Teachers Facing ICT The Case of Greece

The introduction of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Greek primary education appears to be carried out in the midst of a general uncertainty, mainly on the part of the teachers, who will have to cope with a new teaching tool and a new teaching philosophy that very few of them have learned to apply. The aim of this study was to elucidate the perceptions and the attitudes of Greek teachers towards the use of ICT, and to explore the potential of the integration of the new technologies in public primary education. The sample consisted of 951 male and female primary school teachers from all over the country. The results reveal that although the majority of the respondents believes that ICT is a useful tool for teaching and learning, and generally agrees with its exploitation in schools, it appears that they are not yet fully convinced about the advisability of the immediate introduction of new technologies in primary education. ********** Despite the fact that Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has become a common feature of schools worldwide, its influence on education and learning has been far less than what would be expected from such a versatile and forceful tool. The evidence for the learning benefits of the integration of ICT in the curriculum constantly increases (Mioduser, Tur-Kaspa, & Leitner, 2000; Ronen & Eliahu, 2000; Frear & Hirschbuhl, 1999; Chen & Looi, 1999; Kapa, 1999), while at the same time the failure of teachers to make significant use of new technologies in the classroom is also well documented (Dawes, 1999; Watson, 1997a; Underwood, 1997; Stevenson, 1997; McKinsey, 1997). This of course is not at all paradoxical, since the studies which present the evidence for learning gains of the utilisation of ICT in the learning process have largely been carried out in laboratory--style environments or with the participation of teachers who are considered to be either particularly effective or keen to take part in action research, technology innovation, or curriculum development projects (Kennewell, 1997). However, the vast majority of teachers fails to exploit the new powerful technologies in everyday teaching practice. Although ICT education has become a significant component of teacher education programmes, these courses appear unable to provide teachers with the skills and attitudes necessary for the meaningful application of ICT in the classroom (Williams, Coles, Wilson, Richardson, & Tuson, 2000; Watson, 1997b; Handler & Pigott, 1995). ICT IN PRIMARY SCHOOL CURRICULA In current classroom applications ICT serves two main objectives: * to help pupils acquire confidence and pleasure in using new technologies, become familiar with some everyday ICT applications, and be able to evaluate the technology's potential and limitations; and * to enrich and extend learning throughout the curriculum by supporting collaborative learning and independent study as well as by enabling pupils to work at a more demanding level by averting boring, time consuming, routine tasks (Drossos & Kiridis, 2000). Whereas early ICT initiatives in schools were essentially technology driven, aiming at developing students' "computer literacy," ICT started to be regarded gradually not only as a skill worthy to acquire but also as a valuable tool for the development of other skills. As a result, nowadays ICT has become a significant component of school curricula, a supportive tool for providing teachers and students with enhanced teaching and learning opportunities in the whole range of school subjects. The content of the national curriculum statements of countries such as the UK, the USA and Australia provide clear evidence for this shift from the teaching of ICT alone to the infusion of ICT as a significant tool in the school curricula (Drossos, 1998; McDonald & Davis, 1995; Oliver, 1994). ICT IN GREEK PRIMARY SCHOOL CURRICULUM In Greece there is still no central initiative for the introduction of ICT in public primary education. …