Barriers to the effective use of technology in education.

Education was changing when I was in compulsory education just a few decades (cough, cough) ago. We had the choice between typing class or computer class, I opted for the later much to all my class mates amusement. Comments such as "we will never use it in work" "What's the point of it?" and "it will never take off" still make me laugh, and most of them were from staff. The computer or I T  teacher was not very clued up either if I am being honest.

Modern day education is technology driven and vice versa, but do the barriers that existed when I was a child still persist?  Going back into education after a long gap did provide me with an ability to contrast the old view of technology in education and the new view.

It is clear to see that while the number of computers in the classrooms increase that there is now  tremendous support for technology integration within academia, a major discrepancy exists between the level of technology which is expected of educators to be used  and the actual use and integration of technology in the classroom Semary,(2011)

I must admit through my own experiences of teaching in higher education it has been very difficult for me as an educator to involve technology. The students know they are READING for a degree, now if that reading takes place on a mobile device through the use of pdf's or online journals great, but as an educator I cant really incorporate technology in to my lessons. How can a lecture be made more interactive? Ramey, (2013) discusses one of the barriers as being lack of innovation and I agree, I feel clueless as how to integrate technology into my teaching.  Using technological tools requires a certain degree of creativity and I don't feel I am creative enough, I have basic understanding of most applications. The issue with technology is that is fast moving and changes hourly sometimes, through updates and newer versions, it is easy to see how those who are not so technology savvy can easily shy away from using technology in the classroom.

Now don't get me wrong I am all for technology in classrooms, I can see how my children are far more advanced than me when it comes to anything technological, but it must be said their are a lot of educators out there who lack the ability to use technology in education. As I have said it takes creativity to  integrate technology into the curriculum and there does seem to a resistance to change attitude from old school educators, Kappan, (2009).

 The issue of access to technological tools is a great barrier for many educational establishments. The cost of installing and maintaining smart boards and projectors in each class is a real concern, the black bored would have one cost and not much upkeep, but in comparison the technology is updated constantly, and when damaged or broken can be very costly. Take for example the cost of being connected to internet servers and running a virtual learning environment, it is expensive and requires constant up keep. Schools and colleges have tight budgets and this must be factored in when considering the  pro's and con's of technology in education. Many generations have been taught without the use of modern technology and this has been successful.

The list of barriers to the effective use of technology in education goes on and on, but I have given you a flavour of the ones I think are the toughest to face, without capital the technology cant be installed or utilized, without educators being willing to adapt and change their practises, and without educators being able to think outside of the box and be creative in the use of technology  for education, this debate will keep going round and round. I will be looking at my own barriers closely from now on, and use reflective practise to ensure I am giving my students the best chance possible to have technology integrated into their education.


References.

Kappan, P. (2009). What Can We Do About. Available: http://www.updc.org/assets/files/professional_development/umta/blue-guild/Coaching%20-%20Teacher%20Resistance.pdf. Last accessed 20/11/2014.


Ramey K. (2013 ). Barriers To The Effective Use of Technology In Education. Available: http://www.useoftechnology.com/barriers-effective-technology-education/. Last accessed 20/11/2014

Semary, H. (2011 ). Barriers to the effective use of technology in education: Case study of UAE University. Available: http://library.iated.org/view/ELSEMARY2011BAR. Last accessed 20/11/2014

How technology has changed the way we learn

Michael Gove the Education Secretary gave a speech recently about how technology is changing the way we learn, the speech started with a reflection of how technology has changed the world in general and Grove stated "“Most of us carry more advanced technology in the smartphone in our pocket than Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin used to reach the Moon" but he also went on to reflect how much technology has moved the world forward but how the education system has not really changed since the Victorian aged, He even went further to note that a Victorian teacher could probably work just fine in a modern classroom (Gov.uk, 2012).
Now Gove's speech was a few years back but I agree with most of what he said. The technology we use today in all walks of life is so advanced that we do not understand how they work. We have a generation below us who are more likely to learn differently from previous generations and therefore will need teaching in a completely new way. Education has to catch up to society or educators may has well be from the Victorian age for the use they will be to learners.

So what's the answer to the question of how technology has changed the way we learn? Lets go on a journey and find out shall we? I recently gave a lecture on Trans Humanism and how we are through the use of technology able to become more than human. Surely this is already the case for most of the western world and with more and more children being brought up in a technological society it means we must learn fast how to adapt so we don't get left behind. It wasn't so long ago that children learnt through face to face interaction, story books, play, and handwriting exercises. But in 2014 most of those methods are outdated, the use of mobile technology in schools has changed how the lessons are structured, the interactivity of  student and teacher are no longer paramount to learning as the students can be much more self directed with the use of technology.

Prof. Yoram Eshet, (2014) notes that research is currently showing that children already have a high dependence upon technology and computers,  and is currently at the forefront  of many studies on all facets of learning and technologies. One of the most important changes that as evolved from technology is the  shift from passive to active learning or from a teacher-centered to a student-centered approach. This a huge advantage for a student like me who has a learning difficulty, as it puts them in control of their own learning. I came across a great blog,  SHIFT's eLearning Blog written on the topic of technology and learning, the author gutierrez (2014) states "Technology, then, becomes a tool for active learning. Through it, learners are able to research, communicate and solve problems" and I tend to agree, however it must be noted that not everything about  the use of technology  in education is positive. There have been many ways in which we have made changes to the way we has a species learn. Technology can be used as crutch, spelling is no longer something we learn as everything is autocorrected and spell checked.

  Harven (2013) even goes further and states "This may be a larger issue of technology on our memory and brain-strength, but if we are using the Internet in schools, then kids are being taught to use Google to answer all their questions and to essentially, copy and paste their knowledge.  Education needs to figure out how to use technology in a way that does not replace knowledge, but reinforces it." so how do we do this as educators and get a good balance? The way I see it is that education and technology are both tools to improve society and as educators I feel the two should work hand in hand.  In agreement is Gillis (2014) who addresses the fact that technology is a tool and tools work best when used for the purpose they were designed for. Much of technology used in classrooms today is in it's infancy and the efficacy of those tools wont really be known until a generation has passed.

 One thing is for certain that technology has changed the way we learn and the way we teach. Teaching is now an exciting profession to be entering as who knows what the future of learning holds.

 
 References

Gillis, S. (2014). Finding a balance between technology and teaching. Available: http://www.classroomtechnologyhelp.com/finding-a-balance-between-technology-and-teaching-style-in-your-classroom/. Last accessed 13/11/2014


Gove,M . (2013). Michael Gove speech at the BETT Show 2012. Available: Michael Gove speech at the BETT Show 2012. Last accessed 10/11/2014

Gutierrez,M. (2013). How technology has changed us. Available:http://info.shiftelearning.com/blog/author/karla-gutierrez . Last accessed 11/11/2014

Harven, M . (2013 ). Top 5 problems with Technology. Available: http://edtechtimes.com/2013/11/06/top-5-problems-technology-education-today/. Last accessed 09/11/2014.

The value of mobile technology in teaching and learning

It is difficult to find a corner of the western world which hasn't gone mobile in terms of technology. We have a generation which carries around their computer, access to the web, cameras and means of communication all in one device in their pockets.  So it can been seen why it would be of special interest to educators to find a means of  exploiting this mobile technology for use in learning.

Going back a few years to when I was in education the thought of mobile technology was so foreign. The personal computers (pc) we had just back in the last decade were desk tops and had black and green screens.
  

Jump forward to the modern day and well it is a stark contrast.

 

If it is easy to see the impact of mobile technology on the way we live as a species then it seems obvious to see the value of mobile technology in the way we teach and thus learn.

Bright (2014) suggests that a more blended approach to the way we teach is more likely to cater to everyone. Now I am in agreement with Bright due to the fact I myself am teaching upon a blended learning program which involves some face to face teaching but mainly the use of technology for teaching where ever the students wishes to learn. One of the benefits of using mobile technology to teach is that of ease of access, mostly everyone now has access to 24/7 up to date knowledge at the touch of a button. So everyone is constantly tapped into some form of information base most of the time. This can be utilised and as Nasmith (2014) suggests whether they are welcome in the classroom right now or not, mobile devices are finding their way into classrooms in children’s pockets, thus it wold be good educational practise to find a way to incorporate these technologies. The infrastructure of education needs to change to adapt to the demands of the learners.

It is clear to see one of the main values of mobile technology for learners is the "anytime, anywhere" capability that mobile devices encourage. The learning gets taken out of the teacher led classroom environment and thus becomes student lead. This may however present a significant challenge to conventional teaching practises.

Weldon (2013) looked at two distinct studies which found that mobile technology did indeed make a difference in learning and teaching. Some of the findings of the study suggested that students had greater access to learning resources and their use of the devices for education purposes exceeded the researcher's expectations. Teachers increased their communication with students and

 Students changed their learning behaviour. It is clear to see with these results that there is great value to mobile technology and learning, but me being the critical thinker I am I looked further, this study was funded by sponsored by Kajeet, a wireless service provider that focuses on educational technology, so what did they expect for their money? We have to be careful when we are putting education behind money and not the other way around.

One way to make certain of the value of technology in teaching and learning will be to work in collaboration with learners, educators and content creators to ensure all technology is accessible and relevant to users. Usability should account for those who will be using the mobile devices for teaching in relation to those who will be using it for learning. If all bases are covered then the value will doubled for all users.

We all know the key to transforming societies is in education but is the way to change education now through mobile technology?  Each new generation changes the direction in which society develops and it should be of no surprise that young people want to employ mobile devices to make education more engaging and personalize it for their particular needs (West ,2013). It can be said that Technology-rich activities can sustain high levels of student engagement and peer collaboration compared to less technology focused activities. I can even see this at play in my own home with my own children, they grunt at each other most of the time but use applications to chat and collaborate ways to get money out me constantly. I think the key now is educating the educators to be open and accepting of the vast value mobile technology now has in the realm of teaching and learning so the new generation have a opportunity to change the direction of western society for the better. 

  








References


Bright,S. (2014). Pros and Cons of Blended Learning. Available: http://www.digitalchalk.com/blog/pros-and-cons-of-blended-learning. Last accessed 15/11/2014


Nasmith, L . (2004). Mobile Technologies and Learning. Available: http://www2.futurelab.org.uk/resources/documents/lit_reviews/Mobile_Review.pdf. Last accessed 15/11/2014.

Weldon, D. (2013). Recent studies confirm value of mobile technology, tablets in classroom. Available: http://www.fiercemobileit.com/story/recent-studies-confirm-value-mobile-technology-tablets-classroom/2013-12-05. Last accessed 15/11/2014

 West, D . (2013). Mobile Learning: Transforming Education, Engaging Students, and Improving Outcomes. Available: http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2013/09/17-mobile-learning-education-engaging-students-west. Last accessed 15/11/2014.