Mentoring Overcomes Barriers to Technology Integration

Abstract

This article describes a mentoring relationship among elementary teachers in a rural school district and graduate students in instructional technology in the College of Education at a university in the Midwestern United States. Teachers identified common barriers to technology use: vision, access, time, assessment, and professional development. The mentoring relationship provided the professional development support needed to promote opportunities for modeling the curriculum integration of technology, redesigning lessons around technology-rich resources, and overcoming barriers to technology use.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Teresa Franklin

Dr. Teresa Franklin is an assistant professor of instructional technology in the Department of Educational Studies at Ohio University’s College of Education. Her interests include distance education and mentoring in online environments, K–12 instructional design issues, and the learning processes that occur when integrating technology into teacher education and K–12 classrooms.

Sandra Turner

Dr. Sandra Turner is a professor of instructional technology in the Department of Educational Studies at Ohio University’s College of Education. Her research interests include gender issues in technology use, bridging the digital divide, and the integration of technology into higher education.

Mumbi Kariuki

Dr. Mumbi Kariuki is an assistant professor in the College of Education at Nipissing University, Ontario, Canada. Her professional interests include the use of laptops in teacher education and the K–12 classroom as well as the development of online learning environments.

Mesut Duran

Dr. Mesut Duran is an assistant professor of educational technology in the School of Education at the University of Michigan–Dearborn. His professional interests include teacher education and the influence of technology in the classroom.