Teachers' perceptions and experience in using technology for the classroom

Abstract

In the digital era, technology plays an important role in the creation and exchange of knowledge and information in the field of education. When technology is applied in educational settings, it may increase teacher knowledge and support students’ learning and motivation. Over the last decade, social networking (including its integration with online games and educational content) has been introduced in classrooms to support teaching (Johnson & Germain-Froese, 2016). Many of these tools are free and easy for teachers to use to create learning content. However, these tools may not have an educational value in and of themselves. They only become important when teachers use them as part of the learning and teaching process. The decision about whether to use technology in the classroom often depends on the perceptions of each teacher. This study, therefore, investigated how teachers in secondary schools use technology in their classrooms and their perceptions of the use of technology. The participants in this study were 126 Thai secondary teachers supported by the Ministry of Education’s Secondary Educational Service Area Office 33 (Surin Province). These teachers were language teachers from 58 secondary schools in 17 districts of Surin, Thailand. They were asked to complete questionnaires to report on their use and perceptions of technology use in the classroom. The findings revealed that most of the teachers had knowledge of technological tools and had integrated technologies in their classes. Certain types of tools were already used by all the teachers, while networked educational technology tools were only being integrated in some classrooms. The findings also revealed factors affecting the use and non-use of technology. On the basis of these findings, pedagogical implications are discussed.