It should be noted that barriers to technology is not a new issue. In a 2002 article titled Integrating technology into the classroom: Eight keys to success, Noel Bitner and Joe Bitner list eight key factors that must be addressed before technology can be successfully integrated into the classroom. The authors mention that while issues like funding and type of equipment can still be issues in some areas, there are key areas that impact teachers which must be addressed. Bitner and Bitner assert that teachers will need an environment that addresses their “fear of change” and that provides teachers with training on how to properly use technology both in and out of the classroom (Bitner & Bitner, 2002).
This is not the only area that could use improvement. Research by Brian Belland in an article titled Using the theory of habitus to move beyond the discussion of barriers to technology integration, also indicates that a teacher’s past experience is critical to their use of technology in the classroom. According to Belland, for teachers to change their methods, aspiring teachers need to be provided with authentic positive experiences as part of their learning before ever entering a classroom. He also says that too often professional development and college level coursework is inconsistent with a student centered approach to teaching which leaves many aspiring teachers without a proper model to build upon. He suggests that increasing a prospective teacher’s exposure to technology integration would be beneficial to the use of technology in the classroom (Belland, 2013).
If this made new and existing teachers more comfortable using technology, this could have a major impact on integration practices. Research by Mueller, Wood, Willoughby, Ross, and Specht identified that a teacher’s comfort with technology and opinion about using technology in the classroom were predictive variables for successful integration. Their research also indicates that a teacher’s successful experience with technology in the classroom is a significant factor in a teacher’s use of technology for teaching and learning (Mueller et. Al, 2008).
Finally, existing teachers can overcome personal obstacles to integration by improving their skills as Social Studies teachers. Roblyer and Doering suggest that a Social studies teacher should reflect and determine if there is a need to enhance skills with regard to content, pedagogy, or technology (Roblyer & Doering, 2013).
Whatever the obstacle may be to successful integration, the overwhelming amount of research available suggests that teachers play a large role in the decision to integrate technology into the curriculum. This bodes well for removing obstacles to integration in the future because teachers have a vested interest in doing what is best for their students.
Resources
Bitner, N., & Bitner, J. Integrating Technology into the Classroom: Eight Keys to Success. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education , 10, 95-100.
Laferrière, T., Hamel, C., & Searson, M. Barriers to successful implementation of technology integration in educational settings: a case study. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 463-473.
Mueller, J., Wood, E., Willoughby, T., Ross, C., & Specht, J. Identifying Discriminating Variables Between Teachers Who Fully Integrate Computers and Teachers with Limited Integration. Computers & Education, 51, 1523-1537.
Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2013). Integrating educational technology into teaching. (6th ed. ed., pp. 25-26). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc. United States.