The problems of integration

victorialeighw — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 09:22:58 +0000

After spending many weeks exploring different technological advancements and their specific uses in the classroom I have come to realise a complete dichotomy in pedagogical practices. It seems that whilst the majority of research and theories surrounding the need for technology to be an integral part of the primary school curriculum, there are still a majority of teachers who simplify the teaching of technology to a checklist of basic skills to be developed in the weekly computer classes. An interesting commentary on this particular aspect is the document entitled ‘A modern day fairytale.’ This skit shows how the phobia of technology can slow down progress dramatically by illustrating a potential reaction to the pencil when it was first developed. Whilst the example does seem ridiculous I think one important key point is that the pencil was eventually integrated seamlessly into the school environment where there was no longer a need for pencil specialists!! Isn’t that ideally how technology should be integrated? However, to quote a concept that my lecturer has often said, technology shouldn’t be used for the sake of using it, there should be clear pedagogical reasons for the application of technology, transforming the way that teaching, discovering and learning occurs.

To achieve this, teachers need to be attending professional development courses, have an adventurous spirit (never being content that the job was done well enough but constantly searching for new ways of integrating technology) and most importantly the support of colleagues and schools. Maybe in the future we can look back and laugh about how long it took for such key technologies to become a part of everyday life!

Educational discoveries » Professional Development

The problems of integration