Introduction Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, if you had asked me how good our technology integration was in education, my response would have been, “based on my experience, it is pretty good.” At my school, we were already 1:1 with technology, and students were fairly proficient in using their Chromebooks. However, it was hit-or-miss with teachers. I was in for a surprise! In the spring of 2020, I discovered the kids weren’t as proficient as I thought they were, and technology integration was more often a miss than a hit with the teachers and administrators.
Almost two years later, I often find myself wondering how many lessons did we truly learn in the education system during the spring of 2020. We struggled and survived (barely), but we definitely didn’t thrive.
The pandemic shined a very bright light on how poorly we have integrated technology into education.
Teachers and students struggled greatly when we were forced to go online in 2020. Very few teachers understood how to use the various distance-learning platforms, and there was no time for adequate training. Since these platforms had not been used prior to the pandemic, students had not been trained either. Sadly, even with a summer to receive more training, the story was often not much better in the fall of 2020. The situation was so fluid, and guidance seemed to change daily until the day school started (and maybe even after). As a result, schools didn’t know what to expect and could not adequately train staff for teaching in a variety of formats.
Technology in education is not a new phenomenon, so why had good integration not occurred prior to 2020? Why are we still lagging in integration? These are good questions! Before they can be answered, technology integration needs to be defined.
What is technology integration?
While it seems like it should be easy to define what technology integration means, it is not as simple as it sounds. According to Lawless and Pellegrino (2007), “Technology integration is the incorporation of technology resources and technology-based practices into the daily routines, work, and management of schools.” It has also been defined as using existing tools, equipment, and materials to augment learning, and it includes the technological skill and pedagogical knowledge of the teacher (Okojie et al., 2006).
Technology resources includes computers, software, network-based communications systems, media (audio, video, and digital), and infrastructure. Technology-based practices include collaborative work, internet research, data transmission and retrieval, managing resources, and selecting appropriate technology to facilitate learning (Lawless & Pellegrino, 2007; Okojie et al., 2006).
What are barriers to integration?
There are many reasons technology has not been integrated well into education. These reasons include:
Inadequate or insufficient training in teacher-education and professional development programs,
Alternative certification programs not providing technology integration training,
The digital divide - differences in access to technology resources and human capital across campuses, districts, and regions,
Teacher attitudes, beliefs, views, conceptions, and preferences,
Lack of:
training for students in proper technology usage
resources (time, hardware, software, teacher knowledge and experience with technology)
institutional support,
time to learn the technology and to teach it to students,
Teacher discomfort with technology,
Privacy concerns, and
Expense and liability when technology is broken (Lawless & Pellegrino, 2007; Obara et al., 2018; Hughes et al., 2018; Brown, 2016; Dirnberger, 2012)
What is the role of the teacher?
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards for teachers (n.d.) say that the teachers should be 1) learners, 2) leaders, 3) digital citizens, 4) collaborators, 5) designers, 6) facilitators, and 7) analysts. According to Obara et al, (2018), the teachers’ technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge should work together to integrate technology into instruction.
Teachers should view technology integration as a routine and seamless part of the instructional preparation process instead of just an add-on when convenient. Their planning needs to include a student needs assessment, identified objectives, presentation methods, evaluation strategies, and follow-up activities. As a result, technology use should be efficient, and effective in enhancing learning (Lawless & Pellegrino, 2007; Okojie et al., 2006; Obara et al., 2018).
When integrating technology, teachers need to determine whether it will improve efficiency, enhance current lessons, or allow an otherwise impossible task to be completed. The technology tool would be appropriate to use if they can say yes to all of these things (Hughes et al., 2018).
Recommendations for teachers, trainers and administrators
There are many things administrators can do to assist in technology integration in the classroom. One of the biggest is providing effective and meaningful professional development (PD). This goes beyond scheduling a one-shot training on how to use a particular program or technology.
Effective and meaningful PD will:
Consider how to increase teacher knowledge, motivation, attitudes and confidence,
Help teachers see how the technologies can enhance their content and instruction to improve learning instead of just teaching them how to use the technology,
Provide training that is on-going with follow-up with opportunities for practice and collaboration, instead of an hour- or day-long demonstration,
Have clearly communicated goals that relate the impact of the technology on student learning.
Make sure teachers can see how the technology could be used in the day-to-day classroom experience to improve student performance,
Be timely, relevant, and tailored to the needs of the teachers and their context,
Show how the technology is a tool that can improve efficiency and not just be another part of the curriculum, and
Encourage teachers to reflect on current knowledge and new information learned in the PD, (Lawless & Pellegrino, 2007; Obara et al., 2018; Hughes et al., 2018).
Administrators can choose from a variety of professional development models in order to improve technology implementation. The design-based model helps the teacher to learn how to use a specific technology within their context and curriculum. This model promotes reflection and collaboration among teachers. Another model is the mentor or coaching model, where training is personalized and is done one-on-one. This helps teachers to get the support they need to implement new technologies. A third model is the train-the-trainers model. A small group of teachers will be trained, and then they train other colleagues. District administrators could choose one or a combination of these models to help teachers integrate technology into their classroom.
District administrators should also include teachers in the planning of a professional development program, so it will meet their needs (Lawless & Pellegrino, 2007; Obara et al., 2018; Okojie, 2006). Administrators also need to keep in mind that a one-time PD training is not enough to lead to change. There also needs to be long-term support (Lawless & Pellegrino, 2007).
In order to improve technology integration in their classrooms, teachers should make an effort to get the necessary training (Obara et al., 2018). Teachers need to recognize that pedagogy includes technology, and it shouldn’t be treated as something separate. Technology needs to be considered in all phases of their planning. They need to put in the effort to learn skills and strategies needed to use the technology in their classroom (Hughes et al, 2018; Okojie et al,. 2006). Educators should advocate for themselves to administration explaining what their needs and weaknesses are, so that the administrators can use this information when planning the district PD program (Okojie et al., 2006).
Why integrate technology – what are the outcomes?
The world we live in runs on technology. The students are constantly connected to technology, and as digital natives, it is like a first language to them. In order to meet them where they are, technology needs to be integrated into the curriculum. Research bears this out repeatedly. Integrating technology into the curriculum can enhance and improve learning (Obara et al., 2018). Hughes et al, (2018) said “hybrid or blended learning formats yield better educational outcomes than traditional face-to-face lecture format.” When there is more technology integrated into the curriculum, active student engagement and performance also increases (Lawless & Pellegrino, 2007).
Conclusion
In trying to wrap up this blog post, Hughes et al. (2018) summed up my thoughts perfectly when they said, “Technology tools alone do not support academic success and there must be purposeful pedagogy to support meaningful learning.” As educators, if we will focus on wedding technology and pedagogy, technology integration will be more natural and successful.
References:
Brown, J. (2016, March 28). Redefining learning & teaching using technology. | Jason Brown | tedxnorwiched. YouTube. Retrieved September 28, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOTEQVYDPpg.
Dirnberger, K. (2012, August 1). The importance of technology education at the elementary level: Kasey Dirnberger at tedxmcpsteachers. YouTube. Retrieved September 28, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pz5JnjByXh4.
Hughes, E. S., Bradford, J., & Likens, C. (2018). Facilitating collaboration, communication, and critical thinking skills in physical therapy education through technology-enhanced instruction: A case study. TechTrends, 62(3), 296-302.
ISTE Standards for Educators. ISTE. (n.d.). Retrieved September 28, 2021, from https://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards-for-teachers.
Lawless, K. A., & Pellegrino, J. W. (2007). Professional development in integrating technology into teaching and learning: Knowns, unknowns, and ways to pursue better questions and answers. Review of educational research, 77(4), 575-614.
Obara, S., Nie, B., & Simmons, J. (2018). Teachers’ Conceptions of Technology, School Policy and Teachers’ Roles When Using Technology in Instruction.
Okojie, M. C. P. O., Olinzock, A. A., & Okojie-Boulder, T. C. (2006). The Pedagogy of Technology Integration. Journal of Technology Studies, 32(2), 66–71.
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