Abstract—Theď€ aim of this research is to examine the
integration of technology and the barriers to its assimilation by
students in the classroom. The work presented in this
document was framed by a review of the academic literature,
pedagogic experience as an educator and observations as a
school administrator. The dual definition of technology as it
relates to the user, digital native and digital immigrant, no
longer holds value as the demographic saddled with the
neophyte label has become fully assimilated into mainstream
society and the digital natives have come of age. Despite the
ubiquitous nature of technology, schools still struggle to make
technology relevant and accessible to all students. Students
living in poverty have less access and facility with technology
than their more affluent peers. Teacher attitudes greatly affect
the assimilation and use of technology by students. Their role
in making technology accessible to underprivileged students is
critical for success in adulthood. It is the opinion of this author
that clarification of the purpose of technology is necessary to
define the pedagogic approach of schools. Furthermore,
teaching technology as an isolated subject is limiting and
nearsighted. Efforts must be made to embed technology in all
disciplines as a facilitator, not the end itself. A constructivist
approach to education is advocated where technology becomes
an invisible component of inquiry and learning.
Index Terms—Constructivist, schools, teacher attitudes,
technology integration, underprivileged.
S. Soujah is the with Morden Collegiate Institute in Morden, Manitoba.
He is also with the University of Nebraska and the Southern Region for the
Manitoba Council of School Administrators, Lebanon (e-mail:
ssoujah@westernsd.mb.ca).
Cite: S. Soujah, "Technology Integration in Schools Is We Overinvested and Underprepared?," International Journal of Information and Education Technology vol. 4, no. 5, pp. 444-447, 2014.