Frequently when I talk with English teachers, I hear that they do not have time for technology. However, they do have time for the students to:
Produce many drawings about the story
Put on a play/skit about the story
Watch a long movie about the story
Do several word-searches about the story
Complete elaborate study guides about the story
They do have the time; they do not have the desire to use technology.
Do we as learning specialists (technology integrators) help them to see:
How it will benefit their students?
How will it motivate the students
How it will benefit them (What’s in it for me?) Saving time and not have to reproduce the same thing usually rank as some of the highest reasons for teachers using technology.
How do you convince teachers technology is worth their time?
© Harry Grover Tuttle, 2007
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This is a very big problem in today’s educational system. Teachers simply do not embrace technology. Sadly, there is no silver bullet that will solve this problem.
I believe this is a generational gap. There is a similar, and probably worse, problem in our public administration. The sad is that their negligence to integrate technology in their teachings adds to technology illiteracy, which makes us a less competitive society.
Once a new generation of teachers start to arise, we will see them more focused in integrating technology in the classroom. This effect will take a long time to fulfill itself, yet I don’t see any other viable option that can be executed in less time.