Teachers and Technology

With advancements in technology rapidly developing, it is no surprise that it is affecting schools and teaching methods in a big way. The National Center for Educational Statistics reports that in the year 2001 ninety-nine percent of all schools had internet access and eighty seven percent had access in the classroom. Now, not only are the students being educated in using computers and other technological tools, but is now almost a requirement for most teachers to be skilled in that area. In addition to having adequate knowledge in their subject area and knowledge in the teaching field, technology and computers have become an integral part of a teacher's job requirements.

Unfortunately, because the most important technological advances have happened over the last twenty years or so, there are many teachers currently in the school system who have little or no technological background. In my high school I had at least three teachers my senior year that had reasonable frustration over the new computer based grading system that was implemented that year. I had one teacher who had only used a typewriter for every test, quiz and handout up until that time, and had barely even been on a computer. What worries me is that there are many other teachers out there with the same handicap.

The National Educational Technology Standards is one project that is trying to change that. NETS for teacher's is a list of requirements of which the teachers must be competent in. The following is directly taken from the website for National Educational Technology Standards: (http://cnets.iste.org)

I. Technology Operations and Concepts

Teachers demonstrate a sound understanding of technology oper...

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... teachers that reported have spent some time in professional development activities that included the use of computers and/or the internet.

Reasons that teacher's give that are obstructions from using technology in the classrooms were: not enough computers, outdated computers, lack of time in schedule, lack of time for the teacher's to plan ways to use the computers and the internet, lack of good instructional software, inadequate training or lack of technical support, and concern about student access to inappropriate materials.

With more advances in technology, hopefully, there will come more programs and classes to educate people about how to use it properly. In schools all across the country teacher's and students use computers and other technologies in their home and personal lives, and the computer in the classroom is only the next natural progression.