March
2009
Teacher’s Pedagogical Beliefs0
This weeks reading was about the relationship between a teachers beliefs and their technology use in the classroom. Today teachers have greater access to different ICTs and more opportunities to gain technology skills (Ertmer, 2005). However, teachers seem to be using technology for tasks such as word processing and research rather than tasks that require higher order thinking skills (Ertmer, 2005). The reading suggests that teachers may be hesitant to teach and demonstrate ‘high level’ uses of technology in the classroom because of their beliefs which were formed from their past experiences with technology (Ertmer, 2005, p. 26).
Teachers need to feel confident and comfortable using technology because ‘the decision regarding whether and how to use technology for instruction rests on the shoulders of classroom teachers’ (Ertmer, 2005, p. 27). Therefore their beliefs concerning technology are going to have an effect on these decisions. In order for the teacher to feel more confident and comfortable with using technology, they should be gradually introduced to the different uses and applications of said technology (Ertmer, 2005).
Ertmer (2005) states that ‘the further a new practice is from existing practice, the less likely it will be implemented successfully’ (p. 31). Therefore a teacher could begin by using technology for a purpose they already value. Once they are familiar with that technology and value it, they can start using it to accomplish more tasks (Ertmer, 2005). For example, to successfully implement the use of ‘email’ in the classroom, the teacher should use it to communicate with parents and colleagues prior to introducing it to the class. This enables them to be familiar and comfortable with the technology and they will be more likely to allow students to use email for many different purposes (Ertmer, 2005, p. 26).
Therefore, I believe that it is extremely important for teachers to become more confident and comfortable using technology because today’s society is becoming more technology orientated. Students need to know how to use technology for various purposes and teachers need to be able to effectively teach this. I will definitely give my future students the opportunity to use technology on a daily basis in my classroom.
References:
Ertmer, P.A. (2005). Teacher Pedagogical Beliefs:The final frontier in our quest for technology integration? Educational Technology Research & Development, 53(4), 26-37.
Speech Teacher Uses Technology by Old Shoe Woman (flickr).
