Teaching in the multimedia technology program at a community college allows a good deal of freedom to incorporate various technologies into the classroom. While instructors might be allowed to try out new technologies, there are still hurdles that must be overcome before successful integration can take place. Sometimes there is great technology available, but the technology literacy of the school or instructors prevents integration. Successful technology literacy and integration requires three things — awareness, training, and practical knowledge (Davies, 2011). On occasion, in my program, one or more of these aspect might be missing, which hinders successful integration.
Sometimes, there has been a lack of awareness or time to learn new technologies in the multimedia program. This doesn’t happen all of the time, but it reflects how other teachers feel in various programs. Teachers nationwide feel that there is limited time to learn new technology, lack of school resources, and limited training opportunities to learn new technologies (Kopcha, 2012). The “limited time” factor is one that I’ve heard a lot from other instructors. One solution the ITMMS (instructional technologies and multimedia services) department at my school utilized to help train teachers is surveys. The ITMMS department sent surveys to the multimedia instructors that focused on two things; what type of technology the instructors are interested in using and when is the best time to have training sessions. By doing this, the department obtained valuable information on the instructor’s interests and when, in their busy schedules, it would be best to hold trainings. ITMMS would then research the technology and hold trainings at the best times.
Another barrier for integrating technology into multimedia classes can be attributed to multimedia’s nature of using expensive equipment. Recently, there was a desire to use tablets and apps to teach students various design principles. There are apps that are much less expensive than desktop programs that teach digital illustration. Even though a tablet and app is less expensive than some software licenses, it still isn’t inexpensive. Sometimes, it can be helpful to go outside of your program/content area and see if any other teachers have equipment that could be shared. In this case, the instructor talked to the cyber security program and found that they weren’t using their tablet fleet much that semester. It was an easy solution that just required reaching out to others.
This obstacle is probably not exclusive to the multimedia program — money. Technology can be expensive, but it can also be free. An instructor wanted a SMART board podium in their classroom (SMART board, computer, dvd player, document camera). There weren’t enough funds, so the solution was found with some creativity. All of the features of the SMART podium could be emulated with a tablet connected to a projector. This worked and saved money. The multimedia program also uses the wealth of free videos, apps, and programs online to teach it’s students.
The multimedia field evolves quickly. Sometimes there are not enough instructors to teach enough classes that address new developments in the field. In those cases, we rely on technology to teach ourselves and the students. Implementation can also be a challenge, but with interest, training, and a good dose of creativity, technology use in the classroom is fun and beneficial.
Davies, R. S. (January 01, 2011). Understanding technology literacy: A framework for evaluating educational technology integration. Techtrends, 55, 5, 45-52.
Kopcha, T. J. (December 01, 2012). Teachers’ perceptions of the barriers to technology integration and practices with technology under situated professional development. Computers & Education, 59, 4, 1109-1121.
Jared Ritchey: EDTECH Learning Log 
Financing technology can be difficult for many schools at all levels. My school provides a lot of technology to its teachers and students, but we are very lucky to have the parents and administration backing the integration of technology. Unfortunately some schools districts do not have this option to constantly update their technology, provide apps or iPads. Students sometime lack the proper technology at home to complete assignments, which makes teachers plan around not only what they have at the school, but the tools students have at home. We recently switched to online textbooks for our students to save money and move into a “tech savvy” way of learning. Each day I have at least one students ask to take a textbook home because they are having difficulties accessing their online book. So there are benefits and obstacles we must face as we integrate the technology.
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Hey Jared,
One of the ways that our school has made training more accessible is start our own “Self Service” model of training. I have taken the various two-hour courses that I would have offered after school and have post videos, screencasts, and other course materials in our Content Delivery System. Teachers can go find short videos that cover the topics that they are needing and can communicate with me through these resources as well. The feedback so far has been positive. It also frees up my time so I don’t have to offer the same trainings over and over; instead I point teachers to the content and have open times for teachers to come and ask questions or work on projects.
Great post.
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Access is still an enormous issue in many of our schools. Not just students’ access once they walk out the doors, but also their access to devices and content throughout the school day. It seems like there’s an assumption that many buildings have what they need to move students forward digitally and it’s absolutely not the case. I was recently in a building (K-8) who shared a single computer lab. The computers were not wifi enabled and teachers were required to share access over the course of the day. During testing season, it was just assumed that students would not use the devices at all. The network in the building was so poor that teachers signed up for times of the day that they could stream content to share with their students using their projectors. While this building errs on the extreme side, I work in many, many classrooms where access is incredibly limited. Your post reminded me a bit of ISTE’s Essential Conditions for integration (http://www.iste.org/standards/tools-resources/essential-conditions) – access and funding is just one part of the equation. There’s much to consider when discussing the obstacles to effective integration. Great post!
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I imagine in an area like multimedia, it is especially difficult to keep up with all of the new technology available. Time, money, and training are all issues schools face when trying to keep up with the new technologies. If I am interested in using a new program, I usually have to conduct my own training. I also find that teacher’s resistance to try new technologies is an issue at my school. Many teachers still see technology as a toy rather than a tool to increase learning and aid in instruction. Our middle school science curriculum is now online, but I don’t believe the teachers utilize all of the features that are available. Lack of training and time are both obstacles that need to be overcome if we are going to effectively integrate technology into our content areas.
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I can only imagine the money it takes to keep up to date technology for teaching multimedia. I teach in a low income school and I feel like we are way behind in technology in general. Just a few months ago, our elementary finally got Wi-fi. We have about 70 Kindle devices in our entire elementary that we share. So, money and lack of technology tools is our biggest obstacle. However, lack of training for our teachers is a serious problem as well. We are currently in the process of forming a technology team that can answer questions and troubleshoot technological problems. It will get us by. There could be much time spent on this topic and I think we could all agree that technology integration is much easier when solutions have been found to our technological obstacles.
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