for teachers and students where a constant flow of new information is available. Yet, one
can not forget that classroom teachers are faced with the issue that there is so
much new information available that it can be difficult to keep up with. Teachers
must now also remain current on the constantly changing teaching methods as well as
make the decision which advancements in technology are worth the extra time of
learning for themselves and their students. Robyler and Doering describe today’s
teachers by stating, “they must anticipate and accept the inevitability of change and the
need for a continual investment of their time” (Integrating Educational Technology Into
Teaching, 2013, p.10).
This became apparent during the microcomputer era when the movement as
stated by Robyler & Doering, (2013), “wrested control of educational computers from
companies, universities, and school districts and placed them in the hands of teachers
and schools” (p. 7). After the introduction of the computers into the classrooms there
was an overwhelming response to provide teachers with ways to find the right software
and help them to decide which choices would be best for their classrooms. Many
teachers themselves began to write software that they felt would be the most beneficial
to their students creating programs and systems such as (e.g., PILOT, SUperPILOT,
GENIS, PASS), yet as the past had once shown doing so took a lot of time and many of
those that emerged faded over time (Robyler & Doering, 2013, p.7). There was a lot of information
to create, review and decipher and the issue of an overwhelming amount of information and time
constraints began to emerge (Robyler & Doering, 2013, p. 7) . Robyler and Doering (2013) discuss
how teachers were at times overwhelmed when required to meet school and state standards as well
as be trained in “computer literacy skills,” a phrase that was introduced by computer
education expert Arthur Luehrmann (p.7).
One model that was designed and implemented in order to assist teachers in
implementing this new information into the classroom is the Technology Integration
Planning Model or “TIP” model. Roblyer and Doering (2013) state, “The TIP Model gives
teachers a general approach to identifying and addressing challenges involved in
integrating technology into teaching,” (p.52). It gives teachers
a tool to evaluate which technology tools are most beneficial and appropriate for their
classrooms by asking a series of questions about relativity, advantages, conditions,
assessing success and improvement (Robyler & Doering, 2013, p.52). Susan M.Gay, wrote a
dissertation, "Teaching with Technology, a case study of teachers' perceptions of implementing
computers into the Classroom" (1997), on this topic. The article documents the
experiences that several teachers had while learning new technology and how to
implement it in their classrooms. It can be read in its entirety at
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9805505/.
References
Gay, Susan M. (1997). "Teaching With Technology: A Case Study of teachers' perceptions of implementing computers into the classroom"(1997). Retrieved from ETD collection for University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Paper AAI9805505.
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9805505
Roblyer, M.D., & Doering, Aaron H. (2013). Integrating Educational Technology Into Teaching (6th ed.).
Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, INC.
