Technology Integration: Obstacles and Possible Solutions
Our school board is in the process of high school redesign. The school where I currently teach is at the leading edge of this reform. Personalized learning, inquiry and project-based learning, collaboration,reflection, formative assessment and cross-curricular learning are the buzzwords in the school. In my particular subject area - business management and especially accounting and finance - using this constructivist approach to teaching and learning is somewhat difficult.
Our school has all of the technologies expected of a technologically advanced high school. Not only do I teach in a classroom computer lab equipped with 32 desktop computers, a smartboard and projector, there is also access to iPad carts and laptop carts. Our internet signal is very strong throughout the school and there is no filtering software to diminish the ability for students to learn. I guess you could say we have the perfect classroom for the 21st century. Or do we?
One obstacle I have encountered in my content area is the lack of great resources - even on the internet. Yes they are out there, but they are limited. It seems that most of the great technology tools are in the form of math, science, English and social studies. As I was completing many of the lessons in this course, I found some amazing tech tools for all of these subjects areas - that is, except accounting. I had to spend a lot of time researching resources in order to come up with the basic information needed. There are good simulations and instructional videos but the web 2.0 tools were lacking. Possible solutions to this problem could be the use of a shared resource site for business management. It would be very similar to the extra credit resource (from EdTech 541) in diigo. Another possibility is the use of a Google Docs document which can be shared and added to regularly with resources that students have found during the class. A third possible solution for this problem could be the use Skype to discuss resources with management professionals or other classrooms around the globe.
A second obstacle of technology integration in business management is the constant prerequisite knowledge needed for the countless little rules associated with the understanding of the material. It is so much more efficient to lead a teacher-directed lesson on some topics. The use of technology integration would take way too much time for the concept at hand. Some drill and practice software could be used but I find that on some subjects, using technology just leads to many more questions that would have been addressed in the original lesson (note however, using technology does have a huge advantage when it comes to the higher level learning with the use of this prerequisite knowledge). A solution to this obstacle is to have extra online tutorials for the students if there is a lack of understanding or a missed concept altogether. The teacher would not have to re-discuss a lesson and technology would only be used as a extra aid or a replacement for the original lesson. This could even be used in a flipped classroom approach where a screencast tutorial is given before students get into class. The next day’s class time could be used to reinforce some of the learning expected without the students spending too much time on a menial task.
A third obstacle is professional development and the learning itself. As a learning leader of Career and Technology Studies, I have heard way too many complaints from teachers that they need more PD on how the technology works. I disagree. 21st century learning requires students to have personalized learning, inquiry and project-based learning, formative assessments, reflection time and a collaborative learning environment. Technology is an excellent support for all of these. There was a time not long ago that our schools did not have the resources and internet capabilities to run a 21st century classroom but not today. There is no longer a digital divide in technology but instead a digital inequality among teachers. Today, even the most technology advanced teacher can not know all new technology and software as it is changing so quickly. DiMaggio, Hargittai, Celeste and Shafer (2004) state that there is an “inequality in internet users in regards to the amount of benefit they actually receive from their use of the internet “(p. 358). It may sound like a paradox but yes professional development is essential to enhance the classrooms of today but it should not be spent on learning technology. Spending money on something that will be obsolete by the time it is implemented seems like a huge waste of money. Instead, PD money should be spent on helping teachers gain the knowledge to facilitate a classroom in a technological environment. This way the teacher can help the student use technology in a way that will enhance student learning - no matter how new or unfamiliar the technology is. Remember, students are the experts in the technology of today, teachers are the experts on helping students recognized this expertise.
Technology and its integration into the classroom is so important in today’s education system. Even with the lessening of the digital divide, there are still many issues in the integration of technology itself. These issues will be resolved with better teacher training, the use of different learning theories and the ever-increasing amount of resources available on the internet.
References
DiMaggio, P., Hargittai, E., Celeste, C., & Shafer, S. (2004). From unequal access to differentiated use: A literature review and agenda for research on digital inequality. Social Inequality, 355-400. Retrieved from http://www.eszter.com/research/pubs/dimaggio-etal-digitalinequality.pdf
Roblyer, M.D. (2016). Integrating educational technology into teaching. (7ed). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
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