Obstacles and Solutions – How to Overcome

If you have been around very long, you have probably already heard a plethora of excuses why incorporating technology into the classroom is just too much to expect. I have found myself pointing out the reasons we don’t do more. My usual complaint is our network’s “walled garden” is more of a tiny pot for herbs than a vegetable garden! So, instead of whining “what can be done?” Here are some suggestions for the more common obstacles:

Obstacle	Solution
I don’t know how to use it.	Learn by watching tutorials on YouTube or other sites Look for professional development opportunities from organizations such as NCTE and ISTE. Check your state’s education department for professional development or tutorials. In Arizona it is the IDEAL Portal Use the tutorials within the application Read the manual Have someone teach you, either a co-worker or a student
The technology department doesn’t allow it.	Demonstrate the educational need for the resource with sound research! Provide exemplars of how the technology will increase learning Have students present to the power-that-be Request access to specific sites instead of opening up an entire category
My students don’t know how to use the technology, and I can’t afford the time to teach it.	Team up with another teacher, like the computer applications teacher to do a joint project Use tutorials to assist students who are not familiar with the application Use peer-tutors as the experts to teach classmates
I have too much to do already and I don’t have time for more!	Use an appropriate combination of computer/non-computer application Use it as a learning tool as opposed to a teaching tool Using simulations, digital storytelling and virtual field trips are motivating alternatives to traditional lectures and pen and paper projects Technology increases student engagement, making class time more productive

As Roblyer and Doering point out in Chapter 11, regardless of your teacher education program, it is a teacher’s professional obligation to learn the tools through ongoing education and professional development.

Resources:

Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2013). Integrating educational technology into teaching. (6 ed., pp. 264-393). Upper

Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.