Integrating Technology: A "Risky" Business?

In an article entitled "What makes technology 'risky'?: An exploration of teachers' perceived risk in the context of technology integration", Sarah K. Howard takes a closer look at different perspectives on integrating technology in the classroom. Howard interviewed and closely examined roughly 90 participants from schools all over the U.S. and Australia. What Howard found was that "teachers perceived similar risks when considering technology integration, but that these risk perceptions varied in intensity depending on the teachers' beliefs regarding technology's role in teaching and their conception of quality teaching." Basically, Howard came across two different mindsets: "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," and "I'll try anything if you tell me it works." Howard is suggesting that in order to successfully implement technology in classrooms, schools need to address the needs and worries of both the more reluctant teachers AND the teachers that are up for anything. Even the more open teachers have their doubts and recognize the risks involved with integrating technology in the classroom, and these doubts must be addressed and alleviated if we can ever hope to have more technologically advanced classrooms.

I found this article interesting because it raised some valid points. It began by listing the most common risks that teachers identified as possible threats to student learning. Even the most gung-ho technology advocates voiced some of the same concerns:

-how technology supports notions of effective and quality teaching

-loss of classroom control

-time: lost instruction time and lesson preparation time

-fulfilling cultural expectations

Now, as enlightened students and future educators of a new age, we might be quick to jump down the throats of these pessimistic technology naysayers, but let's take a closer look at these concerns. Truly, it's not so unusual to wonder how various technological tools could support quality teachers if we take into consideration that not all instructors (in fact, very few probably) have been shown how to use many tools like we have. Without being exposed to tools like blogs, googledocs, and explicitly shown how to use them, some teachers might be wondering what all the fuss is about. Another big concern is loss of instruction time, and a commitment to more preparation time in order to integrate technology. Some of us might scoff at teachers who make such complaints, but the truth of the matter is that integrating technology really does require some time commitment, especially in the beginning and even more so if one isn't particularly tech-savvy. 

As excited as we may be about putting the ideas we've learned in this class into practice, we have to remember that it will require making some sacrifices and taking some risks. What matters, though, is how we choose to tackle these obstacles. In this article, two participants were quoted on their beliefs about implementing technology in their classrooms:

Danielle: "I would like to implement anything [technology] that is gong to work to help these kids learn. If someone came up with a new something and said, this is the best thing ever, I'd say, let me try it. All the help I can get."

We'd all like to be more like Danielle. She's up for anything and everything when it comes to technology in the classroom because she doesn't see new tools as something more to learn or cram into her crazy schedule; she sees them as potentially helpful, and she's open to all the help she can get. Some things will work and others won't, but we'll never know until we try. Unfortunately, not everyone is as optimistic or as patient as Danielle. Take Judith for example:

Judith: "If there was more time in the course, maybe I would do something like that [use graphing software], but there isn't. It's tough to get through the course as is, so I don't see the time taken up by that as being a benefit."

Now, before we jump down Judith's throat, let's take a minute to remember where she's coming from. As much as we may hate to see it, it's not so uncommon to see a teacher simply throw their hands up and and dig in their heels when they're faced with yet another request on their time and patience. Truly, there are a lot of expectations thrust upon teachers today, perhaps more than ever. It is for this reason that administrators and policy makers need to adjust their radar a little bit.

This is what Howard was really getting at. The truth is, when it comes to the teachers we have out there today, the Judiths far outnumber the Danielles. We can tell them until we're blue in the face "Technology is great! You should try it!" But unless we can really prove it, and take the time to show the Judiths out there how easy it is to implement technology, we're not going to get very far. We need to let teachers know that we understand where they're coming from, that we recognize all of the worries and risks that they're facing, but that there are hundreds of tools out there that can ultimately make their teaching more effective and their time better-spent. Truthfully, if technology is used well, all of those risks that we identified earlier can be turned on their heads. Technology can enhance quality instruction, promote better classroom control, make the most of instruction time, and help surpass cultural expectations. The bottom line is, we can't just tell teachers these things; we have to SHOW them.


Howard, Sarah. ""What makes technology 'risky'?: An exploration of teachers' perceived risk in the context of technology integration." Academia.edu. 2010. 19 Feb 2010.

http://uow.academia.edu/SarahHoward/Papers/157658/What_Makes_Technology_Risky_An_Exploration_of_Teachers_Perceived_Risk_in_the_Context_of_Technology_Integration