Saturday, October 15, 2011

Self-efficacy for Technology Use: No Kidding!

Recently, a growing body of research has focused on self-efficacy as a factor that impacts teacher willingness to integrate new forms of technology into their classroom. I don't see how this was a surprise or even particularly research worth. I'm not belittling the research or stating that it didn't provide information but technology is just another "new" item for teachers. Previous research of successful curricular integration practices have demonstrated the buy-in and self-efficacy of the staff are major contributors towards longevity of the attempted "new" program.

So why do another study on self-efficacy? For me, such studies only serve to perpetuate the belief that technology is somehow different than any other curricular practice. The perpetuation of this misguided belief that segregates technology from other classroom pedagogy practice shows the prejudice which many educators and researchers continue to harbor when considering technology use in the classroom

It is time we stop making excuses for our lack of technology use. We need to cease asking if it will raise standardized test scores, if it fits our curriculum, if we feel comfortable using Web 2.0 technologies. The questions we need to ask are: Why isn't technology part of standardized testing as it already is in many nations that are using Programme for International Students Assessment (PISA) and the Programme or the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC)? Why isn't real technology use required in our curriculum? Why is how we feel about using technology more important than the comfort level of our students?

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