When beginning research for this paper I wanted to find out where technology started in the classroom, where it was headed, and how it had impacted learning thus far. What I found were more questions. Of all the journals that I read, nothing was black and white. Although I understand that this topic is broad I still thought that there would be more back and forth on the issue. It seems that the general consensus is that we are still trying to explore technology and figure out not if it is beneficial but more, how can we use it so that it is beneficial.
Technology started as far back as the 1800's when the chalkboard was introduced into the classroom. From there it has obviously grown into something much more. The latest technology tool in education is the interactive mobile apps that we discussed a few weeks back. No one anticipated technology in education advancing this far this fast. I began to question where we would be in another 20 years from now, and I realized that since we have opened this door of wonder and exploration that we call technology, there is no way we are ever going back. I do believe that formal practice in schooling is still important because it holds the infrastructure of the idea of school together, as well as the relationship between teacher and student. However, there is no doubt in my mind that technology should also be incorporated into the classroom and will be in the future. Technology should be used as a tool not only to aid students with special needs, but also to guide diverse learners into engaging in the type of learning that best suits them as individuals. We have the access to knowledge all over the world and the capability to talk to anyone about it at any time. It is a miracle that we can even say that. What I found after all my research was that since the internet was launched (mainly Web 2.0) we have jump-started a new type of education process altogether. Since we are still in this "technology revolution" that is growing rapidly, it is hard to say how it will impact learning or where it will go next. I do feel that it will positively impact learners but to say how is impossible at this point because we haven't used it long enough to truly see. Technology is being updated more and more quickly so to try and guess where it will head next is nearly impossible. Ten years ago no one thought we would be where we are now, it was unfathomable.
I am interested to continue to monitor the use of technology in schools and see how it does impact learning. I believe that we need to focus on educating teachers on how to properly incorporate technology into their classroom as a form of supplemental instruction because the longer we wait the further we will be behind. Technology is here to stay and understanding how to use technology in education so that it continues to remain beneficial needs to be explored further.
Technology in the classroom is a great topic to discuss because I believe that it can be beneficial to class learning. Although I have not researched the topic of interactive mobile apps, I am not sure if I would want to use them during my class. I would like to use them with a site like Edmodo because then I would be able to monitor the content and students could check their homework on the site. However, direct classroom use can be difficult because not all students have phones but also it can be difficult to monitor how they are using their phones.
ReplyDeleteDiversifying learning through technology is a great tool because it opens up several avenues for students to choose how they learn best. I like to give students options when learning content. If a teacher only uses one form of teaching, such as lecture, only a handful of students will pick up the information. Allowing a student to create a PowerPoint, Microsoft Word document, or Photoshop creation can help them learn the information better than just asking them to write a paper on the subject.
Teaching teachers how to use technology in the classroom is important because every year new, amazing technologies are created. If teachers don’t have access to learning about these technologies, they will be unable to implement them in their classroom.