Issues and Impediments Faced by Canadian Teachers while Integrating ICT in Pedagogical Practice

Abstract

Teachers in many schools struggle to integrate Information and Communications Technology (ICT) as part of their teaching practice. Among the issues faced by teachers when attempting to integrate ICT into their classrooms are gaps in ICT knowledge and skills, lack of training and inadequate support and scaffolding.  Other issues include inability to translate training into pedagogical practice and curriculum design and lack of access to current hardware and software. Research in the field addresses the exponential pace of technology development and obsolescence as well as the financial and educational implications of teaching and learning in such an environment. Teachers are core to the integration of ICT in the classroom and hence are often under pressure, since ICT integration is not just about having the right hardware and software; it is deeper and covers many layers. Integrating ICT requires a harmonious synchronicity of content, teacher knowledge, compatible theoretical framework and suitable pedagogy all at the appropriate stage of knowledge acquisition. This review explores the current obstacles to ICT integration in the Canadian classroom as well as the issues faced by educators related to these obstacles.