Teachers Need Time to Teach Technology

    Technology in our world today is changing every second creating an exciting time

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.