Barriers to the Effective Use of Technology in Education.

The benefits of technology in the classroom cannot be understated. As I have mentioned in my previous blog post, there are a number of different ways in which technology can be integrated into a lesson providing an enormous amount of variety and interactivity. However, walk into a typical classroom today and you are rather unlikely to see much if any technology being used. Scholars suggest that the adoption of technology in any area follows a certain pattern. To begin with the rate of adoption starts slowly until about 50% of the field are using said technology. There is then a period of accelerated adoption until almost every member of the field is included (Butler & Sellbom, 2002).So why, if usable technology has been around for decades, has it not been adopted by all schools? Despite its potential uses in learning there are a number of issues that can block the use of technology.

                So what are these barriers? During a United States survey into the aforementioned barriers it was found that the most impactful barriers were external rather than internal. It was found that issues such as support, money, access, time and assessments were all barriers to technology being adopted (Ertmer, et al., 2012). When looking at these opinions it is hard to argue. It is impossible for teachers to be given full time support when implementing technology much like it is impossible to expect every teacher to be fluent in the use of said technology. Some teachers may not have ever needed technology for their subject and have had no interest in adopting it until now. These types of teachers will need support from others who may not be able to give it. Many of the IT resources that would be beneficial to learners not only need the teacher to learn new skills but to be on top of any new developments also (Reece & Walker, 2007). Two barriers that go hand in hand and will affect a number of institutions are access and funds. It is the case that not every school or college will have the money available to fill every classroom with technology. Some institutions will simply not have a choice. This raises the issue of access. If the institution does not have the ability to provide teachers with the equipment or even the latest soft/hardware then there is no chance that the learners can benefit. This can also discourage teachers who may not have the access to technology in their own classrooms. Teachers of this ilk are less likely to put effort into presentations if they know that the technology in the room they are using is lacking or non-existent (Reece & Walker, 2007). Another two barriers that link nicely are those of time and assessment. When speaking of assessment the general consensus in the reports is that the testing and assessment standards set out by those on high does not allow for the use of technology. If a maths curriculum is set out in such a way that every lesson counts in terms of the subjects on the final exam teachers may be wary about using technology. The perceived time it takes to learn how to use new  technologies can force some teachers to shun the technology all together as it would take them too long to create powerpoints etc and it would take time that they don’t have to teach students how to use the software also (Reece & Walker, 2007).

                These concerns have been backed up by a number of surveys including (An & Reigeluth, 2012) and display the problems some teachers face. It is therefore the duty of those in charge to tailor learning and assessments to incorporate the use of technology. It is the duty of the schools and the community to pull together in order to ensure that, somehow, the students gain access to technology. The benefits of such technologies cannot be understated and it is the learners who ultimately miss out.

Works Cited

An, Y.-J. & Reigeluth, C., 2012. Creating Technology-Enhanced, Learner-Centered Classrooms: K–12 Teachers’ Beliefs, Perceptions, Barriers, and Support Needs, s.l.: ISTE.

Butler, D. L. & Sellbom, M., 2002. Barriers to Adopting Technology for Teaching and Learning, s.l.: s.n.

Ertmer, P. A. et al., 2012. Teacher beliefs and technology integration practices: A critical relationship, s.l.: Indianna University.

Reece, I. & Walker, S., 2007. Teaching, Training and Learning: A Practical Guide. 6th Revised ed. s.l.:Business Education Publishers Limited.