After several years of utilizing technology in my own classroom, my position as substitute this year allows me a unique opportunity to observe how other teachers are using technology. Of course, I only get a snapshot of how teachers are using technology day to day, but I've definitely noticed an unsettling trend. Unlike some school systems in which there is limited access to technology, this particular school system has desktops, chromebooks, and ipads available to every classroom. So why aren't they being used? Just today I listened in the faculty lounge as one teacher told another that she was not allowing any of her students near the computers after one student's "web incident." It was going to be worksheets for them and that was that. Another teacher chimed in with some of the comments he's seen on Twitter and how it isn't appropriate for a classroom setting. This makes me wonder if we are introducing technology in the wrong way, tying technology use too closely as a reward or punishment for behavior rather than a valuable teaching tool, integrated into the daily instruction and not an addition to use only on rare occassions. Below are two snapshots of an infographic found here:
Edudemic.
As you can see, an overwhelming amount of teachers surveyed indicate that technology has a positive effect on student engagement and learning but very few routinely utilize such technology. It seems that teachers and administrators need to plan their technology integration so that teachers and students are comfortable using technology as a learning tools, beginning with defining terms of use and appropriate "netiquette" skills. Let's open up this discussion. Is technology sitting unused in your school? Why do you think this is the case and how can teachers become more effective at using their resources?
