Barriers to the effective use of technology in education

We are living in a digital age where technology seems to be at the forefront of everything that we do, from working to shopping and keeping up with news and society. We all need to have the skills to be able to play a part. It is absolutely vital therefore that technology plays its part in learning and teaching. But how do we effectively integrate technology into education so that it not only teaches students the vital skills that they will require throughout their future careers but also enhance our teaching and learning? And what are some of the barriers to ensuring that we use technology effectively?

By studying the Barriers, educators may be able to overcome them and ensure that ICT is successfully integrated into learning and teaching in the future (Bingimlas, 2009). There has been a lot of research carried out and articles written about successful integration of ICT into education and they have mostly arrived at the same conclusion when it comes to highlighting some of the barriers that educators face.

The Barriers
During my research into this topic, all of the articles that I read were unanimous in the benefits and opportunities that ICT offered to both students and teachers alike, but as Dawes (2001) stated "problems arise when teachers are expected to implement changes in what may well be adverse circumstances" (p.61).

• Lack of training - This applies to effective training for teachers. This does not just include teachers individual ICT skills, but also to the training provided to effectively use ICT in the classroom to enhance their teaching and the learning of their students. 
• Lack of confidence - The lack of effective training can also lead to a lack of confidence in teachers to try new technology in their teaching. Some teachers may feel reluctant to attempt new things, especially in front of students that may be considerably more tech savvy than the teacher. I know that I would feel uncomfortable using technology to teach someone that in theory could probably teach me more. Let's face it, young people these days spend more time in front of computers and tablets than most adults ever did at their age. 
• Lack of resources - It seems like everything these days comes down to time and money. Technology can be expensive and ensuring that ICT is used effectively in education relies on adequate resources being made available to students and teachers to fully realise the benefits that ICT can provide. But, it's not just money, that can be an issue. Teachers time is precious and they may feel that they simply do not have sufficient time to plan lessons properly or research, explore and practice the new technology (Becta 2004).
• Lack of technical support -  Providing teachers with excellent technical support in all of their ICT endeavours is paramount in ensuring that teachers have the confidence and ability to use technology in their teaching. Most of the studies carried out highlighted technical support as a major barrier to success. Sicilia (2005) found that obstacles such as internet connectivity, waiting for websites to open and hardware problems were major obstacles that teachers faced; he stated "Technical barriers impeded the smooth delivery of the lesson or the natural flow of classroom activity" (Sicilia 2005, p.43).

By examining some of these barriers, hopefully institutions and teachers can find workable solutions to ensure that all learners, teachers included, can realise the huge potential that ICT offers them. This will begin a technological journey for many that will equip them with the lifelong skills that living in a digital age requires. My technological journey began with the PCE and in particular this ICT module, so far, so good. 

References

Bingimlas, K. (2009). Barriers to the Successful Integration of ICT in Teaching and Learning Environments: A Review of Literature. PHD thesis RMIT University, Bandoora, VIC, Australia

Dawes, L. (2001). What stops teachers using new technology? In M. Leask (Ed.), Issues in Teaching using ICT (pp. 61-79). London: Routledge. 

British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta) (2004). A review of the research literature on barriers to the uptake of ICT by teachers 
http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/1603/1/becta_2004_barrierstouptake_litrev.pdf  (24.11.2014)

Sicilia, C.(2005). The Challenges and Benefits to Teachers' Practices in Constructivist Learning Environments Supported by Technology. Unpublished master's thesis, McGill University, Montreal.

Although BECTA is now defunct it's still a very useful resource.