March 2002,
Vol.7, No.1
A Series of Brief Reports
RESEARCH IN ONTARIO
SECONDARY SCHOOLS
The
Integration of ICT into Classroom Teaching
By Scott Reid
Introduction
The use
of information and communication technology (ICT) such as Internet applications,
CD-ROMs, video technology and various computer attachments and software programs
have caused many changes in society. These changes have not just been of a
technical nature but more importantly of a structural nature. Many of the
major institutions of our society have changed and the way we live our daily
lives have been impacted. However, the impact on education may just beginning
to be felt as teachers integrate this new technology into their teaching.
In the early stages of the use of ICT in teaching, looking at the experiences
of teachers at a high school in the forefront provides some clues as to what
possibilities and problems may be presented with this new technology. The
purpose of this study is to answer the following research questions: 1) How
does the use of ICT change the work of teachers?, and 2) What problems
or concerns do teachers identify in relation to the introduction of ICT?
Methods
A qualitative
case study research method was chosen because it would provide thick and rich
descriptions of how these changes are being experienced by teachers. In the
early stages of the use of a new technology it is useful to use a open ended
research method which allows unexpected findings to emerge that might otherwise
be missed. The school has 38 teachers and offers grade 10-12 to 650 students.
With the permission of the School Board and Principal, a written request to
conduct interviews were made directly to all teachers at the school. Thirteen
teachers, from various subject areas, responded to the request and interviews
were conducted in person at the school at a time suitable to the participants.
The semi-structured interviews lasted from 45 minutes to one hour. All interviews
were transcribed verbatim by the researcher, then coded by categories used
in the interview protocols and other categories which were added as a result
of information raised during the interviews.
Findings
Changing Teaching
Teachers could give many different and specific examples
of how technology had changed their work. A number of things were being done
with Web sites, from giving students notes which one teacher described as
a "low end thing," to getting students to create their own Web pages.
One teacher was using a Web site to enhance an actual field trip. The Web
site introduces students to the animals and tells them what they are going
to be doing while on the field trip. It shows them techniques they can use
to analyze the ecosystem and record the data. The prior preparation through
the Web site helps students benefit from the actual field trip.
Several teachers mentioned that they used Power Point and other computer programs
to improve their presentation of material to class. Teachers explained that
technology enabled teachers to deliver more material to students and it also
eliminated several basic problems such as; poor hand writing, poor artistic
skill, contrast, lighting, and visibility. Another teacher makes extensive
use of software programs to help teach physics. The students go into the laboratory
and collect their data using the computer. Then they use word processing programs
along with Excel to do graphs and presentations. The software allows the students
to collect different kinds of data using various attachments that are plugged
into the computer. Using computer technology, students have more time to explore
beyond the mechanics of counting dots and setting up the experiment. It actually
lets them look at it and understand the concepts better. Another teacher made
the point that resource-based teaching or resource-based learning is almost
becoming "seamless, almost natural" in everything that teachers
do because information is becoming easier to access.
Changing the Teaching / Learning Relationship
Teachers reported that the relationship
between teacher and learner is sometimes reversed with regards to information
technology. Many teachers mentioned that they had students show them how to
use technology. One teacher commented that when students could help teachers,
it gave the students a big confidence boost. Some teachers went as far as
to use terms like "co-learners" to describe the new relationship
between teacher and student. Teachers also saw the potential for technology
to be isolating and realized that classroom and other activities had to be
arranged in a way that reduce the likelihood of isolation. Another point made,
was that in some ways the use of new technology may be increasing socialization
in some ways. People may be able to find someone who has interests similar
to their own to converse with, through the Internet. One teacher put forth
the idea that the use of technology in the classroom will mean the Arts and
Music as areas where students interact, will increase in importance to increase
socialization.
Administration and Expanding Professional Networks
The use of information technology has
changed school administration in several ways. One teacher explained that
when she started teaching six years ago, it was not expected that teachers
know how to type their own test. Now teachers are expected to know how to
use word processors and have their tests done in a proper format. Several
teachers noted that there is a move toward recording grades and attendance
electronically. Teachers are expected to check their e-mail, and a lot of
things that used to be done at a staff meeting are now done via e-mail. Also,
e-mail is becoming an important communication tool between parents and teachers.
In addition most of the teachers use e-mail to keep in touch with other teachers
and friends.
Concerns Teachers have about the
use of Technology
While recognizing that there were some concerns
and problems with integrating the use of information and communication technology,
teachers thought it was beneficial to the educational process and should be
continued. Several concerns emerged from the interviews.
Maintenance.
The problem most often noted by teachers was the maintenance of the equipment
needed to operate a technologically enhanced school.
Inequalities.
Another frequently mentioned problem was the disparities between students
who have access to computers at home and those who do not.
Need for training.
Teachers provided evidence of the importance of the efforts in-school to promote
professional development in integrating information technology into classroom
teaching. The professional development days held and the flexible mentor type
training available at the school was viewed as being very important by the
teachers interviewed.
Information Overload. Teachers recognized that sometimes students are overwhelmed
with the amount of information available and with the task of filtering through
the information.
Pace of Change
and Stress. Tachers have a hard time keeping up with the pace of change.
One teacher said , "People are stressed. Families are stressed",
and she felt this level of stress is being transferred to young students.
Plagiarism. One teacher raised the problem of increased plagiarism because
technology was making it easy to reproduce and revise someone else's work.
She said, "there is a lot of cutting and pasting going on."
Business Involvement. Another emerging issue, is the possible loss of control
of the education process to business partners. Balancing the interests of
these partners and that of the students might be an increasingly challenging
role for administrators as business involvement in education becomes more
common.
Teachers' Time. Teachers stated that information technology was placing more
demands on their time. Teachers noted that extra time was needed to learn
new software and also to create new things for teaching because greater expectations
were being placed on them.
Discussion
The use
of ICT is changing teaching in several ways. With ICT, teachers are able to
create their own material and thus have more control over the material used
in the classroom than they have had in the past. Rather than deskilling teachers
as some scholars claim, it seems that technology is requiring teachers to
be more creative in customizing their own material. Also, using Web pages
to enhance an activity demonstrates that technology can be used to complement
other aspects of good teaching rather than replace them. It is evident that
involving students in the creation of useful material as a part of a learning
exercise is a way to make school more meaningful for students. While the use
of Power Point presentations have been criticized by some, teachers at this
school provide examples of how it helps them with their teaching. The use
of peripheral devices on computers to help with physics experiments again
shows how ICT can be used to aid the learning process and help students focus
on higher level concepts rather than less meaningful tasks.
The changes caused by the introduction of information technology into learning
environments, are not without some potential problems which must be considered
by administrators. The information from this school indicates that some fundamental
rethinking of the education process may be necessary because of the use of
ICT. This will also put pressure on the school system to restructure the way
education is organized.
Further Reading
A more extensive report of this research has been published:
Reid, S. (2002). The integration of information and communication technology
into classroom teaching, Alberta Journal of Educational Research. Vol.
XLVIII, No.1.
