What+other+issues+do+you+predict+might+be+associated+with+the+use+of+new+technologies+to+support+teaching+and+learning+at+your+school+level?

There will be several issues associated with the use of new technologies to support teaching and learning. During the research of this topic, our group conducted an interview with Ms Emily Moody, an Intel Trainer at Urquhart Primary School in Ballarat, Victoria. Her role has involved Professional Development courses for staff and teachers at the school and teaching a technology based subject to grade five students at the school. The following are the issues she presented concerning the use of new technologies in teaching and learning. The first issue discussed was the inappropriate use of the internet on behalf of students. This is most likely to occur in the upper primary school levels and results in time wasting. This is a major concern as the current curriculum is already very crowded and time needs to be managed strictly and efficiently. Another issue presented is the educational value of interactive websites and how they are used. Some websites may distract the user from the educational content by the use of elaborate presentation of the site and games. The teacher needs to make sure they fully investigate the appropriateness of the site and how it will be used before allowing students to use it. To support this argument, the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory produced a study on technology in early childhood education; Finding the balance. They state that 'software can support the curriculum, but may contain many biases. Teachers can avoid the use of such programs, or point out these biases as an educational strategy to counteract them.' (NWREL, 2001, p.9) If these technologies are used excessively, the teachers may begin to rely upon them and they can be seen as being used as a babysitting tool. Variety may be an issue, some schools don’t have access to a huge range of programs/software/interactive tools and with lack of funding they may find it hard to keep up with the demands of new technology within the curriculum. Examples – schools may have limited or no access to video cameras, cameras, computers, internet, interactive whiteboards, DVD’s, videos, microphones, headphones, listening posts etc.. The NWREL also supports this argument in their study, suggesting that 'differences in funding mean that many lower-income and ethnic-minority children have limited access to computers and are often restricted in the types of software and purposes for which they use the computer.' (2001, p.9). There are many more issues associated with the use of new technologies, such as; teachers may not be trained in the use of new technologies as teaching tools and may need extra personal development to enhance their skills and knowledge in the area. Some schools don’t offer PD for this specific area and some schools don’t have new technologies as a priority, therefore new technologies may not be used effectively or at all. The final issue that Ms Moody discussed was that teachers may not always be monitoring students when on computers or the internet, she suggests that teachers need strategies when working in computer labs to monitor the students’ use of computers and that intranets need to be set up within schools to help monitor activity. These issues are based on her personal experiences within the school environment and the use of new technologies in the classroom. The NWREL suggested the following strategies to overcome such issues :
 * 'purposefully plan for equal access by all children, regardless of gender, ability level, race or socioeconomic status.
 * Select software programs that make children feel represented.
 * Choose software that allows for different learning styles and accommodates varying ability levels.
 * Actively monitor and manage computer use with young children.
 * Treat all students as capable and worthy of equal access to educational opportunities.' (2001, p.9)