Lit Review: Factors affecting technology integration in K-12

This week in class, I read a journal article entitled Factors affecting technology integration in K-12
classrooms: a path model, by Fethi A. Inan and Deborah L. Lowther.  It was very interesting, discussing the research they did involving what, why and how teachers and students are affected by technology integration. 

They looked at three broad categories: technology for instructional preparation, technology for instructional
delivery, and technology as a learning tool. They looked at factors that could be considered as positive or negative in regards to their technology integration in the classroom, including age, number of years teaching, computer proficiency, teachers' beliefs, technical and overall support, availability of computers, etc. 

The thing I found most interesting in their research is they found that "when teachers’ years of experience
increase, their feelings of readiness to integrate technology decreases." Also, as one would imagine, teachers' readiness to integrate technology stemmed from technology availability, as well as overall support from the school.  However, computer access is necessary, but not sufficient, to establish integration.  Their research also said that "Teachers’ computer proficiency positively influenced teacher readiness and beliefs, which in turn influenced technology integration."

So what does this all mean? Well, schools need to train their teachers and make them comfortable with all the current technology and make sure they feel prepared and ready to use technology in the classroom.  Not only must they train their teachers regularly, but they must also make sure that teachers are trained immediately when they enter the school, as this research shows that the more years experience one has, the less confident they feel about integrating technology into the classroom. 

This makes me feel confident that I am getting the current training I will need now, and I look forward to learning more and being able to learn how to use it in the classroom.


References
Inan, F., & Lowther, D. (2010). Factors Affecting Technology Integration in K-12 Classrooms: A Path Model. Educational Technology Research and Development, 58(2), 137-154. Retrieved from ERIC database.