Introduction
Educational technology is needed in education in order to give students the skills they will need and prepare them for careers in the 21st century, where using technology will be an essential skill. Being well-versed in technology will help increase chances of getting a job and excelling in it (Harrell & Bynum, 2018; Kalonde, 2017).
Technology integration in education can lead to higher-order critical thinking and problem-solving, collaboration, innovation, creativity, increased communication, better relationships, and personalized learning. In terms of the effects on learners it can help create life-long learners, and it can improve performance by increasing student motivation, attitude, engagement, and self-confidence (Kalonde, 2017; Jamil et al., 2016; Carver, 2016).
Even with all of these potential positive effects, teachers still have a hard time effectively integrating technology, which makes this topic important because the impact of using technology comes from the way it is used, not simply having it (Carver, 2016). Harrell & Bynum (2018) stated that “Successful student-use of technology in education hinges on knowing how to manage technology efficiently and overcoming barriers that come with integrating technology. Simply equipping schools and classrooms with technology is not the panacea for improving student achievement.”
Research has shown that there are many barriers to the integration of technology into the classroom. They are generally divided into external and internal factors.
External Barriers:
poor or lacking ICT based infrastructure (including bandwidth),
inadequate or low-quality technology,
inadequate funding,
inaccessible resources,
lack of:
sufficient technological tools and resources,
quality professional development/training,
administrative support,
adequate technical support,
time to implement the technology into the curriculum for various reasons, and
time to learn the technology (Harrell & Bynum, 2018; Kalonde, 2017; Jamil et al., 2016; Carver, 2016).
Internal Barriers:
low teacher self-efficacy or confidence,
teacher perceptions of their skills, attitudes and familiarity,
lack of teaching competence,
teachers’ limited ICT skills and interest level, and
teachers’ technology skill levels (Harrell & Bynum, 2018; Kalonde, 2017; Jamil et al., 2016; Carver, 2016).
My Personal Experience
I have experienced many of these barriers in my attempts to use technology in my classroom. My current school is a 1:1 school, and all of my students have Chromebooks. Our technology department did a lot of work before purchasing the devices to ensure we had adequate bandwidth and signal throughout the campus. Prior to this, if I wanted my students to do a technology based activity in class, I either had to take them to the computer lab or reserve the “COW” (computer cart on wheels). Either of those options were not desirable. It is a huge disruption to take kids out of their normal classroom environment, and using a shared cart of computers presents lots of problems too. It often took half the class period just to get the kids all logged in because their profiles had to load from the server, and the computers were old and slow. A lesson that should have taken two days would take four. Unless there was no better option to teach a concept, I did not use the technology because it was inaccessible, low-quality, and took so much more time.
I have asked for technology programs and been told that funds are not available to purchase those programs. When money was provided for Covid-19 related expenses, I was finally able to get these programs to help with remote instruction. My administrators saw the value of them once they’d been used for a year.
Administrative support is a tricky barrier. Administrators I’ve worked with have been generally ambivalent. They are neither unsupportive nor an advocate. Like teachers, they also lack quality professional development regarding technology integration. Some have been out of the classroom for many years, and they may not know all of the options available and benefits technology can provide.
Barriers could be reduced when they are taken into consideration when creating technology plans for districts. Instead of focusing solely on building up the inventory of devices, districts also need to create a clear technology integration plan. This plan should include providing more devices, ensuring adequate technical staff, and providing training for the staff. The training for staff should expand their technology knowledge base and benefits of technology integration, which would lead to increased technology usage in the classroom (Harrell & Bynum, 2018; Kalonde, 2017; Jamil et al., 2016, Carver, 2016).
References:
Carver, L. B. (2016). Teacher perception of barriers and benefits in K-12 technology usage. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology-TOJET, 15(1), 110-116.
Harrell, S., & Bynum, Y. (2018). Factors affecting technology integration in the classroom. Alabama Journal of Educational Leadership, 5, 12-18.
Jamil, M., Jamil, S., & Bano, S. (2016). Extrinsic and Intrinsic Barriers of Integrating ICTs Tools in Teaching at Undergraduate and Elementary Level: A Comparative Study. Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences (PJSS), 36(2).
Kalonde, G. (2017). Technology Use in Rural Schools: A Study of a Rural High School Trying to Use iPads in the Classroom. Rural Educator, 38(3), 27-38.
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