More often than not, technology is criticized for doing simply what it was created to do: create forums of discussion, provide platforms for entertainment, and generally provide our modern society with a new way to express our thoughts, beliefs, etc. What is not typically acknowledged, however, is how much these gadgets have advanced us as a species, and what it can help us accomplish as a people, despite how it can be abused. One of these crucial endeavors that are made easier, if not simply better quality, is educating the population. When it comes to our youth, it is vital that each child has an equal opportunity to pursue success and the necessary skills to function out in the world. With technology, these academic playing fields are leveled out. This alone can contribute to the discourse about how "good" or "bad" technology is, and hopefully get others to see the topic in a newer, more positive light, rather than continually absorb all the negative connotations that are being piled onto a smartphone or laptop.
Particularly with low-income students in mind, some think that technology would alter their chances of succeeding for the worse since they cannot access it outside of the classroom. As Pugwash put it: "Wouldn't including technology as part of the curriculum tilt the playing field even further against poor students? That very reason is why technology needs to be included, another member said. If the exposure to computers is started early enough, then the students could learn how to use it at the same rate through the school system," Pugwash: Technology has positive and negative effects in education. (2016, March 01). UWIRE Text, p. 1. One cannot simply deny an entire generation the skills to use technology- which is so desperately craved in the modern workforce- because of the financial situation of a portion of students. Regardless of their situation, a child goes to school to be educated and to prepare for life as a fully mature adult, as stated in the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. It establishes "no child living in that state (Texas, specifically, in this case) may be denied equal access to schooling." In saying, something as prominent in our society as technology should not be
The biggest problem with today’s education is how rapid technology is advancing. So rapid, in fact, that schools are attempting to keep up, but are sadly falling short. Teachers are being required to incorporate new technology into their everyday methods of teaching. The use of IPads or laptops in classrooms can be helpful to both teachers and students(edreform online classes)”. If a teacher is not overly familiar with the new devices, then the students will lose what little time they have to learn. As a teacher is attempting to fix technical problems in one class, the class that has a tech savvy teacher will be advancing far ahead. On the other hand, if a classroom is full of students who are very unfamiliar with the technology will have to be taught how to operate it, which wastes valuable time. In today’s society technology usage is so much more widespread than it was just five years ago. The new toys can allow schools to broaden their curriculum. Since most work can be done on a single device, kids can work at their own pace and potentially reach heights they could never reach with book, pen, and paper. The benefits of this new tech greatly outweigh the downsides. The biggest problem with technology in classrooms is their lack of use. So few schools have jumped on board with these programs, and therefore are holding their kids back. These products are readily available, but “the use of new technology
Fusco is concerned, she thinks that technology is a distraction. She uses her daughter as a primary example, because her daughter is constantly on her cellphone instead of working on homework or other classwork. Because there is a lack of Chromebooks in the classroom, she allows her Enrichment English class to look up needed information, but she is constantly monitoring them. She even reminds them of her cellphone policy before their allowed to take them out, which reinforces her expectations of responsible technological usage. One drawback is that it can be a huge distraction, especially in her English 8 inclusion class. They are in constant need of reinforcement, therefore adding technology tacks on more micro management. A benefit is the speed of technology and how engaging it is to this generation; she just struggles with finding a happy medium in a class that is full of low level, and already distracted, learners. As far as the progression of educational technology, Mrs. Fusco and I agree that it has grown astronomically in a small amount of time; it will keep progressing, and teachers need to be willing to change with it in order to find more ways of reaching the needs of all
We no longer live in the moment, instead we look directly at a device to see what is happening in the world. This stuck out to me when I entered high school, because we no longer used traditional resources, such as textbooks, notebooks, or pencils, and we began to just use one tool; a laptop. I think that with technology comes positive and negative factors, which influenced my learning while in high school. For one, I learned to become tech savvy in many different areas. I began to learn different formatting in writing, including M.L.A. and A.P.A., which I later used during college. Technology in education systems allow students to broaden their spectrum of learning and truly open their eyes to what is possible for generations to come. The more advanced we become in technology, the more our society will continue to progress into higher
All across the globe, new technologies are being developed to help with everyday activities. Those technologies will always be updated and eventually outdated. Technologies help make the world an easier place to live in. Technological advancements have given the modern world the push it needed to start being more efficient with our resources. Technology enable us to do stuff we could normally only wish about doing. Technology makes advancements in all different industries and improves the product produced by that industry. One of the industries most impacted by technology is education. Education is the most important industry that new technologies are used to make the process more effective. In schools, laptops and smart boards are allowing kids to interact better with the curriculum. Technologies allow kids to learn more effectively, reduce paper waste, and allow the smartest generation in years to form.
As a teacher, we must learn how to achieve academic success in the classroom and with our students. The educator philosophers Borich and Wong have different points of view of how learning should be taught. Borich focuses on how technology integrates in the classroom, also on how questioning strategies help with targeting inquiry, and how teacher directed strategies help improve learners to actively respond. On the other hand, Wong focuses on everything you need to prepare for when you as the teacher have your own classroom such as: having a well-managed classroom, how to introduce yourself to your class, seating arrangements, grading systems, discipline plans, and how to achieve opportunities to learn. Consequently, the teacher should be able to balance the way the classroom acts expressively, and the same time encourage them to be culturally responsive to learning.
Many are misled regarding technology in schools because they fail to realize the difference between technology usage and technology integration. Technology usage focuses on the physical device, delivering information, and majority conduct comes from the teacher; whereas, technology integration supports the physical device to promote learning objectives, constructs knowledge, and allows students to operate it themselves (Harris 7). This is what separates technology efficient schools from the rest, technology is not their goal, education is (Levin and Schrum 51-53). Instead of taking a “one size fits all approach”, schools are able to succeed because they make learning relevant, provide opportunities, and promote important skills by integrating technology with curriculum. After using that method, and providing a laptop for every student in the school district, Mooresville, North Carolina dramatically improved high school standardized test proficiency from 68% to 88.5% (Levin and Schrum 51-53). However, Robert Kozma argues, ‘“What are the actual and potential relationships between media and learning?”’ (qtd. in Harris 2). Other critics have also stated concerns that technology does not influence achievement, teachers need training to effectively administer usage, and making sure every student has access. On the other hand, proponents of classroom technology say it allows creativity and is better fit for today’s society. Public schools across the United States, from low to high
This topic was compelling because I am having trouble believing that all this technology is really suppose to help us. Yes it is understandable that we are in the age of technology, but why push it onto us like it is the only way to learn. Coming from an ethnicity that is a minority and let alone low income, technology was not supplied to us when we were younger. That is where schools should see that they can not expect us to click on right away. In the Article, “ Does Technology in the Classroom Ever Get in the Way of Learning?” Michael Gonchar talks about some statistics that in the early 2000s disadvantaged students were given access to computers in the grade levels fifth to eighth. When they saw the results they saw that over the five years that their English and Math skills declined at a constant rate. They should have known that giving technology to those who never really had access to it will be a bad idea. You might ask why is it a bad idea. The answer is that giving a person something and the opportunity to search up
Technology is advancing rapidly and because of this, our lives are constantly changing. We have to adapt to the changes in our world. Technology is one of the most significant and beneficial changes in our history and schools need to be taking advantage of this. While some schools believe technology is a distraction that hinders learning, technology should be integrated into classrooms because it provides a large amount of information and prepares people for the use of technology in their futures.
The learning place has been invaded by the ability to know anything and everything. While this picture shows promise, it is actually more complex and distorted with regards to the receivers; these would be the students of today. What makes us capable of distributing the infinite amount of information that can be labeled “anything and everything” is truly remarkable, and that is precisely what technology has allowed us to do. Being that, it is safe to say that technology has expanded to heights worth exploring, and while this brings good resources to the pupils of today, it is the way students will explore and discover through the internet that should be taken into consideration by their teachers before introducing it to the curriculum.
When implemented technology properly, the tech can produce substantial gains in student achievement and increase engagement among students most at risk. Replacing teachers with technology is not a successful formula. Instead, strong gains in achievement occur by pairing technology with classroom teachers who provide real-time support and encouragement to underserved students. Technology has made a positive difference in the learning outcomes of students at risk of failing courses and dropping out.
Technology connects students to the world. Educators must use this as a teaching tool to influence thinking, learning, and achievement. According to Holzemer (1998), “the integration of multimedia into the curriculum has helped teachers create student-centered learning environments that encourage students to take responsibility for their learning” (p. 1). The students will receive the opportunities to think critically, provide substance to their activities, learn with their peers and the teacher, and adapt to a continuous learning experience. During multimedia projects, students must learn and apply the appropriate way to present the material. This can be accomplished through photography, videography, a multimedia presentation, and so much more. The more confident a student becomes, the possibilities will be endless. “Putting together a multimedia presentation is a lot of work”, but using an innovative and creative solution will foster creative thinking (Holzemer, 1998, p. 1). Multimedia allows students to work in groups much more effectively. The teacher can set goals, mentor the group and individual students, and keep their projects on task. If the students choose to use PowerPoint or GoogleDocs, for example, “students teach each other the details of the multimedia authoring program being used” (Holzemer, 1998, p. 1). Many students are already familiar with the programs, and occasionally know or can learn the program quicker than the teacher. Many teachers admit, “students
Technology has weaseled its way into numerous parts of regular day to day existence. We have turned out to be so acclimated to its utilization, we are not by any means mindful how simple everything has progressed toward becoming. In spite of the fact that many contend technology has done as much obliteration, Many schools have begun incorporating educational technologies in their schools with an incredible point of enhancing the way students learn. Technologies such as smartboards and computers has turned into an incredible source for teacher to enable students to get a handle on an idea effectively.
Today’s school systems show an increase towards technology enriched environments. From K-12 schools into college, students are relying on technology now more than ever. Classes, homework, in-class work, and the majority of the books are available in an online setting. I understand colleges using technology to help keep the class connected and for a learn at your own pace setting, but in K-12 teachers are in the same building Monday through Friday and the school distributes books to students. Moreover, replacing textbooks and school work with laptops is unnecessary in the K-12 education system.
As technology continues to advance and take new heights in so many ways, we can think of many ways that this is helpful and how it makes our job easier. Technology within the school systems are starting to become the thing of the very near future. With many schools implementing "bring your device to school" days. You have to start to think how will this start to tie into the children's lives and how will this benefit them in the long run. According to Leys (n.d.), Technology has some great benefits to help our students further their education, it is also used in harmful ways that have no benefits on learning. All of the technology and gadgets are great, think of the problems and/or barriers that are brought forth. There are learning processes in each. What has to be looked at from a parenting stand point, is how do our children continue to implement better writing skills with new technology? With our children being more into technology, and being taught with technology, we must see the decline in the writing skills of our children and how dependent they will become when leaving the education realm and transitioning into the real world. Expecting technology to do more for them than ever before. Examination has to be taken into consideration on how are our teachers that teach our kids going to be supported, and the financial realm of resources that need to be given to give the correct support.
Despite its importance, writing is not given enough attention in schools compare to reading. Since the turn of the 21st century, “there have been a number of significant changes in the contexts in which we teach and in which our students learn to write”. Our culture has taken a digital shift in all aspects of life, including schooling and the way students are exposed to writing curriculum. Robinson, McKenna and Conradi state that “The context of schooling has also changed, with programs and practices affected most directly by an emphasis on standards and assessments as a part of a growing concern with accountability. Given a focus on reading, rather than writing or literacy more generally…this movement has had an impact on teaching and learning at all levels of public education” (Robinson, McKenna & Conradi, 2012, p. 243).