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Impact Of Technology In Education
benefits of having technology in classrooms
Impact Of Technology In Education
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”Technology should not drive the curriculum; the curriculum should drive the technology,” says Angers (2004). One may ask what does this mean. Simply put, it means that the curriculum should dictate how technology will be used in the classroom. The purpose of this paper is to explain how to infuse technology into the curriculum, and the effect of technology on curriculum design. In order to add technology to the curriculum, technology must be available for use. To be available for use, the technology has to be placed in the classroom by someone – that someone usually being someone from Information Technology (IT). Therefore, collaboration with IT will be required when implementing technology into the curriculum. However, before IT becomes involved, the equipment, software, or hardware must be available. Rocky Point Union Free School District (2011) indicates that will continue their lease agreement with said company to ensure that they have the most up to date equipment/computers. The computers will be updated every five years. However, software updates will be done every quarter or as deemed necessary. Therefore, it will be necessary to communicate with other departments in order to ensure technology has been included into the curriculum appropriately. Farmington Public Schools (2012) indicated that its district will employ two types of specialists to aid in the integration of the technology. The first employee will be a school-based instructional technology specialist (ITS). The ITS is responsible for the integration of technology throughout the district. The ITS is also responsible for assisting teachers with the transformation process. While, the Media Specialist will be responsible for handling technology su... ... middle of paper ... ...hnology has both its advantages and disadvantages. However, the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages. With that in mind, the curriculum department must embrace this great task, and let technology lead us forward. Works Cited Angers, J. (2004). Integrating A Technology-Enriched Curriculum Ethno-Case Study. Retrieved from http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-08172004-174948/unrestricted/Angers_dis.pdf. Farmington Public Schools 2012-2015 District Technology Plan (2012). Retrieved from http://www.farmington.k12.mi.us/district/instrionaltech/district-tech-plan.pdf. Newburyport Public Schools District Technology Plan 2011-2014 (2011). Retrieved from http://www.newburyport.k12.ma.us/techplan/tech_plan11-13.pdf. Rocky Point Union Free School District Technology Plan 2011-2014 (2011). Retrieved from http://www.rockypointschools.org/pdf/techplan.pdf.
Within the past few decades, technology has immensely increased in use and availability. As a result, millions of people worldwide have taken advantages of benefits technology has supplied. In addition to these contemporary people, schools are realizing the possibility technology provides in the classroom and are implementing the use of them in their curriculum. New technologies in the classroom, however, provoke some concerns amongst those planning to utilize their potential benefits; schools must consider the prospectively detrimental implications and effects technology holds to the user whether it be that they forge a skewed and impractical view of reality or that they promote an inability to think independently.
Technology in the classroom can be a good thing for many students. For example, it gives students easy access to information, but it isn’t always the best thing. Technology helps raise the illiteracy rate higher as it is used in school. In 2009, about 97 percent of classrooms had at least one computer in the classroom everyday, although approximately 54 percent could bring their own computers to their class. There was internet access available for almost 93 percent of the computers in the classrooms. Otherwise, 96 percent of the computers were brought in to the students. The average ratio of students to computers was 5.3 to 1. Since 2006 the spending rate for each school in the United States has increased about 1,250 dollars. It’s rate in 2011 was almost 10,250 dollars per pupil. Although technology can help many students and teachers, due to the fact that the use of it gets abused by some students therefore it isn’t the greatest to have at our fingertips.
Within technology comes the gateway to almost everything that is out in the internet, it opens a whole new world to the students and the teachers that use them. The outcome of the uses, if they happen to be good or bad, come from the restrictions and the management of usage of said technology inside a classroom. Educators see firsthand how the used in their daily lives influence how a student learns. Thanks to technology not only has students and teachers changed the ways they learn and teach, learning itself has changed as well. It is not only crucial to have the technological tools needed in a classroom, but also an educator that can mend and mold the technology to their rightful use. The use of technology in a classroom not only expands the tools and gadgets, not to mention adds much needed knowledge that will help students later on in life, but also brings a whole new and better way to teach and learn.
Posner (2004, p. 36) discusses the importance of understanding the situational factors that lead to the development of a particular curriculum. This curriculum has been created as a response to the problem of technology skills and resources being typically isolated as a separate curriculum, rather than being integrated into the broader curricular areas. This leads to curricula that are often devoid of 21st century skills needed by students to ensure future success (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2004). The goal of the curriculum, therefore, is to focus on specific technology skills that can be readily integrated into other curricular areas without sacrificing critical objectives within those curricula and, in fact, enhancing the relevance and levels of engagement in those areas.
Education always tries to be as efficient as possible, and so the combination with technology, was inevitable. From the blackboard to the whiteboard and from the overhead projector to the computer projector, there has always been gradual up-scaling of technology in the classroom. Information technologies are keeping suit, and are being adopted into schools with open arms. Some schools, especially colleges, even go so far as to require computers (McCune pg. 3). Well over half of the schools in the United States today have been upgraded to include
The literature review of the articles present for this assignment suggest a need for reform in the school system to allow for more relevance in the classroom and an improvement in the educational process. Technology can be an excellent bridge to solve the problem of linking learning with students in their everyday life. Quick suggests, “too often lesson plans stifle students’ thinking rather that reflecting and deepening their ideas,” (Quick, 2003, pg 156). A way to incorporate lesson plans into today’s’ world is by integrating technology into our lessons. Students are surrounded by technology constantly throughout their daily life, whither through computer, phone, video game, etc. Teachers can incorporate these modes into developing a proper assessment for a selected topic. For example, while talking about World War 2 a student could discuss how cell phones may have changed the outcome of this war. This helps use the higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy of synthesis, “which entails the creative meshing of elements to form a new and unique entry,” (Orlich et al., 2010, pg 72).
The most important factors that a school should consider before using particular modern technologies in curriculum and instruction are the affordances it allows. Such as, replacing textbooks with iBook laptops would have financial and educational benefits by saving money, eliminating costs incurred from maintaining textbooks throughout the school year and providing the opportunity for students to access the internet. This would open the lines of communication between teachers, students and parents. It would also allow students to interact with each other and create innovative aspects in curriculum to challenge and modernize educators and instruction. These are important factors because education is the future generation’s goal. If the technology is not more modern than our time, we have already fallen behind and are failing to provide every student an equal opportunity to learn for their future. Even with the imperativeness education technologies must modernize, there are opponents who claim too much is changing too fast. There are also those who have further concern that students will be overwhelmed and distracted by the vast content available on the Web. Even so, the advancements in education technologies offer many more affordances than disadvantages.
One problem when it comes to replacing traditional methods of education with technology based learning would be that transferring every single school to a technology based system would take a considerable amount of time, energy and training. Especially in todays economy, it does not seem realistic to supply every student in the United States with a laptop or tablet; also training every teacher how to utilize the technology would take a large amount of effort. However, a gradual move toward technology based learning methods is much more realistic, and has already begun. Many schools have already began utilizing laptops and iPads in everyday class; programs have been developed to help ease the switch from paper to technology; and a considerable amount of funding for educational technology already exists, thirty-five percent contributed by the federal government (Honey 76). Therefore; although the process of transferring schools to a technology based learning system would be difficult, the process would result in a...
Data in Table 2 shows there is no relationship between a principal’s instructional technology skills and effective technology integration at their school sites. Both Principal A and C readily admit to not modeling technology use with their staff. However, Principals b and C give a value of 10 out of 10 for the importance of technology in schools whereas Principal B gives a rating of 8 out of 10. All three principals received the same district training in technology use but vary widely by their personal use of it.
While those schools and educators are now realizing the potential behind technology and all that it offers; if properly used, technology ought to help students acquire the skills that will be needed to survive in a complex, highly technological knowledge-based
Technology enables students and teachers to have a fast and easy way to acquire unlimited access to tons of information. With all of the useful technologies, the curriculum is bound to change in endless ways, creating more opportunity for learning.
The education world has been greatly influenced by rapidly changing technology and the increasing availability of information. Schools have advanced by leaps and bounds when it comes to incorporating technology into the learning environment, however, many more advances need to be made. In all areas of the country, educators are trying to help students keep up with technology, but there are more changes that are essential for preparing the next generation for the future.
current technology than the school’s staff. Teachers in turn are placing emphasis on the schools to improve technology they want to increase efficiency of information sharing, grading, and communication in the classroom. Businesses place an emphasis on technology in schools so that the schools adequately prepare their future employees, the students. The government is also placing pressure on schools to improve technology in the classrooms so that Americans can compete, along with helping prepare successful employees to help improve the economy in the future. These pressures are welcomed however, as schools are eager to improve their current use of technology in the classroom.
Coley, R., Cradler, J., & Engel, P. (1997). Computers and classrooms: The status of technology in U.S. schools. Princeton, NJ: Policy Information Centre, Educational Testing Service. Cradler, J. (1994). Summary of research and evaluation findings relating to technology in education. San Mateo, CA: Educational Support Systems. Cradler, R., & Cradler, J. (1999). Just in time: Technology innovation challenge grant year 2 evaluation report for Blackfoot School District No. 55. San Mateo, CA: Educational
Whether technological integration has positive or negative impacts on teaching and learning has been paid increasing attention and a numerous research has done to explore the issue. Regarding the issue, the question of if training teachers in the use of technology in classrooms contributes to students’ outcomes is still an endless argument. This essay will explain two reasons why such training brings about positive academic achievements for learners and a number of training guidelines that can be followed.