IT'S NOT JUST THE K-12 SCHOOLS

On the blog University Diaries, you will find this link to the University of Michigan student newspaper:

PROFESSORS STRUGGLE TO BRING
HIGH-TECH TEACHING AIDS
INTO UNIVERSITY CLASSROOMS

So, why, with the equipment so readily available in the college classroom, are so few professors using it?

Of the 184 professors surveyed, 24 percent said they didn’t have the time to learn the technology. Twenty-seven percent said they didn’t know about the benefits, 17 percent said the technology was inappropriate for their classes and 23 percent said it wasn’t worth using.

It sounds as though schools are much the same at every level. Relatively few experienced teachers will change radically what they have been doing all along.

I've found that to be true in the corporate world as well. Unless an employer mandates use of the technology, only the few who enjoy being on the cutting edge will learn new tricks.

This will change 2 ways:

• New teachers will bring in a different skill set, one that includes a certain comfort with the technology
  
• Teachers will adopt technology if they can see what the benefit to them will be (WIIFM - What's In It For ME). One strong motivator is a reduction in time spent doing a task. Another is if using the technology brings them recognition as an educational leader.