Taking the Pedagogical Burden - The Struggles of Teachers with Digitalization in Schools
Teachers' Mental Strain due to Digitalization: Exploring the Pressures they Face - Impact of Digitalisation on Educators: Examining its Effects on Teachers' Stress Levels
Hey there! Teachers these days are no strangers to technical glitches as more schools hop on the digital bandwagon. From network outages to printer problems, these issues usually fall on the shoulders of educators. "Digitalization is causing immense additional workload and digital stress in schools," warns Thilo Hartmann, the chair of the Education and Science Union (GEW) in Hesse.
Classes rely on technology functioning smoothly, and when it doesn't, teachers often find themselves in a pickle. "When things don't go as planned, there's usually no one to turn to. Teachers have to handle technical problems themselves," Hartmann explains.
At many schools, the tech-savvy teachers act as the IT department on the side. A few dedicated educators take on IT support, while some study directors are promoted, receiving a slight pay bump, or there's a minor time reduction. "But at many, especially smaller schools, it's on top of everything else," Hartmann remarks.
Maintaining devices can be a double-edged sword — time-consuming and often requiring a steep learning curve. Simple issues like computer room equipment malfunctions to Internet connectivity problems need addressing swiftly for classes to continue as scheduled. Ensuring devices are up-to-date, updates installed, and data and system protection maintained can consume substantial amounts of time.
The city of Kassel is tackling this issue with the 'IT Supporter@School' project, aiming to lighten teachers' loads. They've recruited 12 IT supporters who support six schools each. Nicole Maisch, Kassel's mayor and education commissioner, shares that schools can no longer provide this technical support on their own. "These are teachers, not IT professionals, doing this in addition to their regular duties."
IT supporter Thorben Schröder explains that he handles problems that can be quickly fixed on-site. He and his team are the point of contact for issues and requests, regularly visiting schools and, of course, for emergencies. "When my iPad breaks, I have a problem," admits Carsten Horstmann, a deputy principal at the Johann-Amos-Comenius School. The convenience of IT supporters lies in their ability to address problems promptly, something teachers often struggle with.
The digital infrastructure in schools was developed with the generous support of the federal and state governments within the framework of the Digital Pact I, as Mayor Maisch states. The goal now is to secure digital teaching reliability for Kassel's 55 schools. "We aim to ensure that teachers can focus on their job without the technical aspects consuming too much of their energy."
The Hessian Ministry of Culture acknowledges the digitalization of schools is complex and requires ongoing work. Significant progress has been made in various areas, including adapting existing structures, promoting competencies, and ensuring resources. "However, continuous work is still required to successfully navigate the evolution of technologies," the ministry says.
Digitalization in schools has made great strides in recent years, particularly because of extra funding provided by the state for significant school IT infrastructure upgrades. This ensures schools across the state are equipped with a modern, digitally supportive teaching infrastructure.
GEW sees advancements in digitalization, but there's still room for improvement. Urgent funds are needed to address the backlog in maintenance as equipment reaches its lifespan, and no funding plan is currently in place. GEW also advocates for expanded media education and equal digital equipment for all schools.
Making Learning a Stress-Free Experience
While specific details about measures to alleviate digital stress and technical issues for teachers in schools undergoing digitalization, like the 'IT Supporter@School' project in Kassel, are limited, general approaches often include:
- IT Support Services: Providing dedicated IT support teams to address issues promptly.
- Professional Development: Offering training and workshops to enhance educators' digital literacy and confidence in new technologies.
- Infrastructure Upgrades: Ensuring schools have reliable and modern digital infrastructure to minimize downtime and technical issues.
- Digital Wellbeing Programs: Implementing programs focused on reducing digital stress and promoting healthy digital habits among educators and students.
- Collaboration Tools: Utilizing collaboration tools to facilitate communication and problem-solving among educators and support staff.
- The increasing digitalization in schools has led to a significant additional workload and digital stress for teachers, as highlighted by Thilo Hartmann, the chair of the Education and Science Union (GEW) in Hesse.
- To combat these challenges, schools should consider implementing IT Support Services, where dedicated teams can address technical issues promptly, as demonstrated by the 'IT Supporter@School' project in Kassel.
- Professional Development programs offering training and workshops to enhance educators' digital literacy and confidence in new technologies can also help alleviate stress associated with digitalization.
- Infrastructure upgrades to ensure schools have reliable and modern digital infrastructure can minimize downtime and technical issues, making learning a stress-free experience for both teachers and students.
- Digital Wellbeing Programs focused on reducing digital stress and promoting healthy digital habits among educators and students are essential to addressing the unique challenges presented by digitalization in schools.