Technology integration looks at use of technology resources such as computers, mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, digital cameras, social media platforms, software applications, and the Internet in the management of educational institutions (George Lucas Educational Foundation, 2018). Use of these digital and hardware tools should aim at facilitating the process of teaching and learning in as
well as outside the classroom. They should be used to enhance and support learning processes across all subject areas in daily classroom practices, and in the management of a school. The purpose of using technology in education should be to enhance, extend, or enrich learning. Technology integration should enable students to apply computer and technology skills to learning and problem-solving and to show their understanding of content. Technology should be
a seamless (Hertz, (2011)
integral part of the learning process. When this happens, technology integration is
at its best. It is worth noting that it
is the curriculum that drives the use of technology and not vice versa. Technology should be used to support the curricular goals, and help students to reach their goals effectively.Teachers play a crucial role in technology integration. For technology integration to be possible, teachers’ existing beliefs about technology should match their practices regarding technology integration. A study that was conducted by Chen (2008) in Taiwan, to investigate why teachers did not practice what they believed regarding Technology Integration revealed that inconsistency between teachers’ expressed beliefs and their practices was one of the reasons technology integration was not happening. Chen (2008) recommended that administrators should take teacher beliefs into account when integrating technology. He further suggested that it was essential that researchers considered teachers' beliefs and other related factors when considering an educational innovation because teachers choose specific teaching strategies and materials based on their beliefs. Apart from teachers’ beliefs, all participants in Chen’s (2008) study identified external factors such as lack of access to computers and software, insufficient time to plan instruction, and inadequate technical and administrative support that contributed to low uptake of innovation. Participants reported that large class sizes with students who had differing ability levels prevented them from paying sufficient attention to individual students' learning requirements. Another factor that made teachers not to use technology in their classes was that they were under pressure to cover all content in order to prepare students for examinations hence they were uncomfortable to allow students to spend valuable class time to explore content on their own using technology. All participants' in Chen’s (2008) study used PowerPoint presentations.
In order to identify reasons that technology integration in some schools in the United States has not happened, Bauer and Kenton, (2005) examined the classroom practice of 30 teachers who were technology experts and used computer technology in their instruction. They found that the teachers who were very educated and skilled technologically, innovative and proficient at overcoming obstacles, did not integrate technology consistently in their classes. Two main issues that were found to contribute to this phenomenon were that their students did not have enough time to use computers, and that teachers needed extra time to plan for using technology in their lessons. Other reasons that the teachers gave for not integrating technology were out-dated hardware, lack of appropriate software, technical difficulties, and low student technology skill levels. Another hurdle that needed to be surmounted was the changing role of the teacher with the advent of classroom computers in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The teacher’s role has shifted from the content provider to facilitator of the teaching and learning process. This scenario has put teachers in a predicament in that the integration of computer technology into the curriculum was not planned properly, and that teachers were poorly trained to fulfil this new role. Fuller (2000) noted that a further complexity with the coming of the computer into the classroom was lack of understanding by teachers the role computers should take. To improve integration of technology in the classroom, Bauer and Kenton (2005) suggested that schools need to have a tech-savvy member of the administrative team who would devote time to Computer Technology issues such as ordering of computer software.
When due attention to pedagogy has been given, curriculum delivery can be enhanced and quality of education can be improved with the use of Information and Communication Technology (Louw, Muller, & Tredoux, 2008). Use of ICTs has the potential of improving teaching and learning when used properly. However, it must be noted that ICT skill levels are critical for the successful integration of ICT in educational institutions (Drent & Meelissen, 2008). Sustainable integration of ICTs in under-resourced institutions, especially in developing countries where there is rampant poverty, unemployment and lack of resources, is yet to be realised. For meaningful integration of ICTs in developing countries to be achieved, there is need
to align the intention of funders of projects and the attitudes of the would-be implementers towards use of technology in education. Other issues that may hinder successful integration of technology into the teaching and learning process include technological, pedagogical and social factors (Chigona, Chigona, Kausa, & Kayongo, 2010). In addition, policies and methods also have an impact on the adoption of technology in schools (Anderson, 2007).
Provision of physical ICT infrastructure alone may not be enough to ensure successful technology integration. Lecturer’s attitudes towards technology greatly influence acceptance of use of technology in education. This assertion is supported by a study that Hart and Laher (2015) conducted at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. In their study they found that teachers’ attitudes were generally positive. Strong predictors of attitudes were Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Cultural
Relevance. They concluded that for technology integration to be successful it was
crucial to pay attention to teachers’ perceptions of the use of technology in education when integrating technology into schools. In addition to attitudes of learners, Cantrell and Visser (2011) argued that the successful integration of educational technology depends on the attitudes and aptitudes of the instructors as well.
Other challenges that need to be solved to ensure successful technology integration in tertiary institutions in Malawi include limited access to the Internet and exorbitant Internet bundles (Chawinga, 2016). A study by Ramorola (2013) which was undertaken to investigate the challenges faced by senior secondary school teachers and learners in integrating technology in schools in South Africa revealed the following as the major challenges affecting the effective integration of technology at school level: unavailable technology policy, insufficient technology equipment, lack of teachers qualified in technology integration, and maintenance and technical problems. Ramorola (2013) further noted that integrating technology effectively requires planning, sufficient time, dedication and enough resources.