However, many teachers are uncomfortable using technology in the classroom because they are unfamiliar with how to successfully integrate the technology into instruction. Ljungdahl surveyed 856 elementary and secondary teachers from 39 campuses in 25 different school districts in the SHSU service area, including the Houston urban and suburban areas, as well as outlying rural districts. She found that only 40 percent of the teachers used some type of technology every day. The most effective use of technology, said Ljungdahl, is when two or more different types of technology are used in the same lesson. This is the gap between those who have access to personal computers and those who don't.
Telecommunications companies pay into the fund and state officials distribute the money to schools.
Less encouraging, however, were findings from rural and remote school districts. Only 26.7 percent of those districts have applied for and received TIF Tier II funds, which are reserved for such districts, according to Ljungdahl's survey. This training should be long term and continuous, and it should provide basic skills information as well as curriculum integration. As a result of information gathered in this study, curriculum for new elementary teachers in Sam Houston State University's College of Education and Applied Science has been modified to include such training. The training was already in place for new secondary teachers, as well as for those seeking master's and doctoral degrees.