It’s probably fair to say that most teachers, principals, and district leaders have a love-hate relationship with technology.
They love it when it is easy to use, boosts student learning and engagement, and generates a good return on investment of time and money. But they hate it when it is complicated and glitchy, has little impact on student performance, and wastes time and money.
Bad or misguided use can sour educators on the potential of technology to enhance learning, derailing future attempts to integrate digital tools into instruction.
With that in mind, the EdWeek Research Center asked teachers, principals, and district leaders across the country this open-ended question: “What is the worst or most misguided use of educational technology you have experienced during your career in K-12 education?”
We received roughly 800 responses. Following are 25 particularly useful or illuminating ones that we pulled from the survey results. You might not agree with all these sentiments, but they are worth considering as schools integrate more technology into teaching and learning.
—Elementary School Teacher | Alabama
—Elementary School Principal | Alabama
—High School Fine Arts Teacher | Arkansas
—High School Science Teacher | California
—Superintendent | California
—Elementary School Principal | California
—Superintendent | California
—Elementary School Teacher | California
—Principal, Other Grade-Level Configuration | Illinois
—Elementary School Teacher | Michigan
—Elementary School Principal | Minnesota
—District Administrator—Special Education | Mississippi
—Principal, Other Grade-Level Configuration | Missouri
—Elementary School Principal | Nevada
—High School Math/Computer Science Teacher | New Mexico
—District Administrator—Technology | New York
—District Administrator | North Carolina
—Elementary School Principal | Pennsylvania
—High School Principal | Pennsylvania
—High School Principal | Pennsylvania
—High School Social Studies/History Teacher | Texas
—Middle School Fine Arts Teacher | Texas
—High School World/Foreign Languages Teacher | Texas
—Elementary School Principal | Vermont
—District Administrator—Special Education | Washington State