Abstract
The constant evolution of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) integration in k-12 settings has been accompanied by research into the relative effectiveness and efficiency of technology to enhance learning and achievement. Based on the literature surrounding the integration of ICTs in pedagogical contexts, this paper provides a constructive reading of the current state of educational technology integration in k-12 settings by taking Bronfenbrenner’s Systems Theory as a starting point to understand the ecological subsystems and/or multi-level factors such as pedagogical, social, cultural and structural contexts impacting on the integration of ICT in the classroom. Analysis of ICT in education using Bronfenbrenner’s systems theory allows us to be aware of the messages in sub-ecologies so that collisions or opposite signals do not materialize. We have come to expect that technological tools improve learning by default. Technology is not the be-all and end-all. It is just a tool. We need to let education lead technology. Before integrating technological tools in education, all stakeholders including teachers should have a vision and a clear plan of how to implement that. It is all about technology being led by pedagogy and not the other way around. Unless the whole sub ecological systems supporting ICT integration in educational settings do not have contradictions, we will forever stay in the trap of ICT being ‘oversold and under-used,’ as Larry Cuban says (2001).
Author Information
Jihan Rabah, Concordia University, Canada
Adeela Arshad Ayaz, Concordia University, Canada
Paper Information
Conference: IICE2015
Stream: Educational change through technologies
This paper is part of the IICE2015 Conference Proceedings (View)
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