Case study after case study describe a common pattern inside schools: A handful of "early adopters" embrace innovative uses of new technology, while their colleagues make incremental or no changes to what they already do.
Case study after case study describe a common pattern inside schools: A handful of "early adopters" embrace innovative uses of new technology, while their colleagues make incremental or no changes to what they already do.
Researchers have identified numerous culprits, including teachers' beliefs about what constitutes effective instruction, their lack of technology expertise, erratic training and support from administrators, and federal, state, and local policies that offer teachers neither the time nor the incentive to explore and experiment.
develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own progress."
"The 90 percent in the middle, they all have overhead projectors, there's a teacher computer, they use some sort of PowerPoint," Ms. Austin said. "They're using [technology] to enhance what they're doing, but they haven't really given students control over it."
2009. A survey of 3,159 teachers found that when teachers did allow students to use technology, it was most often to prepare written text (61 percent of respondents reported that their students did so "sometimes" or "often") conduct Internet research (66 percent), or learn/practice basic skills (69 percent).
Far more rare were teachers who reported that their students sometimes or often used technology to conduct experiments (25 percent), create art or music (25 percent), design and produce a product (13 percent), or contribute to a blog or wiki (9 percent.)
'domesticated' innovative technologies
had adapted an innovation to fit their customary practices."
he concluded, "even in computer-based classes, teacher-centered instruction with a mix of student-centered practices was the norm."
"In general, teachers at many schools seemed to view technology as a more valuable tool for themselves than for their students,
access to technology is no longer the main barrier
"second order" obstacles.
One big issue: Many teachers lack an understanding of how educational technology works.
But the greater challenge, the researchers wrote, is in expanding teachers' knowledge of new instructional practices that will allow them to select and use the right technology, in the right way, with the right students, for the right purpose.
confidence in trying it out in their classrooms. If they do not believe that they can use technology to accomplish their classroom goals, they appear unlikely to seriously attempt it.
"pedagogical beliefs"
philosophical belief that tactile learning is important for young children.
innovative teachers can be heavily affected by pressure to conform to more traditional instructional
test-based accountability system isn't exactly supporting the transition to student-centered, technology-driven instruction
totally changing the way you do your job takes a ton of time and work.
"What I'm finding is I'm having a hard time doing it that right way, a wholesale change."His attempts to move in that direction have been frustrating and draining.
"job-embedded" professional development that takes place consistently during the workday and is tied to specific classroom challenges that teachers actually face, rather than in the isolated sessions often preferred by district central offices and written into districts' contracts with their teachers.
"When learning experiences are focused solely on the technology itself, with no specific connection to grade or content learning goals, teachers are unlikely to incorporate technology into their practices,"
"The smarter districts use those teachers to teach other teachers how to integrate tech into their lessons,"
"The dumb ones use vendors to provide professional development and force teachers to attend those sessions."