Tuesday, 12 January 2016

Barriers to the Effective Use of Technology in Education

There are some barriers that can affect how mobile technology aides teaching and learning, such as:

Some teachers are reluctant to adapt to using technology in their teaching. Alternatively, some teachers rely too heavily on technology and solely use it within their teaching (Gillespie, 2006).

In order for teachers to introduce mobile technology into their classes, they first require access to mobile devices, adequate technological support, basic computer skills and time to learn theses skills (Maier and Warren, 2000).

Inaccuracy and safety of the internet need to be considered. This can be done by ensuring students are aware of the acceptable use policy, certain websites are blocked and students and teachers know how and when to report inappropriate content (Gillespie, 2006).

Having technology in educational settings is a lot of money and a study conducted regarding the impact of ICT on learning and teaching in 2002 by Harrison et al (2002) found that the benefits of ICT on student attainment is yet to be demonstrated and therefore, critics would question whether ICT is worth the cost?

The traditional input from the teacher with regards to tone of voice, expression, body language and classroom control, are void in the virtual classroom. Therefore, teachers need to develop new ways of engaging with students (Sharples, 2002).

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