ARE TEACHERS TECHNOLOGY COMPETENT?

Post date: May 25, 2017 5:05:29 AM

by: Engr. Jhon Zen I. Capulong

By this time of the emergence of modern technology, it is expected that teachers are competent in computer and internet use and other digital technologies. Many seminars and trainings are conducted to hone up the technology know-how of teachers.

According to Padolina (2006), the new millennium brought with it an air of great anticipation among individuals and organizations. Academic institutions and in the field of education in general, felt the winds of change. Talks of paradigm shifts in education were rife through the last decade of the past millennium.

The change being felt in education now, is not without basis and is not merely a reaction to the passing of a thousand years. There are forces that have been tapping on and ramming the gates of the educational establishments.

The technology investment in schools worldwide has increased more than a hundredfold in the last two decades. Much of this investment has been made based on the assumption that technology-mediated learning environments provide opportunities for students to search for and analyze information, solve problems, communicate and collaborate, hence equipping them with a set of competencies to be competitive in the 21^st century marketplace is more than necessary.

Carague (2006), stressed that many schools are now making substantial investments in new technologies for teaching purposes. The increasing ease of use and improved presentations and interactive features of technologies are leading many academics to use technology for teaching in significant manner.

On the other hand, technology has gained prominence as a tool within the different subject areas with the potential to enhance current pedagogic practice. Although an increasing body of research suggests that technology can improve academic achievement, changes in instruction based on these findings have been tempered by the following: (1) questions about the efficiency and effectiveness of computer technology applications in the classroom; (2) the role of teacher education institutions and school settings in facilitating or hindering computer-based activities;(3) the unrealized potential of technology; and (4) the overlooked consequences of technological development on children and youth with regard to their social functioning, interpersonal interactions, and global understanding. Various technologies such as Internet and web-based resources, With these knowledge, teachers use different technology to re-conceptualize the curriculum.

We will expect the students to demand applications of educational technologies in their coursework. Perhaps emerging technologies will become so entrenched in our society that teacher educators will find it impossible to teach without technology.

The teaching methods in twenty-first-century classrooms where ICT is integrated across the curriculum are considerably different to those used in the

nineteenth century. The used of ICT has been deeming helpful in the support and aid for teachers in the teaching and learning process. .

Elementary and secondary teachers and students are now ready to face the challenge of the 21^st century through technological competencies. Teachers of different subject areas are now honing up themselves with appropriate technology know-how.