Wednesday, July 16, 2008

“The evolution of teaching and learning through technology integration is apparent at all levels of education” (Adcock, 2008, p.37). Society has realized that high school graduates need to be technology literate in the 21st century. “Computers are transforming the way teachers approach their work and how students learn” (O’Haire, 2003). Despite the fact that computer technology is widening educational opportunities, “most teachers neither use technology as an instructional delivery system nor integrate technology into their curriculum” (Bauer & Kenton, 2005, p.519).

Not everyone is welcoming technology with open arms. Many teachers feel incompetent as they struggle to keep up with technical demands. At times, teachers feel they are expected to have certain technological skills without any formal training. “Teachers at all levels need training, sound guidance, and on-site technology support to use technology effectively in the teaching and learning environment” (Adcock, 2008, p.38). Cohen, Schmidt, Pelligrino, & Schuttz (2007, p.76) admit that “[a]lthough technology holds great promise to positively affect the teaching and learning process and student academic achievement, it is unclear whether that promise will ever be realized given the training available to the majority of teachers in America's teacher education programs.”

Support is often very limited and schools lack resources and equipment. Teachers also have to know how to instruct with multimedia to ensure their teaching will benefit student learning. “Efforts to incorporate technology into the process of teaching/learning has primarily emphasized teachers' ability to operate computers without taking into consideration pedagogical issues involved in teaching and learning” (Okojie & Olinzock, 2006, p.33). Other educational reforms “proved that few teachers were involved in the design itself, in the allocation of sufficient resources to develop teachers' capacity to implement the desired changes, or provided sustained support to ensure that those changes become part of teachers' daily routines” (Cuban, Kirkpatick, & Peck, 2001, p816). Cuban (2000) argues that “the record is, in fact, slim in justifying major expenditures for both "hard" and "soft" infrastructures”, as well as the myth that there are many jobs unfilled because of a shortage of unskilled technology literate workers. He prefers, rather, to believe that “to get a high-paying job in today's economy one needs a college degree.” The debate continues with Plante & Beattie (2004) recognizing the importance of educators aiming “to provide high quality learning and teaching, and to equip young people for the demands of modern society.” Okojie & Olinzock (2006, p.33) say that “[t]he problem is that while businesses and industries are trying to keep pace with technological advancement, schools are lagging behind.” As this becomes more of a reality, how do educators deal with integrating technology in the classroom?

As schools are integrating technology at an ever increasing rate, school boards are trying to work with teachers and administrators to handle the rage brought on by technology. Students are many times technology savvy and have more skills than their teachers. In order to set the pace and ensure a quality integrated technology education, schools must put a plan in place to support this demand. “Schools that are successful in integrating technology into the curriculum are often guided by a comprehensive technology use plan” (Baylor & Ritchie, 2002, p.396). Cradler, as well, acknowledges that “careful planning is a prerequisite for the effective implementation of technology and telecommunications in education and training.” He goes on to say that the purpose of technology planning is “to produce continuous action that creates and maintains a technology-rich educational environment.”

Having a technology routine and being consistent with integrating technology in the classroom can enhance students’ technical skills and know-how. The main purpose of the plan is to guarantee technology integration and to monitor if goals are being accomplished. Teachers and administrators can continuously reflect and be flexible in its delivery to suit the needs of the students. “The plans also describe the overall philosophy of technology use and explore how technology will improve teaching and learning” (Baylor & Ritchie, 2002, p.396). Knowing and monitoring “how a teacher is making use of various technologies and for what purposes” (Bebell, Russell, & O’Dwyer, 2004, p.59) can enhance student experiences with technology.
Despite the hardships that teachers may encounter, including all stakeholders can increase the success of its goals with teachers attempting to bridge the gap between a district's plans and the benefits learners gain from those plans. Stakeholders need to be consulted and “include benchmarks that can be used during the evaluation process to measure progress (Dugan, 2002, p.155). The committee can work together to ensure all stakeholders are investing in today’s children to better prepare them for their future endeavors.

Schools now face the challenge of preparing students to live, learn, and work successfully in today's knowledge-based digital society. A study by Levin & Wadmany (2008) found that when integrating technology, “the broader profile of teachers' educational beliefs, their cognitive and emotional disposition to face novel, uncertain, situations, their actual teaching practices, and their views on technology and its supportive and restrictive nature” should also be considered. A technology plan has to ensure that students are indeed learning from the exposure to technology in the classroom. Learning objectives need be clearly stated in the technology plan, highlighting the goals, objectives, and strategies.


More and more often, technology seeps into the curriculum with schools discovering the need for students to be technologically equipped after high school to meet the demands of the work place. Communications are ever increasing the way people conduct business and relay information. Educators realize the importance of aiming “to provide high quality learning and teaching and to equip young people for the demands of modern society” (Plante & Beattie, 2004). “Emerging technology does not only imply technical equipment, but it includes new theories about technology integration, the application of research findings to promote learning, greater interaction between teachers and technology specialists on the one hand and business and industry on the other” (Okojie & Olinzock, 2006, p.37). “Students today are technologically sophisticated and have exposure to unprecedented learning resources. As a result, teachers must incorporate quality material into multimedia formats to insure that stimulating lessons are presented” (Donlevy, 2006, p.5). Teachers have to adjust their teaching practices and create quality lessons based on pedagogical theory. A school technology plan can provide a backdrop for such initiatives.
References

Adcock, P. (2008). Evolution of Teaching and Learning through Technology. The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 74(4), 37-43.

Anderson, L. (1995). Making Dreams Come True! How to Write a Technology Plan. MultiMedia Schools, 2 (5), 14-19.

Baylor, A., & Ritchie, Donn. (2002). What factors facilitate teacher skill, teacher morale, and perceived student learning in technology-using classrooms? Computers & Education, 39, 395–414.

Bauer, J., & Kenton, J. (2005). Toward Technology Integration in the Schools:
Why It Isn't Happening. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 13(4), 519-546.

Bebell, D., Russell, M., &, O'Dwyer, L. (2004). Measuring Teachers' Technology Uses: Why Multiple-Measures Are More Revealing. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 37(1), 45-63.

Cohen, M., Schmidt, D., Pelligrino, J., & Schultz, Susan. (2007). Sustaining Technology Integration in Teacher Education. Action in Teacher Education, 29(3), 75-87.

Cradler, John. (?). Implementing Technology in Education: Recent Findings from Research and Evaluation Studies. Retrieved July 10, 2008, from http://www.wested.org/techpolicy/recapproach.html

Cuban, L., Kirkpatrick, H, & Peck, C. (2001). High Access and Low Use of
Technologies in High School Classrooms: Explaining an Apparent Paradox. American Educational Research Journal, 38(4), 813- 834.

Donlevy, J. (2006). Resources for Teachers: Accessing Technology-rich
Lesson Plans. International Journal of Instructional Media, 33(1), 5-6.

Dugan, R. (2002). Information Tehnology Plans. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 29(3), 152-156.

Glenn M. Kleiman. Myths and Realities about Technology in K-12 Schools http://www.edletter.org/dc/kleiman.htm

Graduate Students. (1996). Guidebook for Developing an Effective Instructional Technology Plan. Unpublished manuscript, Mississippi State University, Mississippi, MS, USA. Retrieved July 12, 2008, from http://www.nctp.com/downloads/guidebook.pdf

Harrington-Lueker, Donna. (1997, November/December). Technology Works Best When It Serves Clear Educational Goals. Harvard Education letter.

Howley, A., & Howley, C. (2008). Planning for Technology Integration: Is the Agenda Overrated or Underappreciated?. Educational Planning, 17(1), 1-17.

Levin, T., & Wadmany, R. (2008). Teachers' Views on Factors Affecting Effective Integration of Information Technology in the Classroom: Developmental Scenery. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 16(2), 233-63.

O’Haire, Noreen. (2003). Teacher Perspectives on Technology. Perspectives, 3 (4).

Okojie, M.C., & Olinzock, A. (2006). Developing a Positive Mind-Set Toward the use of Technology for Classroom Instruction. International Journal of Instructional Media, 33(1), 33-31.

Oncu, S., Delialiogu, O., Brown, C. (2008). Critical Components for Technology Integration: How do Instructors Make Decisions?. The Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching, 27(1), 19-46.

Plante, Johanne, Beattie, David. (2004). Connectivity and ICT integration in Canadian elementary and secondary schools: First results from the Information and Communications Technologies in Schools Survey. Culture, Tourism and the Centre for Education Statistics Division, Ottawa, Canada.

See, John. (1992). Developing Effective Technology Plans. The Computing Teacher, 19 (8).

Subramaniam, K. (2007). Teachers' mindsets and the integration of computer technology. British Journal of Educational Technology, 38(6), 1056-71.

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