Title: Technology integration in public schools: generalising from Northeast Ohio to a global setting

Authors: Lih-Ching Chen Wang

Addresses: Department of Curriculum and Foundations, College of Education and Human Services, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Avenue, Rhodes Tower Room 1438, Cleveland, OH 44115-2214, USA

Abstract: Schools are conservative by nature, embodying as they do the essence of passing along the wisdom and skills of an earlier generation to those who must function in the future. Information technologies are the embodiment of rapid change, running through entire cycles of innovation in what seems the blink of an eye. When schools attempt to integrate technology into education, a major cultural clash ensues. The results are similar around the world, though the details vary. This paper attempts to provide a snapshot of that cultural clash as it currently exists within one region of the USA, discussing four different aspects of technology integration as it is taking place in the schools of Northeast Ohio: curriculum, pedagogy, administrative issues and professional development. In each case, the problems experienced by public schools are described, along with solutions which have been tried (whether successful or not). This paper concludes with a description of those dilemmas which remain unresolved, accompanied by a list of |best practices| recommendations for educators working to integrate technology into the public schools of any country.

Keywords: administration; curriculum; international perspective; pedagogy; professional development; technology integration; public schools; USA; United States.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCEELL.2008.019644

International Journal of Continuing Engineering Education and Life-Long Learning, 2008 Vol.18 No.4, pp.446- 462

Published online: 18 Jul 2008 *

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