After examining this data, I have come to the conclusion that technology is improving in the schools, but overall they do not feel that the integration is occurring as fast as wanted. The trend I see is that teachers want to have the opportunity and ability to be at the forefront of technology in order to better educate students, but the road has not been paved all the way. As we covered the current use of technology in their current practice, teachers said that technology integration is occurring but not at the pace most teachers would like it to. Some educators mention that their schools are acquiring more and more technology to be used in the classroom, but the necessary training required to use it, or the seminars to discover more usable technology are not being sought out by most of the teachers. There are only a few teachers that are making the effort to look and find the necessary technology to make a difference in the classroom. Teachers also would like to make technology more user friendly and accessible to all. All teachers mentioned that they find the technology in their schools useful, but must of them have not taken the time to find if there was other technology in their schools that they were not aware of, or not using.
Some of my colleagues are integrating technology as fast as they get it, or have access to it. The rest are waiting for others to initially blaze the new technology trail. Non of my colleagues were remotely asking, wondering, or even thinking about what are the new technologies that will have an impact in the classroom in the future. That said, my colleagues would like to change or improve their technology integration practices when it comes to the role the students play, from a passive role to an active one, depending upon the user from teachers to students. They also mention if the person is willing to learn a new technology they need to feel as though they are supported in order to continue using it. This is were educators run into road blocks and become frustrated and both teachers and students shut down and refuse to utilize the technology. Few teachers said that within certain constraints they feel they have the opportunity to practice and experiment with new technology or the access to good models of instruction. That a more technologically savvy administration in the technology integration process would be more effective. Throughout this survey, the ideas expressed more frequently were that educators were open to learn, but finding the method of learning in order to have the appropriate balance of learning to instruction was important.
What concerned my colleagues more regarding integration of technology, was the speed at which the technology was being integrated. They felt unsure of being far enough ahead in the knowledge of technology in order to know and understand it completely enough to use it to the best of their abilities for the purpose of education. Most teachers new that there were benefit to teachers and learners when making technological connections with the real world and their environments, and most of them could point out the exact benefits gained. Some mentioned that as instructional coaches they have the ability to model lessons, create lessons embedding technology, and take the risks of putting themselves in technological uncomfortable positions for the benefit of students, but most teachers would not take the same risks. Some teachers also saw the importance of the social technological development of learners, they believe this is paramount as the world continues to rely more heavily on technology. They worry that immature students will struggle with the social aspect of the internet, and that digital citizenship must be taught along the way.
Teachers felt that In order to better prepare, grow, and excel as an educator using technology, the professional developments that they were more apt to participate in were informal dialogue to improve teaching (face to face or distant learning), courses and workshops face to face, professional development network, individual and/or collaborative research (face to face or distant learning), and mentoring and peer observation.
The only remaining questions that have been developed upon the completion of this survey are the following. Is there enough access to technological advancement for educators, or is the price of it the limiting factor? Do the students understand why educators push for more technological engagement in schools?
Those are great questions at the end. We still have a long way to go and it is really unfortunate. I have been using and integrating technology since 1983 so it is not like it is new. It has evolved and evolved very quickly. It is almost easy to forget that iPads are only 3 years old. They feel like they have been around a while. Teachers need to wake up and make changes. Legislators need to ensure there is money so there are not haves and have nots. Administrators need to be tech savvy too and be leaders in their buildings. I am seeing changes though and more teachers are getting tech savvy!
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