barriers to using technology

For most of us technology is now a major part of our lives, there does however, remain a certain amount of scepticism and indeed technophobia among many people. Certain generations will quote age as a barrier to using technology. They feel that as they have not used it their entire lives then they will not be able to acquire the 'knack'. On a personal note I have found many younger learners to be curious about technology in a 'what's that?' way whereas with adult learners that way of looking at technology is not always there. I remember in an adult class setting a task to bring to class some photos, on the day of the next class I showed my photographs and then came the part of the task where they talked about their photographs. It was very interesting to watch the scrabble for mobile phones and them finding their photographs, having to ask each other for help when they could not locate them. This was in stark in stark contrast to my younger learners who would frequently enter my class with their heads buried in their Smartphone screen and/or with headphones in place. I should point out that this is a generalisation but I do think therefore, the 'challenge' with incorporating technology with adult learners is that they can have a vastly differing experience of using it. Another significant barrier is the logistical one, something that most of us who use technology on a regular basis encounter. My recent example was the PC crashing when trying to download and use Smart software. We have thankfully now reached a mutual understanding and appreciation of this despite the original misgivings the computer had! In their article J Keengwe et al split such barriers in two types- first-order and second-order "first-order barriers include lack of equipment, unreliability of equipment, lack of technical support and other resource related issues. Second-order barriers include...teacher-level factors, such as beliefs about teaching and technology and openness to change." Although they refer to studies from the early two thousands they do provide some interesting insights into the work that still needs to be done to integrate technology and remind us that "although technologies allow  students to work more productively than in the past , the teacher's role in technology-rich classrooms is more demanding than ever"   

Reference
Keengwe, J., Onchwari, G., & Wachira, P. (2008). Computer Technology Integration and Student learning: Barriers and promise. Journal of science education and technology , 17 (6), 560-565.