. The use of IPads or laptops in classrooms can be helpful to both teachers and students(edreform online classes)”. If a teacher is not overly familiar with the new devices, then the students will lose what little time they have to learn. As a teacher is attempting to fix technical problems in one class, the class that has a tech savvy teacher will be advancing far ahead. On the other hand, if a classroom is full of students who are very unfamiliar with the technology will have to be taught how to operate it, which wastes valuable time. In today’s society technology usage is so much more widespread than it was just five years ago. The new toys can allow schools to broaden their curriculum. Since most work can be done on a single device, kids can work at their own pace and potentially reach heights they could never reach with book, pen, and paper. The benefits of this new tech greatly outweigh the downsides. The biggest problem with technology in classrooms is their lack of use. So few schools have jumped on board with these programs, and therefore are holding their kids back. These products are readily available, but “the use of new technology

Anderson, L. (1996). Technology planning at the state, district, and local levels. ERIC Digest [Online]. Available: http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED393448

Technology can be found in every classroom of schools today and continues to grow as the field of technology continues to advance. School age children today know more about technology than most middle-aged adults because they have been exposed to it from such an early age. We live in the technology age and it’s clear that technology is here to stay and has permeated every area of our lives including home, work and leisure. Because of this, educators and school staff have been tech-savvy and must continue to keep up with the technological advances in order to present as competent to the student body. Technology has impacted the way our students learn and has provided avenues of learning to disabled students that they didn’t have in the past and has provided teaching staff with a multitude of resources and diversity in class activities to aid in teaching (Pearson, 2010). Without a doubt, technology will continue to impact our educational system as new technologies emerge and our country competes to keep up with a new globalized economy. Schools will implement these technologies into the

Computers have first become widely adopted educational technology since the 1980’s in the schools across the United States. Consequently, technology has become part of teacher accreditation and is being integrated ubiquitously into the areas of faculty development, student academics, curriculum design, and resource allocation.

Acceptance among teacher has been a key factor in successful or unsuccessful technology implementation. Historically, the structure of the American education system has been resistant to any kind of change (Collins & Halverson, 2009). According to Blackwell, Lauricella, and Wartella (2014) teachers with more teaching experience have less favorable attitudes towards technology and use technology less often than teachers with less experience. Districts are making efforts to provide technology for students. The problem that McDermott and Murray (2000) found was despite access to technology, students and teachers were not using it. This could be attributed to many different factors.

In their research study, Kapka, and Oberman (2001) focused on the writing process as an approach to foster the students’ writing skills. The targeted group of third and fifth graders scored low in writing due to their poor writing skills. To overcome this issue, the process writing with its five steps: pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing was introduced. Even though this approach is a process, teachers dealt with students according to their different needs. Thus, students were given the freedom to choose topics of their interest. Besides, students were given the opportunity to write at different pace and with the flexibility of going back and forth through the steps. The results of this study showed the effectiveness of the writing process. Students at both schools gradually fostered their writing skills and acquired new ones, and this made their writing scores improve.

Technology is everywhere, it is involved in almost every part of our culture. It affects how we live, work, play, and most importantly learn. With technology being such a fundamental part of our lives and growing each day, it only makes sense that schools incorporate technology in the classrooms. Even though many people support the use of technology in schools, there are those that have concerns about the effectiveness of technology and whether or not it undermines education to solely prepare students for the workforce. Despite the concerns, technology is being integrated with classroom lessons daily, and proving how beneficial it is for student success.

As we navigate through the 21st century, technology in the classroom is becoming further predominant. iPads are replacing our textbooks, and we can research any desired topic on our smartphones. The impact that technology has had on today’s schools has been utterly momentous. Educators have now seen firsthand the numerous benefits of technology in the classroom. According to a study by IT Trade Association CompTIA, around 75 percent of educators have come to the conclusion that technology has a positive impact on the education process. Educators have also recognized the significance of developing these technological skills in students so they will be prepared to enter the workforce after they graduate (Cox). By incorporating technology in the classroom, teachers are setting our students up for a successful life outside of school. The increase of technology has even changed how teachers teach along with how