ABSTRACT
Numerous developing countries are currently executing or planning---pouring both hope and money into---projects that introduce technology into their educational systems. This paper puts forth the assertion that developing world ICT-in-education projects will continue to disappoint until they are reconceptualized and redesigned to incorporate three transformative concepts: teachers play the key role in determining the success or failure of such projects; change is a years-long process and not a one-time event; and teachers need ongoing support to adopt the technology and should be treated as stakeholders in the innovation-adoption process. In the Macedonian nationwide computers-in-schools project herein described, teachers received extremely comprehensive advance training in both computer use and methods of actively incorporating technology into their curriculum and teaching. Still, the majority of teachers are not successfully employing technology in the classroom three years after the training and deployment were carried out. This paper applies the Concerns-Based Adoption Model (or CBAM, which describes how individuals' concerns evolve as they undergo the process of change and how these concerns may be addressed over time) to Macedonia's experience. CBAM serves as a lens through which to examine ICT-in-education efforts and determine whether they effectively match up with how teachers experience change and where there is room for improvement in such efforts.
- Wesley, M. T. and Franks, M. E. 1986. Advanced adoption of computer technology in the classroom and teachers' participation in voluntary innovation adoption activities. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Mid-South Educational Research Association, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Nov. 6--8.Google Scholar
- Adams, N. 2003. Educational computing concerns of postsecondary faculty. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 34, 3, 285--303.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Gitlin, A. and Margonis, F. 1995. The political aspect of reform: Teacher resistance as good sense. American Journal of Education. 103, 377--405.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Richardson, V. 1990. Significant and worthwhile change in teaching practice. Educational Researcher, 17, 7, 10--18.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Fullan, M. and Pomfret, A. 1977. Research on curriculum and instruction implementation. Review of Educational Research. 47, 2, 335--393.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Loucks, S. F. and Hall, G. E. 1979. Implementing innovations in schools: A concerns-based approach. Presented at the American Educational Research Association annual meeting, San Francisco, April 12.Google Scholar
- Hall, G. E. 1975. The effects of 'change' on teachers and professors---theory, research, and implications for decision-makers. Presented at the National Invitational Conference on Research on Teacher Effects, Austin, November 3--5.Google Scholar
- Brzycki, D. and Dudt, K. 2005. Overcoming barriers to technology use in teacher preparation programs. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education. 13, 4, 619--641.Google Scholar
- Hord, S. M. and Huling-Austin, L. 1986. Effective curriculum implementation: Some promising new insights. The Elementary School Journal, 81, 1, 97--115.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Hosman, L. 2010. Policies, partnerships and pragmatism: Lessons from an ICT-in-education project in rural Uganda. Information Technology for International Development, 6, 1, 48--64.Google Scholar
- Hosman, L. 2010. Policy considerations from a nationwide IT-in-education initiative: Macedonia Connects. Journal of Information Technology and Politics. 7, 4, 369--383.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Hall, G. E. and Hord, S. M. 1987. Change in Schools: Facilitating the Process. Albany: SUNY Press.Google Scholar
- Fuller, F. F. 1969. Concerns of teachers: A developmental conceptualization. American Educational Research Journal. 6, 2, 207--226.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Anderson, S. E. 1997. Understanding teacher change: Revisiting the Concerns Based Adoption Model. Curriculum Inquiry. 27, 3, 331--367.Google ScholarCross Ref
- van den Berg, R. and Ros, A. 1999. The permanent importance of the subjective reality of teachers during educational innovation: A concerns-based approach. American Educational Research Journal. 36, 4, 879--906.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Gershner, V. T. and Snider, S. L. 2001. Integrating the use of Internet as an instructional tool: Examining the process of change. Journal of Educational Computing Research. 25, 3, 283--300.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Sheingold, K. and Hadley, M. 1990. Accomplished Teachers: Integrating Computers into Classroom Practices. New York: Bank Street College of Education, Center for Technology in Education.Google Scholar
- Nairn, G. 2006. Broadband network is the envy of the West. Financial Times London. March 28.Google Scholar
- USAID's e-Schools Project. 2007. Formative impact report for the primary school level. Technical Report. Skopje, Macedonia.Google Scholar
Recommendations
Technology workshops by in-service teachers for pre-service teachers
SIGUCCS '01: Proceedings of the 29th annual ACM SIGUCCS conference on User servicesThis project was an initiative through university courses to have graduate in-service teachers, who have learned the use of technology for classroom instruction, offer workshops to undergraduate pre-service teachers. The goals of the project were two-...
Everyday personal laptop usage in secondary schools in Trinidad and Tobago
The e-Connect And Learn (eCAL) programme is a Trinidad and Tobago government-led initiative, launched in 2010, that grants personal laptop computers to students entering secondary school. The purpose of this paper is to provide a snapshot of how ...
What have we learned from 15 years of supporting the development of innovative teaching technology?
Symposium on technology and the challenge of excellence in economics instructionIn those disciplines, departments, and institutions that have been investing significantly in technology, there is growing evidence that this is now paying off in the form of better retention of underrepresented groups of students and better student ...
Comments