Interview with a teacher about technology

This week we were supposed to interview a teacher about technology in the classroom. (Questions below). I had a hard time with this because most teachers do not really use technology in the classroom, aside from projectors. I asked 3 different teachers to help out with this interview and got similar responses. "I don't really use technology in my classroom" - Kindergarten teacher

(1) What tools are their favorite tech and web tools to use in the classroom?
- "I really like my document camera" -Kindergarten teacher
- "I rarely use technology. Sometimes I'll use the projector for handouts I don't want to print off" - 4th grade teacher
- One teacher (a preschool teacher) even thought that using a CD player for books on tape was an innovative use of technology. When it came to learning tools she said "I'm old fashioned I guess. I get all my information from books"

(2) What are their biggest frustrations with technology in the classroom?
- The kindergarten teacher I interviewed said she is most frustrated with the smartboard because she doesn't know how to use it. When I asked if they had training seminars she said the school offers them once a month but "Who has time for that?" Another frustration for her was that the smartboard wasn't installed properly in her classroom and therefore couldn't be used without being a 'safety hazard'
- The preschool teacher was most frustrated with the fact that kids always try to touch it and she is afraid of things getting broken or mistreated.


(3) What is the biggest misconception about using technology in the classroom?
- The most common answer for this was that it's easy to incorporate technology. The teachers I interviewed felt as though it was too difficult to incorporate technology while still getting the material across. And even then, none of them knew how to use it.


(4) What are the biggest hurdles that you face as an educator using technology in the classroom?
- The kindergarten teacher said the hurdle is learning how to use these new tools. However she herself admitted to not partaking in the class to learn. Another thing she found as a hurdle was the use of youtube. While it has some fun videos for kids, you have to be very careful to weed out the inappropriate stuff as well.
- The other 2 teachers also touched on the fact that while the internet has useful tools it also has a lot of inappropriate material which can be too time consuming to weed out.


(5) What has been your biggest success with technology integration in the classroom?
- The preschool teacher said that students respond positively to technology, such as the books on tape and using the projector to mix colors and see them appear on the wall.
- The kindergarten teacher stated that she loved using the document camera for story time. Her students eagerly participated and were more willing to do the story telling themselves!

(6) Who/What has been your biggest inspiration in helping you to use technology in the classroom?
- This question didn't really apply to any of my teachers. None of them were very motivated at all. They each so rarely used technology to begin with.
- For myself, I'd say the biggest motivator is the fact that students are so engrossed in technology already and we can use that to connect with them and make learning more interactive and meaningful!

(7) Where do you see technology integration heading in the future?
- The kindergarten teacher said that she felt as though technology was going to take over and "robots might take her job". I had to laugh.
- What was interesting is that the 4th grade teacher said something completely different. She believed that technology wouldn't go far because it was a dead end for teachers. She believed it was unnecessary in the classroom and herself took no part in it.


All in all, I think technology isn't as prevalent in classrooms because of the mere fact that teachers do not know how to use it or use it effectively. The training is out there, but I think too few teachers care enough to go out and learn these new skills. Which is a shame. We are only hurting our students learning, not ourselves.