What are the leadership challenges to technology integration?

In our third and final leadership module with Dr. Camille Rutherford my class focused on those factors that inhibit tech integration in classrooms and discussed the ways in which we can meet these challenges and provide support of the intersection between technology and pedagogy.

After reading several articles about tech and education we collaboratively brainstormed potential solutions and also participated in a mock debate scenario where we professional dialogued about tech and its place in the classroom. Together we discussed the ways that we need to use our leadership skills to meet the challenges of tech integration.

While there are a variety of different kinds of factors that inhibit the successful implementation of tech in schools, these difficulties fall primarily into two categories, what I call, a lack of and a fear of. In terms of a lack, many schools experience little funding for appropriate technology. Financing tech integration can thus become a challenge to developing a useful 21^st century classroom. There is also a lack of training that often accompanies the introduction of new technology in schools, so that while the tools might exist and be present staff might not have the proper instruction or tech support that they need. In terms of fear, people naturally have a tendency to be afraid of the unknown and that which they do not have a great deal of experience with. Not everyone is a ‘digital native’ and many find the use of technology intimidating or uncomfortable. Technology also opens up the possibilities of greater information access, making some worry about issues of privacy. How can we, as 21^st century leaders, deal with these challenges and allow technology to be seen as a useful resource rather than something inaccessible or feared?

I would suggest that part of the reason why funding is an issue is because many are afraid of change and do not thoroughly understand why tech can be so useful in a learning environment. If we, as educators, can show those that provide funding how tech can be successfully incorporated into the classroom and why it has a positive impact on learning schools might have greater access to the tools that they need. We need to demonstrate how technology allows us to differentiate instruction for our students, accommodate their different learning styles and encourage them to think outside of the box in new and innovative ways.

Even if funding remains an issue there are ways that we can bring tech into the classroom without having a great deal of financial resources. In our workshop with Camille we discussed how many people are under the impression that you need to have the latest and greatest in terms of tech tools in the classroom, but this is simply not the case. A five year old iPod still successfully plays music and older computers still allow students to access basic programming like Microsoft word and Paint. There are tons of activities students can do with a basic word processor, including printing out fonts in different sizes and colours and making them into creative poems. As Ed Tech leaders, we need to bring in as much technology as we can into the classroom. Ask friends and family to donate old cameras they have sitting in drawers and organize tech charity drives. Explore cupboards in your school and bring out those old computers that have been tossed aside because they aren’t the newest on the market. Make a computer lab in your classroom and create a media center with the technology you do have.

In terms of calming people’s fears about technology, we need to ensure as tech leaders and educators that we aren’t aggressively pushing tech in a way that is only going to feed fear rather than squash it. We need to offer our peers and colleagues training and assistance without demanding their participation. Let’s show our colleagues how tech can be useful and wait for them to ask to be shown how to use the tools. We also need to ensure that we provide the opportunity for teachers to play with technology and discover its use value for themselves. We need to have PD opportunities where we can meet and voice our concerns and have fruitful discussions about the 21^st century classroom and what it can and should look like.

Issues of privacy and information storage (cloud systems, online info/photo databases, etc) need to be addressed. How do we use tech successfully whilst protecting our right to have private lives? Much of the resolution of this issue lays in training, that is, teaching people how to best navigate online tech resources in a way where they are getting the most out of their experience without jeopardizing their own privacy. How can we be smart about the ways in which we use tech tools? It is our job, as Ed tech leaders to provide training in this regard and help people make online decisions that work best for themselves and their own needs in the classroom.

As leaders we need to ensure that educators feel comfortable with the use of technology of, for and as pedagogy. We need to ensure that those factors that inhibit tech integration are collaboratively unpacked and addressed so that the 21^st century classroom can flourish without a lack of and fear of.