It has been a few days since I conducted and analyzed an interview with a former teaching colleague J.P. as part of my ETEC 533 coursework (you can see that interview analysis here). As a continuation of that work my class has been discussing and reflecting upon the issue of educational technology, how our views have changed, major issues and concerns and what areas we are interested in exploring further. The following is a brief personal refection based on our interviews and discussions.

Prior to conducting the interview I thought that I understood most aspects of the complicated interactions between our educational system and the technologies used to support learning and teaching. By conducting this interview I believe I have developed a newfound appreciation for the complexities involved. Chief among these complexities are the issues of cost, time, professional development, support and personal views. In addition to a new found appreciation for the complexities involved with implementing technology I have also begun to see the level of disparity among schools, classrooms and even teachers involved with technology in the classroom.

Most of the interviews discussed or touched on the complexities or problems associated with using technology in the classroom. Cost and time have long been two factors that impede the use of technology in the classrooms. A common thread within our discussions on the topic was that technology is expensive and time consuming to implement in your average classroom. Teachers echoed the frustrations due to financial and time constraints involved with getting technology in the classroom. Many found it difficult to implement technology it in a manner that supports learning and eases workload for the teacher.

Related to the aspect of time, my interview and a few others brought up the aspect of professional development and teacher/student supports. Many teachers see that these are the primary impediments to functional technology implementation. My interviewee expressed concerns over a lack of professional development and administrative support in relation to classroom technologies. It appears that if a school or district is able to overcome the cost and time factors these additional two problems remain ignored or are addressed in hindsight. It is logical that in order to help teachers teach and students learn with technology they must be supported in this endeavour. I think that support in this sense goes beyond simply professional development but actually developing a school culture around technology. Students and teachers should know why technology is important in their classroom and how best to use it. These problems could be addressed with school-wide technology policies and by giving time for teachers to discuss and play with technologies in order for them to appreciate how they will fit in the classroom setting.

The last area that I see being a concern for technology in the classroom is the individual teacher and their comfort level with technology. Although this was not discussed in detail in the class forums it is something I believe we should take into consideration. We cannot expect that all teachers will be able or desire to have any of the new technologies in their classroom. In fact I would argue that a balance between traditional teaching methods and technological tools to support them is the best strategy. I think the real issue here is enabling and educating the teacher as an individual. All we can do for our colleagues that struggle or disagree with technology in their classroom is educate them on the potential benefits and support them in any technology they choose to use. I think that any good technology plan should give teachers who know and use technology the chance to communicate with and help those teachers that struggle with it.

Despite all the insight these interview and reflections have provided I still think there are some areas that may require further exploration and research. I would like to understand more about who is making technology decisions in schools. For example who is deciding which types of PD are important or what type of hardware to purchase? I only have experience with site-managed school and would be interested to hear how other schools go about making these decisions. Coupled with how a school’s technology is managed I would also like to learn more about how teachers receive technology PD and what is the best way to assist teacher in making the right technological choices for their classrooms. My interviewee expressed a need for PD to be more hands on for teachers and give them options for how to use a give in technological tool in their classroom. I think these are very interesting areas to explore and I look forward to researching and discussing them in the future.