In order for teachers to effectively integrate technology into classroom practice, several challenges have been identified which must be addressed. Ertmer (1999) described these challenges in terms of first and second order barriers. First order barriers are those which are external to the teacher and include hardware, software, administration and support. Intrinsic barriers specific to each teacher are identified as second order barriers and these are related to the teachers own beliefs and attitudes towards technology and pedagogy. First order barriers can be tackled with appropriate administration and financial support. While continual professional develop (CPD) with an emphasis on authentic learning situations (Ertmer et al., 2012) have been shown to be effective in addressing second order barriers. In Ireland, there has been a deployment of high speed broadband to all secondary level schools since 2012. However, this has not yet been supported with sufficient CPD for teachers to develop their own technological pedagogical skills.
This research focusses on the integration of 1: 1 tablet technology in a lower secondary school in Ireland who won a prize to receive devices for an entire year cohort of lower secondary students and their teachers. As part of this prize, the school were supported in upgrading their infrastructure, the 1: 1 devices were pre-loaded with appropriate software and e-books and a full-time IT technician was employed in the school.
Data has been collected from these teachers at several key stages during the deployment of these 1: 1 devices using a questionnaire, focus group discussions and classroom observations. The teachers received training on the classroom management software as well as on specific software and applications relevant to their subject.
This paper presents on the participating teacher's initial beliefs and attitudes towards technology and its current use in the classroom. The key needs and learning outcomes of the subject curricula (12 subjects) as ascertained from focus groups will be presented. Several of the teachers collaborated with the researchers to develop pilot lessons and implement in their classrooms. These pilot lessons were observed by the researcher and a description of each of these lessons will be presented.