As the Internet and digital technology continues to integrate itself into society, there are fewer and fewer areas of our lives left untouched to one degree or another. Whether sending and receiving emails on your phone, watching a video on a handheld device, visiting a website on a tablet device or recording a video on a wristwatch, technology is absolutely here to stay.
However, in spite of the advancements technology has made into society, it seems to have trouble gaining the same ground in the classroom, which has remained a relatively conservative arena when it comes to change. The newest improvements to classes seem to be dry erase boards as schools forego the traditional chalkboard, but this is hardly improvement enough. If schools are "training students for the future" and for "jobs that don't exist yet," we need to be adamant about incorporating current technologies into the classroom.
However, I don't blame teachers. Well, not completely. Teachers are hesitant to start using technologies for the same reasons your parents are.
1. Fear of the unknown
It's easy to feel like technology is racing ahead and leaving most of us behind, especially when we hear of all the ways our students are using technology. We can begin to feel like there is too much to learn at this point. We ask ourselves, “If I decided to learn, how would I know where to begin? I still don't know how to change the clock on my VCR. How am I going to be able to figure out Twitter?” This sentiment is completely understandable, but also completely incapacitating. We decide that it's much safer to stick with what we know rather than moving in any direction.
2. We don't know what we don't know
Most teachers do not have the benefit of training that will teach us about the vast resources available, which tends to leave us unaware of what the Internet offers both us and our students. For this reason teachers need exposure to different technologies.
3. We aren’t taught how to bring technology into the classroom
Similar to the previous point, there is often a dearth of training for how to incorporate these technologies into the classroom. This can be solved by peer-to-peer training (i.e. learning what colleagues are doing, both within the school or in other areas around the district, city, state, nation or world) or through more professional training. Either way, teachers need a time to learn what sites exist and how they can be used in the classroom.
4. The continual change
The Internet is constantly changing. On a weekly, daily, and minute-to-minute basis there are new sites created, new tools being put out there, and new information being posted online. All of this adds to the daunting task of trying to stay on top of what is current, much less trying to stay one step ahead of the curve.
Integrating technology is a daunting task, to be sure.
Brief Plea for Technology Integration Specialists
One of the most revolutionary positions in modern education is that of a technology integration specialist. This person is tasked to teach the teachers how to use different technologies, but the most important objective is to help the teacher understand how these technologies can be used within their classroom to teach the curriculum. (Curriculum must come first and technology merely serves as a means to an end.)
Ask yourself, How much more effective could I be if I had someone guiding me in this way? A position like this is vital to a school's relevance in the current world. These people provide the training teachers need so they will bring technology into the classroom.
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