Technology Integration and the Teacher-Student Relationship

Introduction

Regardless of the amount or particular kind of technology integrated into the classroom environment, the primary goal of educators is to prepare students for 21st-century skills and maintain conducive student learning experiences (Storz & Hoffman, 2013). Tallvid (2016) maintained that it is the teachers who realize the intentions for the use of technology in the classroom and are the “key actors in the process of integrating technology into the classroom” (p. 505). In addition, the teacher-student relationship is the foundation of learning and growth (Bernstein-Yamashiro & Noam, 2013). In fact, often these relationships are what enhance the learning process and impact the student the most (Bernstein-Yamashiro & Noam, 2013). Mendler (2001) posited, “there is no doubt that achievement is most apt to occur in a friendly, predictable classroom atmosphere guided by an enthusiastic teacher who ‘connects’ with students and encourages them to create, take risks, and share ideas” (p. 2). For this reason, a review of the current literature that takes a closer look at these very important relationships that ensue during the academic career of a student is crucial.

Classrooms around the world, although propelled by the pandemic to integrate technology without adequate preparedness, focus on 21st-century skills that integrate standards from the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) for which teachers are expected to empower students to succeed through teaching and learning, to inspire students to participate in the digital world, and to facilitate learning with technology to support student achievement (ISTE, 2017; Partnership for 21st Century Learning, n.d.). As educators integrate technology in the classroom to prepare students for 21st-century skills and the 21st-century workplace, it is critical to understand that the vital relationships that develop in the classroom, especially amid a pandemic, continue to be the foundation of the learning process. However, to better understand how to foster meaningful learning experiences by engaging students, it is especially important to consider the means by which this can be achieved as we take a closer look at what the current literature suggested about the teacher-student relationship and technology integration in the classroom.