Internet+Classroom+Integration

After reading the article entitled "Engendering Technology Use in the Classroom" and looking over the handout called "Teachers and the Internet" in Vista's Instructional Issues folder, comment on what recommendations you would offer for most effectively training and encouraging reluctant teachers to use the Internet more often in their classroom teaching. Do you have an experiences that are illustrative in this regard? (D. Tiene).

I like the idea of a technology fair. This may show reluctant teachers what others are doing in their classrooms to assist their instruction. Sometimes the biggest motivation is seeing what others are doing and using those ideas to form your own version that fits the dynamics of your classroom. (L.Peters) I think those that are most reluctant to use technology are those that lack the knowledge and skills to implement it. And because most teachers also have multiple responsibilities within a school they lack the time to gain the needed training to adapt their lessons. I think "collaboration" is important, possibly having teachers with skills/knowledge who do utilize technology in their classrooms to lead in-services on how to use/implement technology. I also think that providing incentives (not sure to what type would be most effective) to those that use technology and take the time to learn how would encourage reluctant teachers to spend more time creating effective lessons. (DeJulio)

To help teachers incorporate technology in ways that support powerful instruction requires an array of professional development experiences quite different from traditional workshops and how-to training sessions. Professional development for effective technology use can come in a variety of forms, such as mentoring, modeling, ongoing workshops, special courses, structured observations, and summer institutes. Whatever the format, effective professional development utilizes key points from adult learning theory. **Adults require relevant, concrete experiences with adequate support, appropriate feedback, and long-term follow-up.** This type of professional development is very different from traditional one-time teacher workshops. **Research indicates that teachers learn and incorporate new information best when it is presented over a long time frame instead of a single session.** (Porterfield)

I agree with this viewpoint whole-heartedly John. The one-time workshops serve a good purpose by introducing new technologies and skills but they fail to provide any long-term gains because they simply cannot do everything in one session. Professional development should be an ongoing process beyond the in service days that fills real gaps in an educators repertoire.(RICHARDS)

I agree, in order to effectively learn the skills and knowledge needed teachers benefit more from a continuous professional development plan rather from a one-time workshop. I think it provides teachers with time to learn/apply the use of the technology. Most importantly a continuous plan allows for teacher to actually implement and test what they have learned in their classrooms. (DeJulio)

I agree with you guys about long-term engagement and support. I think one of the reasons why teachers give up using technology because they feel frustrated when they can not handle these new tools and the students are better at it than they are. **(Evren Koptur)**http://www.wikispaces.com/_/ad4b0f60/i/c.gif

I like how the author mentions that being technologically literate and being able to incorporate technology in the classroom are two different things. Obviously, teachers in their 20’s grew up with computers and the internet, so they may be a lot more comfortable with this, but this doesn’t automatically give them the ability to incorporate it in their classroom. To be comfortable with technology is not as important as being able to apply technology in the classroom. We need to reflect on how we use our technologies in the classroom. Smartboards and projectors are nice, but how effective are they if they are only used to show powerpoint presentations and watch movies. The last time I checked, I could do all of that with a transparency projector and a white wall. (Kulick)

Yes, I think that educators at all levels need to be careful of using technology just for the sake of using technology as opposed to using it in relevant, meaningful ways to enhance learning and instruction. Educators must find ways to integrate various types of technology into the curriculum, not just bring it into the classroom. It’s really not going to do anyone any good just to have these things in the room if they are not being used to their full potential. (Jamie Klintworth) 

This is a great point Greg. In my post, I thought that a key to fixing this issue was in the training of teachers at the colleges. Both the technological and the pedagogical sides of the issue need to be addressed early on in the training process and fostered throughout it. I am not sure of the best way to reconcile this with current classroom educators but I imagine it would start with honest assessment and targeted professional development. Regardless of the method or approach, this gap between the two sides needs to be closed.(RICHARDS)

Classroom management really stuck out for me. I think the most important aspect is to show how to make a practical connection between the classroom content and technology. If you show someone some great new technology, but do not show them how it is applicable to their setting, that technology will probably not be used. I have seen this with teachers I teach with that are apprehensive about Smartboards, but once they start using it, it is a real asset to their class. Also, the training is very important, but tech fairs or inservices need to be aware of Technology overload. That is too much information on a bunch of technologies. Most people, myself included, become overwhelmed and possibly not interested in the technology because we do not understand it. We had a technology integration specialist come in from the county, he provided so many technology resources in an hour session that no one was really interested. If he would have presented two or three and got in-depth on how they would be beneficial in the classroom, a lot more people would be interested. That stuff was my area, and even I was not interested. (**M. Dockery).**

I agree that unless it seems to have a practical use, teachers won't use it. It's extremely important that teachers are given ways to use technology in their classroom that seem useful. Even if a great tool is out there, very few teachers want to go out on a limb to use it just for the sake of using it. Since most teachers' time is limited, they want to spend their time doing something that seems beneficial. So presenting the useful aspects of technological tools is imperative in professional development. **(S. DeLaat)**

I completely agree Sarah.... Unless its worth the time that it takes to put into a technology tool teachers more than likely will not use it.. Its sad to say that but its really true. This is deffinatly an area that can be changed about the education field. Unless something is madatory, most teachers are not likely going to log the hours into setting it up for classroom use. (L. Peters)  Speaking of time, we all know that teachers are busy and do not have much free time. It takes lots of time to master a new type of technology. I think quick tips, short videos, or mini training sessions may be the way to go rather than day-long workshops. If teachers can practice a little at a time to learn a new technology instead of being expected to implement it with ease after one day, they may be more interested and enthusiastic. (Jamie Klintworth)

I think everyone's made a lot of good points. There are various reasons for the resistance to technology and I have found that one way to decrease these is to put the training online. For instance, the Instructional Resource Center (IRC) web site offers tutorials on various technology topics that make it convenient for anyone to learn. Another benefit to these tutorials is the anonymity. A lot of people are just embarrassed to say they don't know how to use something. A tutorial can be completed in any amount of time and it's easy to go back if you've missed something. I'll admit, I'm a little biased, being that I supervise the IRC and part of my job is to find ways to encourage faculty to use technology, but I strongly believe that tutorials are a workable solution. **(J. Henry)**

The use of the Internet in the classroom is definitely a challenge at my school. There are so many good resources online, but I think an additional problem the article did not mention is how much time it takes for teachers to review Web sites and decide which ones to use. We still have teachers who demand books as sources because they prefer to avoid the Internet and its potential downfalls (plagiarism, bias and/or lack of credibility of sites) altogether. When I have taught my units about evaluating Web sources, teachers often admit they need the lesson just as much. I understand the teachers' lack of comfort in some regards, but I also see a real danger in this type of thinking. Students cannot be the experts in our classrooms; teachers have to develop some level of knowledge. **(E. Slanina)**

I think that there are a lot of great thoughts here. I agree that teachers first need to be somewhat comfortable with technology before they will begin to use it. Hands on in-services are a great way to start this process. Allowing teachers time during or after school hours to work with someone that has experience with technology, implementing it in the classroom, working with other teachers and allowing the teacher the opportunity to use the technology before trying in the classroom are very important. Follow up in-services are imperative, providing the teachers time to implement the technology and then discuss how it went with other teachers doing the same thing is a vital part of this process. Teachers need to communicate with each other and not feel that they are going at it alone. (J. Earls)

I might get beat up for this comment, but I think some of this needs to come from the administration down as a requirement if the school really decides they want to start incorporating it into their lessons. You can offer as many free tutorials and training sessions as you want, but some teachers will still resist. I know a few schools that are using technology in their curriculum as a way to attract new parents and students. I think it would be helpful if the school as a whole decided on certain goals with technology and made sure they were measured throughout the year. They would also take this opportunity to recognize which teachers/faculty were implementing new teaching methods. (J. Ellis)

I think that there is a short-term and a long-term solution to this issue. While there may be many solutions, these are the two that really stuck with me after reading the articles. The short-term is to improve professional development in the schools by making it extremely relevant and personal to the individual. This means abandoning the fads in education and getting down to what teachers immediately need. If an instructor needs help with a program, find resources to address it. Too often, it seems that professional development in both the education and the corporate world take on a “one size fits all” approach to technology that fails to realize that some teachers are beginners and some are rather advanced when it comes to technological skills. The training ends up being either too easy for the advanced users, too complicated for the beginners, or somewhere in the middle which has limited benefits for both. Training needs to be tailored for the individual. It may not be the fiscally or time-friendly option but it is the right option

The long-term is to change the ways that we educate teachers in training. By placing more emphasis on technology in the classroom during their formative years, future educators will be better prepared to hit the ground running. I know that in the College of Ed. at KSU we have many technology resources available in the classrooms. I would be interested to find out how they are currently being used? Are these technologies being used as props in the classroom to look pretty or are the faculty really integrating these technologies into curriculum and having these future educators work with them and gain skills and a comfortable attitude towards them. I hope that it is the later. I believe that if the teaching colleges foster a pro technology attitude in students, then this issue about technology use in the classroom will have a better chance to be self-corrected as older teachers retire and newer, technology proficient teachers enter the field.(RICHARDS)

I remember that when I was in middle school, they used to have workshops for our teachers. IT experts would come and teach the teachers how they could integrate technology into their classes and they also taught computer literacy. During these workshops, the teachers that knew more tended to help the teachers that were new to the idea of technology in the classroom. Usually, the ones that knew more were younger and had already been introduced to the technology during their teacher education years. I remember that to keep this strain going, the school would send IT and computer people into our classrooms to help our teachers. After a while, the teachers would get the hang of it and they could start doing things on their own. Of course, the school was a private school with a lot of corporate funding and they could afford specialists to be at school in case the teachers needed them. I do not know the case for public schools. I am guessing the long term support might not be as effective. **(Deniz Kursun)**

This definitely sounds like the ideal situation for getting reluctant teachers on board with technology. But, lack of funding is never going to allow many schools to employ personal tech specialists like that. Perhaps this is where grant money could come in. If the school made a collective effort to be awarded technology grants, implementation would be that much easier and that much more likely to occur. (Jamie Klintworth)

When I was doing my GA work for RCET, I was going to schools to observe the teachers. To make the story short, RCET developed technology integrated series of lessons according to schools in this district's curriculum. Kids were comming to the facility in moulton hall and getting educated by using the latest technology in ATT room. As far as I remember, the teachers were given a workshop before the semester so that they know how to use the techy equipments. I think this is a good approach to train the teachers but we need teachers that know how to learn, coach and mentor at the same time. The millenials need these type of teachers. The technology demands it. (**Evren Koptur)**

Trainers who plan technology workshops for in-service teachers should be cautioned about assuming a simplistic belief that increased computer experience alone will reduce computer anxiety. Quality of training as opposed to quantity of training is the key. However, even long-term computer use will not eliminate the need for training, and even teachers who are currently technologically proficient (like us!) will need update training on new technology. **(Porterfield)**

Here's another idea. Faculty in university teacher education programs should evaluate current curriculum to assure adequate technology education and experiences for pre-service teachers. This conclusion is important in view of the fact that the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) has added a technology component to its standards to help ensure that teacher education candidates have adequate preparation for using technology in teaching. **(Porterfield).**

The International Society for Technology in Education has released the National Educational Technology Standards for students for grades Pre-K through 12, which necessitate that educators be skilled in the use of technology for student learning. According to a special report by the U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment, new teacher education graduates are not being prepared to use technology as a teaching tool. **Students must be taught about technology by adults who are comfortable with the technology and confident in their technological skills. (Porterfield).**