From Chalkboards to Chatbots: Teachers' Perspectives on Technology in Education

• In Event: Global perspectives on Artificial Intelligence

Proposal

Few innovations have generated such excitement and idealism—and such disappointment and cynicism—as information and communication technology in education. Four decades after the introduction of computers in schools; three decades after the first 1:1 computing program was launched in Australia; two decades after the appearance of virtual schools; roughly a decade after the dawn of tablets; and now, as generative artificial intelligence poises itself to remake education, the noise around educational technology is as cacophonous and contradictory as ever.

CIES 2025 challenges us to focus on the juxtaposition of excitement and disillusionment with educational technology over the last several decades and plumb the causes of technology’s complex effects. And who better to ask about this dichotomy than those directly using technology for teaching and learning—teachers?

Since 2022, the author of this proposal has conducted in-depth interviews with 134 educators across 28 countries, exploring their experiences teaching with technology. What are teachers' views of technology in education? How do they experience and implement technology in their classrooms? What progress, and frustrations, have they witnessed over the last several decades of technology in schools? What tangible benefits does technology hold for teachers and for their learners?

This ongoing study, which began initially as part of the 2023 Global Education Monitoring Report (to which the author contributed), has evolved into a broader exploration of the logistical and pedagogical challenges and opportunities teachers face in increasingly digital learning environments. This presentation will touch on several key themes that have emerged from this study:

1. Adoption patterns: How teachers integrate technology into their teaching practices across different contexts.
2. Barriers and supports to technology integration: The obstacles teachers face and the assistance they require to effectively integrate technology to improve student learning.
3. COVID-19’s impact on technology use: The impact of COVID-19 school closures on teachers' use of technology and their ability to teach via technology.
4. Professional development: Teachers’ evolving in an increasingly digital educational ecosystem.
5. AI in Education (AIED): Teachers' perspectives and experiences with artificial intelligence in the classroom, in particular their views on its potential to support or undermine the role of the teacher.

By amplifying teachers' voices from both the Global North and South, this presentation offers actionable insights for education policymakers, school administrators, and teacher educators. It aims to inform future directions in teacher training, education policy, and technology development, bridging the gap between technological aspirations and classroom realities in the global context of educational technology.

Author

• Mary Catherine Burns, Mary Burns