The DisconnectED
- Charles Shewell
- Jun 13, 2022
- 3 min read
Issues Within Technology Integration in Education
Districts across the country are spending money for new or upgraded technology in the name of student learning, however, schools spending millions of dollars for the sake of simply having technology in the classroom does not mean that there will be an increase in knowledge learned. Upgraded or new technology does not guarantee that the education will be any better. In fact, it could cause more damage than good if not integrated and planned out properly. This blog will look at why positive integration of technology has not occurred and possible tips that could help positive tech integration.
A Firm Foundation
An adequate infrastructure is integral for any classroom looking to integrate technology. If there is a lack of high speed internet, hardware, or software, then there will be a severe struggle in integrating new technologies into your classroom. When you are fortunate to have the aforementioned tech, you still need strong technical support.
Professional Development
With technology continually being produced, reinvented, and upgraded, educators need a steady flow of professional training. Professional development is important for teachers to stay up to date with the tech being used in their classroom. For example, I teach Adobe editing software in my courses, so I need to stay up to par with annual updates being pushed out for Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, and Premiere Pro. Four times a year, I attend a “bootcamp” that allows me to learn basic functions for these upgrades, as well as a refresher on the software through a company named Lumenbrite.
No Plan, No Access, No Learning
For the districts fortunate to have the finances for integrating technology in the classroom, you could run into two more problems. The first being an issue with access to the technology outside of the classroom. An issue I come across far too often is that Adobe software can be expensive, which prevents students being able to purchase it for home use. The majority of my students simply cannot afford technology, so they are left only being able to use what is offered to them during class time. The second and most important issue is a district having the lack of an overall plan for technology use. “A technology plan must consider the needs of the students, the structure and limitations of the classroom setting, the need for teacher involvement, training and time, the current state of the technology systems already in place, and the costs involved. In a technology plan, there needs to be an understanding of the end result that you wish to achieve by including new software or hardware. If that is not defined then technology purchases would run the risk of gathering dust and never being properly used”, Kelly (2020).
5 Step Guide
Here are five things to think about when integrating technology into your classroom to create a positive learning environment in order to create positive student engagement:
(1) Benefit Analysis
Determine whether or not your students will benefit from integrating technology within your lessons. Ask yourself the question, will the students achieve the intended goals while learning a new skill? If the answer is no, or maybe you don't know, then consult with a tech coordinator or expert that can help you find a way to align your objective with the intended outcome.
(2) Brainstorming
Create an outline to map out your lesson plan. Start with your main objective, and branch out to subtopics that let you build a guide for how you will bring in your tech and build your assignments around it.
(3) Storyboarding
Building a flow chart for what you would like your students to accomplish by creating a step by step guide will help give the students a visual of what you are looking for when it comes to the students work.
(4) Creating a Template
Model a sample for the students to see. The best way to learn new tech is to model it with your class. Create a template for your students to base their work off of, which will also help you to create a rubric and structure any assignments or projects.
(5) Reflect & Assess
After creating your template, you will come to learn what worked for you and what did not. Evaluate the technology and reassess based on your experience with the technology.
Works Cited
Kelly, Melissa. (2020, August 27). Issues With Integrating Technology in the Classroom. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/issues-integrating-technology-in-classroom-8434
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