Article 3, Teacher Adoption of Technology
Teacher Adoption of Technology
Early Adopters of Technology Equals Success
The adoption and integration of technology is often influenced by costs and benefits associated with how technology is incorporated. Through previous research the integration of technology by teachers is limited. There are many beliefs to why educators welcome technology into their classroom and instruction. The two primary beliefs in this study is associated with the ease of use and the sense of usefulness. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) has been studied to identify the failures of teachers to adopt technology. The TAM further uncovers how teachers who welcome and adopt technology early have a greater chance of committing to utilizing new technology. The anxiety of teachers increased when new technologies were introduced without proper training or future consideration to the correlation of the curriculum and the technology.
This study sampled 100 teachers in Chile, using Simple Random Sampling, who worked in rural school supported by the state. Three technologies were explored due to their increasing complexity of use. From simple to more complex technologies, digital point-and-shoot cameras, a national website for teachers, and electronic whiteboards were studied to provide insight into the adoption practices by teachers for new technologies. An online survey provided researchers with data from the sampled population of teachers. The goal of the study was to identify when teachers abandon technologies. Learning curves for new technology paralleled the same curve developed by Robert Glass, which specified an initial loss of usefulness from new technologies to a gradual rise in benefits/productivity over time.
The overall success of any new technology is the early adoption by teachers and innovators. In contrast, the age and years of teaching experience had a correlation with the early exit from using new technologies. The study confirmed the ease of use had a direct association to the success teachers had when integrating new technologies. Regardless of age and experience, when early adopters of technology support others, there is a higher rate of acceptance and adoption. The other underlying factor to the success of any new change is connected to positive attitudes and acceptance.
From reviewing the article, I see a direct correlation to the attitude and the early adoption major factors to the successful integration of new technologies. When teachers are open to change and welcome new instructional resources, the teacher and the resource have a greater opportunity to succeed. I question the technologies explored through the articles. The use of a point-and-shoot camera and a website have me questioning the serious complexity of such technologies. Both of these technologies have been around for many years; however, the electronic whiteboard a new technology would be a complex resource for new teachers to adjust to.
Throughout the article the research is directed to that of early adopters and the attitudes of teachers with new technology. I can’t say enough about the willingness of teachers to change and adapt to new instructional resources to help connect with digital-minded students. I agree with the learning curve Glass developed how the initial benefit of any new resource, whether it be technology or other instructional resource, sees an initial decline in its benefit while the teacher must adjust and learn how to use effectively in the classroom. I will am experiencing this initial decline in benefit and productivity with my districts new teacher iPad initiative. I know how to use the device, but how do I incorporate this into my instruction to benefit student learning?
References:
Aldunate, R., & Nussbaum, M. (2013). Teacher adoption of technology. Computers In Human Behavior, 29(3), 519-524.
Source:
Texas A&M University – Commerce, Gee Library
About Author
This was an interesting article. I agree that if the teachers are not trained properly on the new technologies, they will not be beneficial in the long run. Our district was also given teacher iPads last year and I can see a decline in the use of them. When they were first given to us, there were several staff developments given to incorporate them into our classrooms…lots of ideas and apps were shared. This year, there have not been as many staff developments and teachers aren’t using them as anticipated.
What an interesting article. You make a lot of good points in your summary regarding early use and acceptance of technology. It would make sense the earlier instructors can embrace new and varied ways of lesson delivery they will see an increase of motivation and interest in students.
However, we are all creatures of habit and probably over tasked by work, home, friends and family. I don’t blame those that loose interest in using new technologies that have excessive training requirements or are not easy to use. Finally, as you stated, some teachers are not sure which application of new technology would best suit the needs of the students and the objectives of the class. After all, we just spent 7 weeks considering that same subject matter.
Truly, for new technologies to be successful we must motivate instructors by showing them the benefits these technologies will bring to their classrooms. The software or technology should be easy to use and save time for the instructor. Additionally, it should result in better comprehension and application of subject matter. Finally, instructors need support through training and workshops before they should be expected to incorporate new technologies in the classroom.