Are teachers technically trained enough?

Are teachers technically trained enough?

“No doubt, teachers have increased their personal and professional uses of computers (Project Tomorrow, 2008; van Braak, Tondeur, & Valcke, 2004).”

“Alongside these increases in teachers’ professional uses are increases in the reported instructional uses of computers in the classroom (National Education Association, 2008; Project Tomorrow, 2008). Unfortunately, when we look closer at these data, reported uses still tend to be “low-level” (Maddux & Johnson, 2006; Russell, Bebell, O’Dwyer, & O’Connor, 2003)”

“Shortcomings in the theoretical underpinnings of models and techniques being employed to analyse and describe pedagogical strategies used in the classroom with ICT. In particular, it was considered that there was a tendency to ignore teaching proficiency by emphasising ICT-related technical skills.”

While teacher training by IWB suppliers provides skills that might enable teachers to use the hardware and software, this has not been found to provide pedagogical knowledge for integrating IWBs into the curriculum and the classroom (Beauchamp, 2004).

My summary

Although it appears that teachers are making an attempt to keep up with modern ICT, they are still lagging behind in their technical skills. Teachers tend to favour low skilled forms of ICT such as word processor and PowerPoint’s, and do not access the higher skilled, and often better quality forms of technology.

Despite teachers’ lacking in ICT skills, it appears the inability to integrate ICT effectively into their classrooms. Teachers are given professional development in the area of technical skills, yet their pedagogy is left unattended to, so teachers with good technical skills are still unable to effectively integrate ICT into their classrooms.  

References

Jones, A., & Vincent, J. (2010). Collegial mentoring for effective whole school professional development in the use of IWB technologies. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 26(4), 477-493. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.

Maddux, C. D., & Johnson, D. L. (2006). Type II applications of information technology in

education: The next revolution. Computers in the Schools, 23(1/2), 1–5. Cited in Ertmer, P., & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. (2010). Teacher Technology Change: How Knowledge, Confidence, Beliefs, and Culture Intersect. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 42(3), 255-284. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

National Education Association. (2008). No Child Left Behind: Issue overview. Author.

Retrieved on March 16, 2009, from http://www.nea.org/lac/esea/index.html Cited in Ertmer, P., & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. (2010). Teacher Technology Change: How Knowledge, Confidence, Beliefs, and Culture Intersect. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 42(3), 255-284. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

Project Tomorrow. (2008). 21st century learners deserve a 21st century education. Selected

National Findings of the Speak Up 2007 Survey. Retrieved March 28, 2009, from http://

www.tomorrow.org/speakup/speakup_congress_2007.html Cited in Ertmer, P., & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. (2010). Teacher Technology Change: How Knowledge, Confidence, Beliefs, and Culture Intersect. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 42(3), 255-284. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.

Russell, M., Bebell, D., O’Dwyer, L., & O’Connor, K. (2003). Examining teacher technology

use: Implications for preservice and inservice teacher preparation. Journal of Teacher

Education, 54, 279–310. Cited in Ertmer, P., & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. (2010). Teacher Technology Change: How Knowledge, Confidence, Beliefs, and Culture Intersect. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 42(3), 255-284. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.