Technology Facade Checklist and Analysis
April 21, 2004

Technology is having an impact on the education system, at least technically speaking. Most learning institutions have purchased a tremendous amount of hardware equipment and furniture to keep up with the changing business world. However, has this investment in technology paid off? "Are students receiving higher scores on standardized national tests? Are teachers advancing their own professional development, or are the latest technology-based tools sitting idle most of the school day" (UOP, 2002, p. 3)? These questions need answers. "The Technology Façade [Checklist] provides administrators, teachers, technology coordinators, parents, [and] committee members" with answers on how to improve their technology programs (UOP, 2002, p. 12).

The author's school needs answers on how to encourage teachers to integrate technology in their classes. The school does not have an organized technology plan. However, the school has invested large sums of money on technology hardware, software and on staff professional development. Even though the principal and coordinator have shown enthusiasm for the use of technology in the school, most teachers do not use the equipment available in the computer room, nor do they take technology courses offered by the school. The author conducted a survey to "identify the strengths and weaknesses of [the school's] technology program and to pinpoint ways to make them better" (UOP, 2002, p. 12). This paper is an analysis of the results.

The author's school is a rural comprehensive six year junior and high school with a population of 1500 students and staff of 140 teachers. There are 40 computers in each of the school's three computer rooms. In addition there are five computers in the school library, two computers in the two faculty rooms, one in the vice principal's office, one in the principal's office and two more in the special education room. All of the teachers in the school have personal computers at home with access to the Internet. The school is well-wired but the staff is not.

The author asked six teachers to take part in the Technology Façade Checklist Survey. Two of the teachers are technology teachers, one is the school technology coordinator, and the other three are the author's colleagues. All six were very enthusiastic about helping out in the survey. Only the two English as a second language teachers sent in their checklists. The other teachers needed help with the questions since English was not their first language. The author interviewed the others on the phone to get their results. The six answers were quite similar. This showed that the survey was a valid tool in correctly assessing the situation at the school.

"The technology façade exists today in most schools. Few have advanced to the state of the art that justifies an A rating form the checklist" (UOP, 2002, p. 164). The results (See tables 1-3) indicate that the façade rating for the author's school is an F. This is not surprising since the school does not have a technology plan nor is it in the process of planning one. "A workable technology plan often spells the difference between a successful technology program or a costly failure" (UOP, 2002, p. 35).

The survey mirrors the situation in the school where technology is available, but hardly anyone uses it. Most of the teachers are "Techno-Phobic" (Thornburg, 1999) because they have not been "provided with the staff development they need to use [technology] tools effectively (Thornburg, 1999). Computers are not used routinely. Perhaps they would be if the computers were open during the breaks and before and after school. It is advisable to have some computers in the classrooms rather than in areas that are at a distance from the classroom. Most of the teachers don't use lesson plans in their regular classes. Training could provide the staff with computer instruction and how to integrate these into the teachers' lesson plans. The results of the checklist of the author's school are very low. The lowest part is the viable instructional strategy. The highest is the necessary infrastructure. The technology is available but the teachers are not using it. Some of them are unable to leave their old ways and give technology a chance. They are very skeptical of using something new. "Teachers need demonstrated lessons, modeling, and coaching that shows them how to teach their curricula with the latest technological enhancements and sees these meaningful links between the technology standards and the curriculum at every step of the training" (Crystal, 2001).

An interesting fact came up as a result of the survey. The technology teachers, the school technology coordinator and the ESL teachers could not answer the question on how technology is funded in the school. Only the principal deals with funding. The author regrets that the principal did not take part in the survey. A façade checklist should include as many teachers and administrators as possible so that there would be a broader picture of the school situation.
Another interesting fact that came up as a result of the survey was that the school did not implement a recognition program for teachers who developed technology-based instructional materials. It is unfortunate that teachers who may work at improving their lessons would not receive any incentives. Teachers want appreciation for their work. The school should have a plan that encourages excellence.

The school needs a vision and scope of what it wants for its students in the computer room. Having the equipment is not going to do anything. "Technology requires changes in the way humans work" (Mulcahy, 2003), yet schools are "adding computers to a traditional, authoritarian, classroom-centered" (Snyder, 2004) setting. It won't work. The author's school needs to change from within. "As General Electric CEO Jack Welch has said, "If the rate of change inside an institution is less than the rate of change outside, the end is in sight" Welch (as cited in Thornburg, 1999, p.7). The school must find ways of implementing technology so that student learning could improve. For any of that to happen, the school needs to organize a committee of teachers, technology staff, administrators, parents and students to develop a technology plan for the school. A technology plan would help "overcome the technology façade" (UOP, 2002, p. 35).

References

Crystal, J. (2001 Septemberg). Building from within: Two professional develop ment models

that work. Technolgy and Learning, 22 , (2), 62-67.

Mulcahy, A. (2003, March 11). A new way to work. ICT World Forum CeBIT. Retrieved April 20, 2004, from http://www.creative010.com/Client/ictwf/press_on_site/speeches/nr_AMulcahy_ICT_World_Forum_2003March11.pdf

Snyder, D. P. (2004, January). A look at the future: Is technology the answer to education's long-term staffing problems? American School Journal. Retrieved April 16, 2004, from http://www.asbj.com/2004/01/0104technologyfocus.html

Thornburg, D. D. (1998, June). Reading the future: Here's what's on hand for technology and education. Electronic School. Retrieved April 20, 2004, from http://www.electronic-school.com/0698f1.html

Tomei, L. A. (2002). The technology façade: Overcoming barriers to effective instructional technology. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

University of Phoenix (Ed.), (2002). Critical Issues in Educational Technology [University of
Phoenix Custom Edition]. Boston: Pearson Custom Publishing.