Barriers to the effective use of technology in education.

Technology Can be an exciting and amazing way in which to teach, however we must acknowledge that there can be barriers to learning through the medium of technology, in theory it seems like an excellent way in which to make your lesson exciting and inclusive. As education facilitators we plan plan and plan some more, this arguably creates an amazing lesson, so I thought in an recent lesson. I had planned for all eventualities (or so I thought), my lesson plan was meticulous and precise, my activities inclusive and varied and my teaching methods were to suit my learners needs. I was feeling pretty confidant, I had listed all my technology equipment, tested it all and was ready to go, I arrive at the venue ........ no internet connection. All my planning had been for nothing a lesson that included all the technology of todays society and I had no internet access. It would seem that I am not alone as this Blog  shows.

 

Using technology effectively in education can provide its own challenges, these included technical and social and educational challenges all these challenges have the potential to create barriers.

 

Technical challenges can include-:

 

• Connectivity and battery life
• Screen size and key size
• Meeting required bandwidth for nonstop/fast streaming
• Number of file/asset formats supported by a specific device
• Content security or copyright issue from authoring group
• Multiple standards, multiple screen sizes, multiple operating systems
• Reworking existing E-Learning materials for mobile platforms
• Limited memory
• Risk of sudden obsolescence

 

Social and educational challenges include

 

• How to assess learning outside the classroom
• How to support learning across many contexts
• Content's security or pirating issues
• Frequent changes in device models/technologies/functionality etc.
• Developing an appropriate theory of learning for the mobile age
• Conceptual differences between e-learning and m-learning
• Design of technology to support a lifetime of learning
• Tracking of results and proper use of this information
• No restriction on learning timetable
• Personal and private information and content
• No demographic boundary
• Disruption of students' personal and academic lives
• Access to and use of the technology in developing countries
• Risk of distraction

"While the number of computers in the classroom continues to increase and tremendous support for technology integration exists in academia, a major discrepancy exists between the level of technology use expected of educators and the actual use and integration of technology in the classroom. This highlights barriers that impede the effective use of technology in education. Teacher quality is the factor that matters most for student learning," note. Therefore, professional development for faculty becomes the key issue in using technology to improve the quality of learning in the classroom." Darling-Hammond and Berry (2007)

According to a recent survey by two largest teachers' unions, most educators are enthusiastic about the role technology can play in improving learning, but many still feel unprepared to take advantage of digital tools in the classroom. What's stopping them? The persistent barriers could include too few computers, a lack of technical support, and inadequate professional development.
This would suggest that it is not just students but also staff that need training in the use of those techniques. Is this the problem in integrating technology into the curriculum, align it with student learning goals, and use it for engaged learning projects? What are the needs of staff to integrate technology in their teaching process development? What are the barriers to effective use of technology in education from the viewpoint of staff and student? Do fewer technicians hinder effective use of educational technology? Or is the reason the insufficiency of equipments and lack of maintenance? It would appear although we as a society has made leaps and bounds in the development of technology, it is still a long way off from being effective within an education sense.
El Semary 2001.