Myths and Realities about Technology in K-12 Schools

The current issue of Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education (CITE) Journal highlights an article the Journal has selected for its series of “seminal articles” about education and technology by EDC Vice President Glenn Kleiman, director of the Center for Online Professional Education. The article, “Myths and Realities about Technology in K-12 Schools.” was published five years ago and provided an assessment of the state of educational technology. Along with the original article, Kleiman reflects in the CITE Journal on the progress of educational technology since 1999 in a companion piece titled “Myths and Realities about Technology in K-12 Schools: Five Years Later.”

In the new article, Kleiman hails growth in the range of technological tools available to schools and notes several promising innovative programs, such as virtual courses for students, online professional development for educations, and inquiry-based learning enhanced by technology. However, he also identifies persistent barriers that keep schools from realizing the full potential of technology. Kleiman writes:

“We continue to see computers used in ways that are peripheral, rather than central, to the curriculum and important learning goals. And we continue to see technology plans and programs developed separate from school improvement, curriculum reform, professional development, and special education plans. Although progress has been made in equity of access to technology in schools, serious inequities remain in terms of ways those computers are used in classrooms and the level of preparation for teachers to use them effectively. Unfortunately, in much of the country little progress has been made toward fulfilling the educational potential of information and communications technologies.”