Technology in Education

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Will the administrators and teachers be willing to make the necessary changes to full integration?

According to Regina Mitchell (2009), “The case for new technology has been understood for many years, but some companies and school districts are not ready to plunge headfirst into the new age” (p. 87). Langdon Winner (1986) believed even back then that “Computerization has risen to ideological prominence, an expression of grand hopes and ideals” (p. 595). The need for change cannot be neglected, because this type of change has been attempted to be put into practice for many years. However, the barriers to full implementation are too strong. Michael Shriner (2010) commented that although it is manageable, creating teachers who are comfortable with their technology skills and secure in their choice to use available technologies for instructional purposes poses a serious challenge. He also stated that “teachers’ technical expertise and professional experience in using technology is critical for students’ successful learning experiences with technology. F.H. Chen (2009) states it is not only about what technology can do, but also, and perhaps more importantly, what technology can do for teachers. In the end, it is not only in the teacher’s best interest to use technology but it is also beneficial to the students to be taught in this innovative manner.

Technology in the Classroom

One of the most important ways technology has in a sense infiltrated the higher levels of education, is with Distance Learning. The way it is going, it might be in the other levels in the near future. L. Keith Whitney (2010) stated the use of technology in classrooms has become a major component of today’s business education, where computers and specialty software are common in teaching many courses. Any subject that injects technology into the equation will see some success. But like any novel thing, it does not come easy. The desire to make something work does not translate to success. If and when the districts decide to make the move, the move will come at a price. People who are savvy enough to train on the different software do charge a hefty price to impart their knowledge. A. Guzman (2010) states that many educators who have been involved in training processes for technology integration feel that they have not obtained the necessary competencies to carry out the task and require a more thorough preparation that would equip them to deliver a higher quality professional performance. Some of the teachers who have tried to use the devices feel they are not at the level that is required to make a successful attempt to teach the students. Some believe they require more training, which would of course require more funds. Many times, the first time technology is implemented it is met with great appreciation. Tom Conlon and Mary Simpson (2003) state, “Students and teachers showed little evidence of technophobia or resistance to using information technology” (p. 140). But the staff that has not had enough experience usually takes up the most time when it comes to training, and most often uses up the most funds. According to Conlon and Simpson (2003), many of the hindrances of implementing new technology is due to, “Infrastructure deficiencies, such as the lack of a computer at home, not enough technical support, insufficient modern computers in each classroom” (p. 145).

Guzman (2010) states that technology integration implies the application of professional competencies that encourage the efficient and effective use of pedagogical knowledge as the foundation for the enrichment of teaching. It is a combination of previous techniques with a modern twist. The teacher’s ability to handle technology is not, by itself, enough to bring about an educational change, however. The key to integration lies not so much in more equipment and greater ability to use it as in the competencies needed to conduct a systematic and well targeted effort to promote the educational/training aspects of the equipment’s incorporation.

Rebecca Smith (1997) states that with careful planning, training, practice, and ongoing classroom management, skills in technology can be extended to other skills such as arithmetic computation, problem solving, and workplace cooperation. Technology in the past was basically non-existent. The internet, which is the driving force between most of the technological breakthroughs, had not been invented. When the internet was in its infancy, it was still not the outstanding tool it is today. Computers were mostly used to play games and as an aid in mathematics work. They were like overgrown and certainly more expensive calculators. Indeed, many old school teachers did not find the need to implement computers into the classroom. The decade of the 90s was instrumental in creating software specifically made for the classroom. In fact, this began even earlier than that. Fattenah J. Cauley (2010) stated that the first wave of the modern era in the use of technology in business education occurred when calculators replaced the ubiquitous slide rule in the 1970s. The second wave occurred in the mid-1980s, when the microcomputer revolution in education arrived. By the early 1990s, the microcomputer had emerged as the tool of choice for word processing, financial analysis, and data analysis in the social sciences and business. Then of course, the internet phenomenon took over America, and the boom was on. The ease of research, the ability to travel all around the world and get information with almost no effort turned the educational world on its ear. The last three decades have done more to change education than any other period in time. Many students and faculty alike used to go to the library and go through hundreds of card in the catalog in hopes of finding a book with which to research. Not only is the information which used to be impossible to find available right at their fingertips, the new technology can also help them prepare the documents they need. New software is developing everyday which facilitates menial tasks, such as balancing a checkbook, to the more complex tasks such as designing an entire house. Software is evolving to fit the people’s needs and are even now becoming luxury items. Some software has no use but to make the users life even simpler than it needs to be. Computers are in a sense doing the thinking for most Americans, and that can be interpreted as a good or a bad thing.

With the technology that is now readily available, students are now prepared to go out into society and be equipped for the work force. It is important to be prepared now because most of the jobs out there use technology. Schools must instruct their students on how to use all of the technology that will