Technology for Teachers

(Cross Posted at www.leadertalk.org)

Listen to this Posting M4a

Talk about a daunting task… I write this post as an administrator in training, that is I’m in the middle of my coursework and on my way (7/3/07) to becoming a licensed K-12 principal.  So yes, a daunting task to put my thoughts to e-paper amongst all of these great postings.

My time and two cents for this posting and my next five for LeaderTalk will focus on the obstacles schools face in implementing technology into the classroom and what educational leaders can be doing to help overcome these obstacles.  This posting also includes background information for future postings….

There is widespread agreement in research that technology adoption is moving the current educational system in new directions.  Effective uses of educational technologies as well as obstacles for adopting technologies are being identified.  Various strategies have been recommended for technology integration and strategies to surmount technology integration obstacles.

Before I go any further I believe that it’s important to reflect on what Technology Integration is; Technology is integrated when it is used in a seamless manner to support and extend curriculum objectives and to engage students in meaningful learning. It is not something one does separately; it is part of the daily activities taking place in the classroom.  It is not taking students to the computer lab once a week for 40 minutes, and neither is using the computer as an electronic worksheet or reward station for students who are finished with their other assignments (Dias, 2007).

As technology evolves and becomes a greater requirement to succeed in a global economy so does the need to expose students to, and teach students the ethical uses of, technology.  This cannot be done in an environment where technology is not accepted and fully integrated in effective teaching and learning practices.  By acknowledging the obstacles of technology integration and attempting to surmount them we provide past practices for future educators reference in order to more effectively integrate technology.

Technology funding in schools has been relatively successful in past years. Most schools have computer labs and have classroom connections to the Internet.  Although schools are finding the funding to make technology hardware and software available, there are still many obstacles to the actual integration of the technology at the classroom level.  Obstacles such as: accessible equipment, available hardware and software, teacher time, technical support, motivation and technology skills, professional development, and effective school leadership.  Once technology has been purchased these obstacles are largely ignored.

This posting asks: How does the availability and access to working and up to date technology equipment affect technology integration?

In order to successfully integrate technology into the classroom, school leaders must provide equipment that is easily accessible to students and classroom teachers. In addition, this equipment and the necessary hardware and software need to be placed where it is needed. Becker (1998) analyzed surveys of 2,250 teachers of fourth through twelfth grade classes to find that teachers with modem-connected computers at home but no access at school had an average internet use score twice that of teachers who had Internet access somewhere in their school but not at home and not in their own classroom.  He also found that the highest levels of student use of computers for research, projects, and publications were in classrooms with at least four computers that had LAN-based direct connections to use the internet. This finding was true among teachers with home modem access as well as for teachers overall.

Although most classrooms and schools are now connected to the internet, a problem that remains is that many teachers have few computers available to effectively use technology in their classrooms, and many computers and other technology tools that are found in schools are outdated or are no longer working properly (Hasselbring and Tulbert 1991).  In 1997, Donlevy and Donlevy noted that many schools possessed too few computers for students to participate in large group activities that involve technology.  This was the same for classrooms as well as computer labs that were not equipped for whole class instruction. With lack of adequate equipment it then becomes a competition between teachers rather than collaboration as they advocate for their students in the use of technology equipment in their own classes rather than site wide.

I look around and see districts utilizing carryover budgets and grant funding to maintain current equipment as well as purchasing new.  Districts have been making budget cuts each of the last three years with technology equipment purchases falling by the wayside.  Mobile labs are beginning to replace the traditional lab setting.  As machines are replaced they are pushed into other schools, labs, or classrooms.  It’s not uncommon to see students using machines that are older than they are (8-12 years being the average age of student machines in some elementary buildings).

Schools are moving towards multimedia classrooms.  A strategy I’ve seen forward thinking leadership put into place is having classroom teachers agree to participate in technology trainings before they have technology purchases made (such as classroom LCD projectors and interactive white boards).  A focus such as this where the classroom teacher participates in technology integration training has helped to integrate technology into traditional classrooms and content areas outside of the traditional lab setup.

So what do teachers need and what can leadership do?  Teachers must have access to working and up to date hardware and software. It is imperative that technology equipment be kept up to date, well maintained, and made available to staff.  If any of these three is deficient classroom teachers simply won’t utilize such tools.  Leadership must allocate and/or locate sources of funding to maintain active and ongoing technology plans.  Carryover budgets will not suffice.

Leadership must make technology tools such as teacher laptops available for checkout for teachers to utilize off of school grounds. Becker (1998) clearly demonstrates that technology use, skill, and integration are maximized by those individuals who also have access to equipment outside of the school setting.  Districts, including those who utilize uncertified staff as instructors in the computer lab setting, must move towards classroom level mini-labs to give more on-demand and daily access to technology.

Leadership should place a moratorium on the purchase of desktops for staff and implement as a part of their on-going technology plan the purchase of laptops for teachers.  Leadership should also focus on the purchase of mobile labs and wireless hotspots throughout their buildings.  The goal should be readily available and easily accessible equipment with emphasis placed upon classroom (and collaborative) level use as opposed to stand-alone lab settings.
Finally, it falls to the leadership in a district to place priority on district initiatives.  District leadership must take place in the prioritizing and purchasing of technology equipment. It’s time to reflect on where we’ve been and look towards where we are going.

I look forward to writing more in the future with my next post discussing how teacher time effects technology integration and what educational leaders can do to increase the amount of teacher time for technology.

Thank you again Scott for putting this site together and inviting me to take part in the discussions.

Sincerely,
Sean Martinson
Future Administrator: call/email with any openings! 
Cell: 218.259.3129
Home: 218.327.4967
www.SeanMartinson.org
sean@seanmartinson.org

Becker, H.J. (1998). Internet use by teachers (Report No. 1). Irvine, CA: Teaching, Learning, & Computing. Retrieved March 6, 2007, from (address too long for this column).

Dias, Laurie B.  (n.d.).  Integrating Technology Some Things You Should Know. Retrieved March 6, 2007 from International Society for Technology in Education, Learning & Leading with Technology Web site  (address too long for this column).

Hasselbring, T. S.& Tulbert, B. (1991). Improving education through technology.
Preventing School Failure, 35(3), 33-37.

 

[tags]education,  technology, administration,  sean martinson,  technology4teachers[/tags]