Education is currently at a crossroads as traditional methods and tools are changing as a result of advances in technology and learning theory. We are beginning to see some schools across the country take the lead in merging sound pedagogy with the effective integration of technology. These schools and educators, whether they realize it or not, are not only enhancing the teaching and learning process, but they are also providing their learners with essential skill sets pivotal for success in today’s society. These skill sets include critical thinking/problem solving, media literacy, collaboration, creativity, technological proficiency and global awareness. The ultimate result with this shift has been increases in engagement as well as a sense of relevancy and meaning amongst learners, all of which are foundations for improving achievement.

Even as we are seeing more schools and educators transform the way they teach and learn with technology, many more are not.  Technology is often viewed either as a frill or a tool unworthy of an educator’s time. Opinions vary on the merits of educational technology, but common themes seem to have emerged, and some of the reasons for not embracing technology have to do with several misconceptions revolving around fear.

Time
The time excuse seems to rear its ugly head more than any other reasoning to not move forward with technology integration. The fear of not being able to meet national and state standards as well as mandates leaves no time in the minds of many educators to either work technology into lessons, the will to do so nor the desire to learn how to. Current reform efforts placing an obscene emphasis on standardized tests are expounding the situation.

This is extremely unfortunate as integrating technology effectively does not take as much time as people think.  Educators would be well served to spend a little time investigating how technology can be leveraged to engage learners. Once they do, their fears will subside as it will become apparent that standards and mandates can still be met while making learning more relevant, meaningful and engaging for students.

Cost
With budget cuts across the country putting a strain on the financial resources of districts and schools, decision-makers have become fearful of allocating funds to purchase and maintain current infrastructure. This is unfortunate as there are many creative ways to cut costs as well as free resources that can be used with existing infrastructures. Schools can utilize cost-effective lease purchase programs for computers, investigate the implementation of a Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT) program, or promote the use of a plethora of free Web 2.0 tools. After all, where there is a will, there is a way. Cost can be prohibitive at times, but there are ways to overcome this and move forward.

Assessment
Many teachers and administrators alike often fear how students can be appropriately assessed in technology-rich learning environments. This fear has been established as a result of a reliance on transitional methods of assessment as the only valid means to measure learning. Projects involving the use of technology that unleash creativity, promote critical thought, have students solve problems and enhance communication/collaboration can easy be assessed with teacher-developed rubrics. There are also many software and web-based computer programs aligned to standards that have assessments embedded into them while offering real-time results and feedback.

Control
For technology to be not only integrated effectively but also embraced, a culture needs to be established where teachers and administrators are no longer fearful of giving up a certain amount of control to students.  The issue of giving up control seems to always raise fear even amongst many of the best teachers as schools have been rooted in structures to maintain it at all costs. Schools and classrooms do not and will not spiral out of control when we allow teachers the flexibility to take calculated risks to innovate with technology or permit students to learn using social media or their own devices. To truly create an innovative culture of learning, we must not fear failure either.  When we give up control a certain level of failure will follow — however, it is from failure that we learn best and become better.

Lack of Training
With the integration of technology comes change. With change comes the inevitable need to provide quality professional development. Many educators fear technology as they feel there is not or will not be the appropriate level of training to support implementation. Rest assured, training can be provided and, in most cases, turns out to be cost effective. Schools can leverage tech-savvy teachers to facilitate professional development. There are also numerous free webinars available throughout the year. One of the most powerful means of professional development is through the use of social media, through which educators can create their own Personal Learning Network (PLN) based entirely on their unique needs and passions.
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All of the above misconceptions that promote a sense of fear when it comes to educational technology in schools are a reality for me a mere three years ago. It wasn’t until I took the time to educate myself to better lead my school into the 21st century that I soon realized my fears were solely built on misconceptions. The end result has been the transformation of New Milford High School — a transformation which is still continuing today. Don’t let fear based on misconception prevent you from creating a more student-centered, innovative learning culture.  Rest assured, everything else will fall into place.

Eric Sheninger is the Principal at New Milford High School located in Bergen County, NJ. He is passionate about establishing and fostering learning environments that are student centered, collaborative, flexible and prepare all learners to succeed in the 21st century.

As an educational administrator he firmly believes that effective communication, listening, support, shared decision-making and the integration of technology are essential elements necessary for the transformation of school cultures. Eric has emerged as an innovative leader in the use of social media and Web 2.0 technology as tools to engage students, improve communications with stakeholders and help educators grow professionally. Eric is a NASSP Digital Principal Award winner (2012), Google-Certified Teacher, ASCD 2011 Conference Scholar, co-author of Communicating and Connecting with Social Media: Essentials for Principals, writer on education for the Huffington Post, co-creator of the Edscape Conference and was named to the NSBA “20 to Watch” list in 2010 for technology leadership. He now presents and speaks nationally to assist other school leaders embrace and effectively utilize technology. His blog, A Principal’s Reflections, was selected as “Best School Administrator Blog” in 2011 by Edublogs.