June 2008 — News
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Classroom Technology 'Woefully Inadequate,' Study Finds
So what to do about the situation?
NEA/AFT researchers made a number of recommendations for rectifying some of the problems. These include:
- Increasing access to technology in the classroom, including the additional of portable and wireless technologies that are not bound to a school's wired infrastructure and not restricted solely to school use;
- Increasing access to planning software for teachers;
- Involving more teachers in software purchase decisions;
- Involving teacher unions to support technology initiatives through the active pursuit of more funding, lobbying legislatures, and helping to develop technology plans; and
- Improving professional development/technology training for teachers, particularly in the area of instructional software, and tying in technology training to licensure.
"Schools should capitalize on the enthusiasm that educators and students show toward using technology, particularly in urban and rural/small town schools, by seeking more ways to use technology for the greatest gain in student achievement," the report said. "State and district leaders should encourage schools to use technology in more creative ways by permitting more flexibility in instruction and by providing incentives that support technology-enriched programs. More ways should be found to motivate the most experienced educators to use technology through better training and more curriculum-related opportunities."
The complete NEA/AFT report, including methodology, demographics, discussions, and additional data broken down by geography and grade level, can be downloaded in PDF form here.
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About the author: David Nagel is the executive editor for 1105 Media's online education technology publications, including THE Journal and Campus Technology. He can be reached at dnagel@1105media.com.
Proposals for articles and tips for news stories, as well as questions and comments about this publication, should be submitted to David Nagel, executive editor, at dnagel@1105media.com.
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