Are Teachers Prepared to Use Technology in Classrooms?
Are Teachers Prepared to Use Technology in Classrooms?
Although 90 percent of teachers believe that technology in the classroom is important to student success, 60 percent of teachers feel they are inadequately prepared to use technology in classrooms, according to research released Tuesday by Samsung Electronics America and GfK.
A nationwide survey of K-12 teachers revealed that while schools are taking steps to bridge the digital divide by putting more technology into classrooms, more action must be taken to ensure that teachers know how to integrate it into their lessons.
According to the survey, 81 percent of teachers agree that technology in the classroom enables students to get more hands-on experience during lessons.
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However, teachers overwhelmingly feel they need help to use technology in a valuable way:
- 91 percent of teachers believe that up-to-date training on using technology in the classroom is important to achieve success in the classroom.
- 37 percent of teachers say that they would “love” to use technology in the classroom, but they simply do not know how.
- Teachers over the age of 43 are less confident about using technology in the classroom compared to younger teachers, with 63 percent agreeing they need more technology training to support their students’ needs.
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Not only do teachers agree that professional development on classroom technology is vital, but they also have strong opinions about how it should be delivered:
- 76 percent say they would like a professional development day dedicated to technology during the school year when students would not be present.
- 80 percent say it would be helpful to download pre-existing lesson plans that enhance science, technology, engineering and math skills in a way that easily integrates technology.
- More than one third of teachers feel that training on technology fundamentals would be most helpful.
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The survey further illustrates that teachers also need a support system to successfully use technology in their lesson plans:
- One in three teachers are not satisfied with the support they receive from their schools in integrating technology into their classrooms (32 percent).
- 30 percent each are not satisfied with the quality of or access to technology in their schools.
- 70 percent say they do not have a technology center to provide them with additional resources.
On Monday, June 29 at ISTE 2015 in Philadelphia, Samsung will host a panel discussion, Redefining Professional Development for the Curriculum of the Future, where educators and education experts will discuss best practices for year-round professional development programs to support successful one-to-one learning initiatives. The session is open to all ISTE 2015 attendees.
