Barriers to the effective use of technology in education.

 

 

 

It may be said that technology has caused a revolution in education, from the early days of tape to tape language labs in the nineteen sixties to today's plethora of devices available to teachers and learners.

     But, alongside the innovations there are barriers that need to be overcome to fully realise the incredible potential of technology in education. Many older teachers are not so keen to embrace new ideas, preferring instead to carry on with old teaching methods and eschewing technology. On the one hand they are right, there is no substitute for good teaching and the lesson being taught is only as good as the planning, input and knowledge of the teacher. But it must also be noted that the rise in the use of technology in the classroom is exponential and unstoppable. Educators must really move with the times or be left behind in the slipstream.

By providing better motivation for these teachers and by promoting technology as a useful and helpful tool in education this barrier may eventually be overcome. 

     Another, not so easily rectified barrier to the effective use of technology in education is that of finance. Schools and colleges in areas of poverty may find it difficult to provide sufficient devices to ensure their students are given opportunities that are equal to those in more affluent areas of the country.

With a figure of one in three children in Wales living in poverty it is difficult to see how they may be afforded the same life chances as those in England. Crawley. J. (2011) comments that technology in education only works when national approaches and programmes are supported which take into account local circumstances and cultures. That is to say, unless national and  local governments invest sufficient funds in technology for schools they are setting barriers in place that may ultimately be insurmountable for many. Although it is simplistic to say that more funding should be provided to these impoverished areas, without it, these barriers will remain and future generations will reap the effect. 

     Time is another factor that must be considered at least initially to be a barrier to using technology in the classroom. When the teacher is using a new item of software or hardware and has to familiarise themselves with it and then to pass this knowledge on to the learners it takes time. Depending on the competence of the teacher and the understanding of the learner this may be significant. However, as Reece. I. and Walker. S. (2007) point out,  initial preparation, although time consuming, once completed should enhance the learning experience for the students.

     All of these barriers can be removed and future generations benefit from enhanced technology. All it takes is some effort on the part of those who are ultimately  responsible for the education of our students of whatever age. But the main culprit is money, lack of it or the unwillingness of the powers that be to invest in the future of our younger generations either through funding better training or putting money where it is needed most.

    

 

 

 

                                                                                     BIBLIOGROPHY

Crawley. J. In at the Deep End, a  survival guide for teachers in post-compulsory education. (2011) P 107. Oxford. England. Routledge.

Reece. I. and Walker. S.  Teaching, Training and Learning. A practical guide. (2009) P193. Tyne And Wear. England. Business Education Publishers Limited.