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Technology is everywhere. It is a guiding force in today’s classroom instruction. There are platforms, programs, software, hardware, everything that you can imagine for a classroom today. But with all this technology, comes a roadblock. The willingness of teachers to LEARN and USE these new technologies. Education leaders are already asking a lot from teachers. When teachers are already bogged down with so much today, and can feel like too big of a hurdle to ask them to learn and use new technology on top of everything else. Leaders and administrators have to find new and innovative ways to get teachers invested in the new technology for their classrooms. Frazier and Hearrington (2024) state, “The promise of technology to positively affect teaching and learning is largely related to the support teachers get for their teaching.” (p. 134). Here are some key points school leaders need to remember when encouraging teachers to implement technology in their classrooms.
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Purpose
There MUST be an appropriate purpose to the new technology. In order for teachers to be successful in implementing technology, they must first have to believe that it is beneficial for students. Schools today do not need any extra technology that is just for fluff. We are in the trenches and need only the tools that will help our students actually learn. In his article about helping teachers adopt new technology, Hossain (2024) states, “Higher secondary teachers who are convinced that incorporating new technologies will augment their teaching efficacy and enhance student results are more inclined to include these technologies into their classrooms.” (p. 193). Teachers must be convinced that this technology is worth the time and effort to learn and become familiar with before they will be amenable to accepting it.
Adequate Training
You cannot give teachers a 30 minute tutorial on a new technology and expect them to not only be comfortable utilizing it, but be willing to implement it in their classroom. Teachers and staff need adequate, meaningful training in the new technology. This could mean that administrators allow substitute teachers to watch classrooms while teachers attend professional development opportunities. Although this may add to the cost of the new technology, in the long run it will help ensure that teachers will use the technology and not let it sit gathering dust. In addition, there needs to be someone on staff who is willing to be a sounding board to help those teachers who may need more one-on-one training. Frazier and Hearrington (2024) state, “Providing this level of support means that someone knowledgeable about teaching with technology must be available during business hours.” (p. 134).
Model Effective Use
Along with the meaningful, authentic professional development, the idea of coaching and modeling effectively should be utilized as well. Administrators should give teachers great examples of how to implement this technology. Sure professional development classes will always explain the wonderful ways to use their new technology, but teachers need to see it in action in a relatable fashion. This can be done through videos of professionals using their programs or platforms in their classrooms, or having those on staff who are comfortable with the technology allowing teachers to observe them.
Once teachers feel comfortable with the new technology, administrators and school leaders should give them time to play around with it. Do not expect teachers to attend a professional development and then begin implementing this new technology the next day. They should be given time to explore, become familiar with it, understand how to troubleshoot if they do encounter a basic problem, etc. for example, if your school just purchased VR headsets, give teachers time to play on them. It doesn’t necessarily need to be school related games, they just need to understand and explore how to use them by physically playing with them.
On that same note, it is important that administrators and school leaders seek out technology that is user-friendly and accessible to the regular teacher. Hossain (2024) states, “... it is crucial for educational leaders and policymakers to place high importance on the creation and utilization of user-friendly technologies to make it easier for instructors to accept them.” (p. 193). If teachers are confused and overwhelmed by the new ideas and technology, then they are less likely to implement it effectively.
If teachers are given ample time to explore, appropriate and meaningful professional development, and can observe others using the technology effectively, they will be more wiling to try it themselves. You can’t expect a child to pick up a tennis racket and immediately know how to play a tennis match. The same goes for teachers and new technology. Give them the resources and means to enjoy the new technology and watch them become successful!
References
Frazier, M. & Hearrington, D. (2024). The technology coordinator’s handbook (4th ed.).
Portland, Oregon: International Society for Technology in Education.
Hossain, M. (2024, October). Professional standards and educational leadership: Higher
secondary teachers' behavioral intention towards adopting new teaching technologies. Business, Ethics, and Leadership, 8(3). https://doi.org/10.61093/bel.8(3).184-198.2024
Kiddom. (2024, May 9). Supporting teachers in technology adoption [Video]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9dkA8q0OHw
Hey Laura! Great insight in your post. It seems like every few years there are new technologies being offered to teachers. The opportunities that come with this new technology are only as valuable as the time and effort that administrators are willing to put into training teachers to effectively use the technology. I agree with your logic that teachers must believe that technology will benefit their students. Offering to pay for subs is a practical and necessary step in supporting teachers' use of new tech tools. While this may be costly, it’s not as costly as allowing technology to go unused because teachers are unable or unwilling to use it.
ReplyDeleteLaura,
ReplyDeleteYou made great points about the BIG ideas when it comes to implementing technology for teachers on top of all of the other responsibilities already handed to them. One thing that really stuck out to me, is the training but with a spin. Recently, I have been a part of the science textbook adoption committee for my district and one of the main “selling points” for these publishers is the digital component. Therefore, in addition to using technology as an aid in instruction in what we may call the ordinary sense (ie. panel, Chromebook) we are now also creating essentially a requirement for teachers to be very fluent with incorporating digital components just to provide the adopted curriculum. Therefore, your point about providing adequate training becomes even more important for even more critical reasons of instruction itself. For example, if a district purchases a textbook curriculum and part of the standards are covered in an “al a carte” portion that now must be covered within the digital resource, the teacher would have to have the appropriate training on more than just the device needed to integrate the activity but also the actual curriculum publisher.
Great thoughts Laura!
Laura, You have some great points in your post about importance of teachers overcoming their fear of technology. We have so much on our plates and anything added just makes it more stressful. There is always new technology being implemented into schools and the task of figuring out how to effectively use it can be overwhelming. Brown (2024) states "Many teachers may feel apprehensive about incorporating new technologies into their teaching practices due to the uncertainty and disruption that change often brings". New technology not only brings challenges for instruction but also for distractions among students if not handled correctly. References: Brown, Y., M. A. T. ,. B. A. ,. Dip. Ed. ,. P. Q. P. (2024, February 7). Overcoming teacher resistance to technology and artificial intelligence in the classroom. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/overcoming-teacher-resistance-technology-artificial-classroom-brown-yupse/
ReplyDeleteHi Laura! You make some really good points in your post! Teachers definitely have to be encouraged to get comfortable with the technology they are using and be open minded about continuing to learn and expand their knowledge about what they are currently using as well as new technology. Administrators must find a way to encourage, advocate for, and support this within their building. Frazier and Hearington (2024) discuss how teachers need to be in PLC groups that help support and grow their knowledge about technology. This is a great idea for administrators to organize within their buildings.
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