TEACHERS want more training, better technology and more support to take full advantage of the digital revolution sweeping through the education sector, a survey has found.
Conducted by education.au, a national agency set up to support the integration of technology in teaching, found most teachers were internet savvy and locked into the latest technology but that more investment was needed to transform classrooms for the 21st century. The survey quizzed more than 1,100 educators, including teachers, tutors and principals and found that while 79 per cent said the internet was an essential part of their work only 36 per cent considered themselves proficient and confident. An even smaller group (27 per cent) believed the internet was transforming the way they engaged their students within and beyond the classroom.
Educators cited a range of barriers to using online technologies including poor infrastructure and bandwith, limited access to computers, limited confidence or expertise in computer technology and the increased blocking and filtering of internet content. Education.au chief executive Greg Black said the survey showed the willingness of many teachers to embrace new technologies to enhance their teaching and professional development. But he said it also revealed issues blocking the pathway to the future, including fears about cyberbullying and data security and an old fashioned reluctance in some sectors to allow students to use what was seen as fun technology, including mobile phones. "Of course we need levels of protection, but we've got a generation of kids who are saying that they actually have to power down when they go to school," Mr Black said. "My fear is not only that we're putting kids off learning, but we'll start to make governments question whether or not it's worth all the investment they're putting into the digital education revolution."
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