When discussing the disadvantages of virtual manipulatives, it is first important to cover the disadvantages that are specifically linked to technology use. The challenge presented by technology is that it is most prevalent in the area of teachers' proficiency levels and their ability to properly apply technology practices in the salesroom (Hicks, 2011, p. 188). Many teachers with low technology proficiency levels fear that they will "look stupid" in front of their students thus lowering the professionalism of the classroom (Hicks, 2011, p. 189). There is also a serious lack of professional development available for teachers in order to increase proficiency levels and to become more familiar with the tools available to them (Hicks, 2011, p. 189). To become more specific to virtual manipulatives, many teachers are unaware of the "capabilities of virtual manipulatives and do not currently use them in lessons during regular mathematics instruction" (Suh et al, 2005, p. 2). There is also the fact that the true definition of virtual manipulatives is not widely known. Thus "Teachers who would provide opportunities for their students to construct mathematical knowledge must learn to distinguish between what is truly a virtual manipulative and what is merely 'virtual'" (Moyer et al, 2002, p. 373). Teachers may also not "embrace technology because they believe the internet is unreliable or that a praticular web site did not prove to be worthwhile, or they may be limited by the lack of technology resources and support" (Suh et al, 2005, p. 11). Limited technological resources are a highly limiting factor in the use of virtual manipulatives. In order for them to truly display their learning and cognitive benefits, they must be used by every students and not in a mere teacher demonstration, therefore, this lack of available technology is a true disadvantage to students access to virtual manipulatives. Virtual manipulatives are also not designed in a way to support collaborative learning which is an especially large problem for the socio-cultural constructivist educators (Durmus et al, 2006). "Employing manipulatives in a class is not straightforward and good employment requires carefully defining the role of the teacher and the aims and the potential tasks involved" (Durmus et al, 2006). This could require a lot of work on the part of the educator making several stray from using virtual manipulatives all together. There are several misconceptions about virtual manipulatives such as: manipulatives do not simplify the learning of concepts, the more manipulatives used the better, and that they are better used in primary grades then at the secondary level (Durmus et al, 2006). These facts are just not true and it takes a dedicated educator to decipher what is beneficial and what is not. Despite the disadvantages listed here, it is safe to say that if one can overcome the initial hesitation to the introduction of technology, the advantages of virtual manipulatives far outweigh any disadvantages.