A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Using Technology to Support Education Reform -- September 1993

Conclusion

The initial enthusiasm for technology (especially computers) included rosy predictions about making teachers' jobs easier--with technology performing the curriculum selection, rote correction, and instructional management roles, teachers could devote themselves to the "human side" of teaching. Experience has shown these early predictions to be naive. Teachers are nearly unanimous in concluding that in the early stages of technology implementation, at least, their job becomes harder. The technical demands posed by technology use are just the tip of the iceberg. Teachers must be able to select, adapt, or design technology-enhanced materials that meet the needs of their particular students. Technology-enhanced curricula often place new demands on teachers subject matter knowledge and nearly always require them to take on new roles as curriculum designer, team builder, and coach. Complex, collaborative technology-based work can make assessing individual students a complex undertaking.

Teachers contemplating the above set of issues might well ask themselves whether their involvement with technology will be worth the trouble. The response from thousands of teachers who have tried it would be a resounding "yes!" Teachers involved in the kinds of activities described in this chapter and the preceding one typically find a new sense of mission and professionalism. They stick with technology, despite the growing pains it causes, because they sense that their students are learning more and approaching their classroom activities with a heightened level of motivation. Moreover, the new skills that the teachers themselves acquire, and the satisfaction of facing a challenge and overcoming it, add to teachers sense of professional growth.

Although technology poses many challenges for teachers, it also provides powerful tools for supporting the teacher's work. New software makes developing and modifying technology-based materials easier (although there is still much room for improvement). Technology provides a capability to store and manipulate both the products of student work and teacher evaluations. Finally, technology is making it possible for teachers to break out of their traditional isolation, communicating with outside content experts and their peers about the instructional content and pedagogical issues that are the heart of their work, and communicating with parents about expectations, activities, assignments, and student progress.


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[Challenges for Teachers Using Technology] [Table of Contents] [Chapter V: Effects on Student Achievement]

This page was last updated December 27, 2001 (jca)