Use of Gilberts Model in Technology Integration in High Schools - Research Paper Example

Knezek (2009), CEO of the International Society for Technology, outlined in the Education publication that the finding was given support by his personal experience after talking to administrators from different schools. Administrators regularly informed him that they didn’t really have to urge the newly recruited teachers to check their emails any longer.—Even so, there still remained no integration of technology with any more frequency than the trend at the time. Bingimlas (2009) discovered that teachers seemed to have a strong ear for the integration of technology in classrooms; however, they still faced scores of obstacles.

The main obstacles found out were the absence of confidence and no access to resources. What this basically meant was that most teachers didn’t think they could implement different technology-based tools into their study spaces, and those that did couldn’t find the appropriate resources to get the job done. The research showed how there was a dire lack of use of technology in education, but it failed to offer any insight with regards to solving the problem.HPT (Human Performance Technology) is a method that involves analyzing the needs of an organization and then applying a variety of tools and processes to aid the organization in meeting the requirements and expectations in terms of quality in a cost-effective and timely manner (Woodley, 2005).

HPT is highly systematic i.e. it is a systemic approach en route to the improvement of productivity and enhancement of competence through the analysis of current and the desired performances at the workplace and implementations of interventions to narrow down the gap between the performance states (Woodley, 2005).Behavioral Engineering Model of Gilbert is one HPT example that outlines the ins and outs that go into the very functioning of HPT. It focuses on the environmental aspects that influence productivity in the classroom.

For example, are teachers given enough time with technology?

Are the school districts’ expectations or policies vague regarding integrating technology in the curriculum? Gilbert’s model offers 6 improvement factors of performances to enhance the individual performance, and group and organizational performances as well. These factors, often dubbed “The Six Boxes,” aid in the identification of the gap of performances and to formulate the system’s framework (Performance Thinking Network, 2012). This study will investigate the use of Gilbert’s Behavioral Engineering Model to identify performance gaps and other barriers in technology integration within a public high school setting.

Background and Need for this Study Acquisition of technology has become a significant expense for school districts across the nation. According to a report published by the Executive Office of the President, Council of Economic Advisers in 2011, $625 billion dollars were spent in the United States for technology in schools. This price tag represents almost half of the U.S. Department of Education's annual budget of $1.3 trillion dollars. Technology expenditures for K-12 education has nearly tripled in the last decade (Executive Office of the President, Council of Economic Advisers, 2011).

Riel and Becker (2008) compared the soaring costs of technology to purchasing an automobile with a price that has increased by 300%. Considering the cost of maintaining such a vehicle, wisdom and care should be used before placing the keys into the hands of another. Therefore, in today's atmosphere of increased accountability, the question remains, how can teachers ensure that technology is successfully, efficiently and effectively incorporated into the classroom? The responsibility of not just introducing technology but also maintaining it in a proper manner is in itself far too great.

In recent years, education has experienced an influx of new cutting-edge technologies such as virtual learning, transient technologies and the latest data systems. Mobile technologies like smart phones, laptops, tablets, PDAs and other handheld devices provide access to the Internet (Johnson, 2004; Pruitt, 2005; Vail, 2005). Social networking has also emerged as a tool for engaging students in learning. It is now being used in such a prolific manner that there is very little in any person’s life that isn’t touched by social media – education, too, has been greatly affected by it.

There is no way that technology can be kept aside when it comes to education, there are teachers that are implementing some form of social media related instruction but it isn’t significant enough to count. And in the context of social media we have to realize the consistently evolving and augmenting importance that it has for students. Several students have access to such technologies owing to their portability and Internet access. These new cutting-edge technologies are also a cause of concern for school districts.

McLeod (2011) wrote, “Every societal and economic sector that revolves around information is being radically transformed by digital technologies, online services, and social media. Very few areas of American life remain relatively untouched by these paradigmatic shifts. Unfortunately, one of those areas is our elementary and secondary schools and we as educational leadership faculty share the blame for this dismaying situation. We know, simply from projecting current trends forward, that in the future our learning will be even more digital, more mobile, and more multimedia than it is now.

It will be more networked and more interconnected and often will occur online, lessening dependence on local humans. It frequently will be more informal and definitely will be more self-directed, individualized, and personalized. It will be more computer-based and more software-mediated and thus less reliant on live humans. It will be more open and more accessible and may occur in simulation or video game-like environments. And so on.