Having a go: Looking at teachers\u27 experience of risk-taking in technology integration

Abstract

Risk is an integral part of change. Technology-related change in teachers\u27 practice is guided by confidence engaging in and beliefs about integration. However, it is also affected by how teachers feel about taking risks, experimenting and change. This paper presents a theoretical framework of affect and emotion to understand how teachers experience and take risks in technology integration. The emphasis of this approach is on how individual teachers cope with risk and how it relates to learning. To illustrate the use of this approach, one teachers\u27 experience with technology integration over 3 years in an Australian one-to-one laptop program is presented. Analysis of their experience using technology and experimenting through emotions of anxiety and happiness reveals the development of specific coping strategies to support integration. Successful coping strategies resulted in decreased concern about using new technologies in teaching and increasingly positive beliefs about student learning through technologies. Implications for supporting change and experimentation are discussed