Teacher A – 3/4 teacher (16 years experience)
Teacher B – Administrator (6 yrs), former middle school math/science teacher (12 yrs)
Teacher C – Administrator (1 yr), former district numeracy support teacher (K-9, 6 yrs)
| Excerpt | Analysis |
|---|---|
| “I find technology interesting, but it scares me. It doesn’t make intuitive sense to me. I find it exciting, but overwhelming.” | Teacher A does not feel comfortable with technology in her personal life or in the classroom. She approaches new technology with trepidation. |
| “What does the rest of the class do when 2 or 3 students are up at the board? There are lots of things going on in a classroom. It’s tough to balance technology with everything else going on in class.” | Imagining technology in her classroom is difficult for Teacher A. She does not see how technology fits into her regular routine as she sees it as something to add into or on top of the structure of her day. |
| “Sometimes technology doesn’t work and I don’t know why it doesn’t work and I don’t know how to fix it. I stick with what I know so I can bring it to class without much risk of it not going well or it not working.” | The unknown, and not being able to anticipate technology given her current skill level and feelings with it, is unsettling for Teacher A. She balances her desire to try to implement some technology in her class with maintaining her comfort level – the safe option. Taking new risks with technology and trying to solve problems with it is disconcerting and takes Teacher A too far out of her area of comfort to enjoy it. |
| “I don’t find pro-d workshops particularly helpful beyond sampling the products. I just “get a taste” of what’s out there. It’s a way of being introduced to new technology. I don’t get to go back to my class after and practice so I don’t remember instructions.” | Teacher A has shown interest in acquiring new technology skills by taking the initiative to participate in several pro-d workshops. She has become disappointed with the pro-d model for this learning as she hasn’t had the opportunity to follow-up these workshops with practical application or access to mentorship. |
| “Right now, it’s out of mind. We don’t have a portable SmartBoard anymore so I don’t have the opportunity to use it, so I don’t worry about it. I’m not even sure if I had one, I’d use it. I’d probably just opt out if I was offered one right now and say give it to someone who would use it more. It’s a big investment to buy something like a SmartBoard and I don’t want it to be a waste of money.” |
Without available technology to play and practice with, Teacher A has opted to maintain a familiar path. Should she be given new technology to work with, she also feels pressure to maintain a certain level of proficiency on an expected learning curve. |
| “Our biggest problem with implementation is just the speed of our machines. We can’t keep up with what we’re trying to do now” | Teacher B feels the processing speed of the computers as well as the connection impedes progress in her school or at least hampers its infusion into classroom as it becomes an issue of frustration with teachers trying to implement it. |
| “Until we get purposeful with how our kids are using technology right now – computer lab time, I’m embarrassed to say, is Successmaker and All the Right Type. If we can actually get them using it for something more than word processing or basic fact recall, then I think we might be somewhere.” | Teacher B is disheartened that technology in her school has not moved beyond drill & practice or low-level production activities; however, she is not ready to push the district for better technology until her teachers begin to use what they have in better ways. She would like more assurance that teachers are motivated to improve their skills before she invests in further technology. |
| “We have huge bucks in mentorship and it’s not accessed. We do have some tech people that we can access, but I think they are over-extended. We need to build a succession plan. We need to multiply the groups of people available so we can service the people who ask and we need to encourage people to ask. I think it has to be pro-offered.” | How teachers are supported in their desire to learn and use technology in the classroom needs to change so that teachers can have better access to ongoing mentorship and are encouraged to take greater risks with technology. |
| “The technology I’ve implemented in math before was pretty archaic. It hit learning outcomes, but it was rigid on the way you were allowed to solve problems.” | Teacher B recognizes the limitations within algorithm based software aimed at improving math skills. Its linear process reduces opportunities to develop math reasoning skills. |
| “I feel technology in the classroom is an important aspect of staying current and bringing the best available to the children we teach. It often motivates children, but I feel it is important to teach kids how to use it and when it is appropriate to use. It is important to honour different modes of learning. Technology is not the best tool for every child.” | While technology can enrich learning and engage students, it can also detract from it if time has not been set aside to teach students how to use it effectively and ethically. Teacher C feels technology integration needs to be part of an authentic process; however, it cannot be relied on as the only or best means of teaching for every student. |
| “I find some aspects of technology frustrating as there always seems to be some glitch and I need to be prepared to trouble shoot. I have quite a bit of support available to help with this, which is why I am often prepared to take the risk.” | Teacher C feels well supported in her attempts to use technology with students. She has learned to anticipate glitches and come prepared with a Plan B should problems occur, which has enabled her to deal better with some of the frustrating aspects of it. |