Maxmimum Ed Technology
From Eduwiki
Don't Blame Technology
Main Points:
• Technology is effective in the classroom • Technology can create more efficiency for teachers (caveat: teachers must be tech savvy or have good tech training) • Survey’s showing low academic achievement with technology can be the teachers fault • Every other aspect of life thrives on technology, shouldn’t education do the same (google going public, hybrid cars, email)
I promote lots of technology in the educational setting. Technology has thrived in nearly every other area of life, from hybrids, to cell phones, to companies going public online, to email and so on. I can’t imagine technology being harmful in education yet helpful or effective in every other aspect of life. Now, according to…..oh, hold on my cell is ringing….ok sorry about that, now according to Michael Spector’s research in the journal Interactive Educational Multimedia educational technology has a lot to offer to students and teachers. Technology such as “interactive simulations, the internet, streaming media, and virtual reality can do amazing things.” He also goes on to point out that teachers can now use technology to create complex settings and interaction otherwise only fulfilled with expensive field trips. However, Mr. Spector’s main point is that learning is marked by changing attitudes and abilities that tend to persist over time. This is a widely accepted by learning theorists today. I believe that the more technology is used in the classroom the more you can capture a student’s attention, creativity, and productivity, thus changing and/or enhancing the students attitude toward learning.
Some studies show that student achievement does not fair any better when technology is used, however…oh, hold on I just go an IM…sorry, however research also shows that most teachers are not fully prepared or trained properly on how to effectively use technology in the classroom. Research conducted by Richard Coley and John Chandler for the Educational Testing Service and Policy Information Center concluded that most teachers were not well educated on how to effectively use technology in the classroom. They also found a lack of technical support provided by school districts. This is a big problem. I would not encourage a teacher with limited technology skills and little technology support to use a lot of technology in theclassroom. If unprepared teachers do use technology it can take away from the content of the subject. Only if a teacher is tech savvy and or has adequate support and training should they use lots of technology teaching strategies. An important aspect to teaching is clearly getting the content across to the student, and if technology is getting in the way or impeding progress then it should not be used as much.
Although some studies show that technology does enhance academic achievement (probably from teachers lacking tech skills and training) Some studies show technology does increase academic achievement. According to oops…..I just knocked my GPS unit off the desk….sorry about that uh, according to Harold Wenglinsky’s research article Does it Compute? The Relationship between Educational Technology and Student Achievement in Mathematics” Computers do seem to be associated with significant gains in mathematics achievement, as well as an improved social environment in the school”. Yes, technology can and does increase academic achievement, and if you want I can add 2 more pages to this already lengthy ramble with more studies and findings supporting technology.
Technology can also be useful for the teachers as well. The use of Online Digital Libraries to acquire information can be extremely useful and time-saving. The internet and its many dimensions can help teachers become more efficient in their classrooms, enable parents to view students’ grades online, and promote convenient communication between parents and teachers through email. And if a teacher is more efficient, than that gives the teacher more time to prep or sit at the end of the bar during happy hour.
In conclusion, technology is a great way to inspire, prepare, and educate. Teachers with limited technology can be a disservice to students by blurring technology and the academic content. If using lots of technology in the classroom, teachers must obtain ample training/support or already possess technological skills. Remember, technology is a tool, and should be used as a tool to educate students. The more tools a teacher has to educate the better and more diverse the learning environment will be...oh, I gotta run, the camera shop is closing in an hour and I need to pick up a memory card for my digital camera.
Sources:
Wenglinsky, Harold. Does it Compute? The Relationship between Educational Technology and Student Achievement in Mathematics. Educational Testing Service and Policy Information Center, Princeton, NJ, 1998.
Coley, Richard and John Engel. Computers and Classrooms: The Status of Technology in U.S. Schools. Policy Information Report Educational Testing Service and Policy Information Center, Princeton, NJ, 1997.
Spector, Michael . An Overview of Progress and Problems in Educational Technology. Interactive Educational Multimedia, 2001.
Recker, Mimi, James Dorward and Laurie Nelson. Discovery and Use of Learning Resources: Case Study Findings. Educational Technology & Society, 2004.
Technology benefits everyone
• Accommodate the needs of the students to use technology in the classroom.
• Technology has the power to “provide greater accessibility, to level the playing field, and to maximize the quality of [people’s] lives.
• Deaf and Hard of hearing students are avid consumers of technology.
• Effective multimedia materials provide tools for the visual learners.
• “Virtual Field Trip” video conference offers potential for cross-country and international dialogue and learning.
• Use technology to provide assignments, learning programs and practice tests. Also, monitor students’ progress.
• Students keep up with real-world technology.
There are many ways to use innovative ideas and accommodate the technological needs of students in the classroom. The technology today opens a whole new world to all of us but especially people are deaf and those with other types of disabilities.
From the deaf perspective, Deaf and hard of hearing people depend on it so much that technology is part of our culture. Deaf and Hard of Hearing are avid consumers. They know how to use instant messaging pagers, hearing aids, video relay, electronic mail, text and video logs and much more.
Deaf and hard of hearing students are motivated and pay more attention with technological accessibility. Teachers need to be aware for the students’ benefits and provide the resources to accommodate their needs to use technology in the classroom. Multimedia technology is a tool that gives so many creative ideas for use in the classroom. The website, [1], explained how the Deaf students learn when they explore at their own pace. “Printed text can be supported with sign language video (or movie) dictionaries.” Deaf and hard of hearing students can see “facial expressions, head tilts, eyebrow raises and body movements” to help them understand. The students are motivated to use this type of media and curriculum on the computer to increase English literacy and learn to self-pace.
I agree that teachers need to become more tech-savvy. How can teachers benefit students who use more technology and know more about technology than the teachers? Teachers need to learn how to search the web for all the curriculum available for them and follow up with the websites to use the information and updates for their classroom. For example, there is the example of the website [2] “Technology and Literacy in Deaf Education.” Teachers can find ways to use technology with students and can provide assignments for students to learn along with as well as offer on-line practice tests to help students assess strengths and weaknesses. Also, teachers can use technology to monitor students’ progress. Technology can help the teachers be more efficient.
There are several programs to use that are really fun. Have you heard of the computer software “Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?” [3] Also, the school for the Deaf in Texas provides excellent examples of video conference calls as a “virtual field trip.” Tech-savvy teachers gave the assignments to students and the students “were able to present to and share with others what they learned on holiday cultures around the world.” The students from different cities shared while video conferencing with each other. I was impressed with the possibilities of video conferencing in the classroom. [4]
In conclusion, these technologies are so reliable and useful as an educational tool. NAD (National Association for the Deaf) mentioned on their website [5] that technology has the power to “provide greater accessibility, to level the playing field, and to maximize the quality of their lives.” This is true!
Technology, it does the body good~
I believe most of us are in this Instructional Technology Masters Cohort because we want to learn how to incorporate technology into our classrooms, to continue the use of technology in our classrooms and most importantly to increase the use in our classrooms and beyond. Instructional Technology is defined by Cassidy as "being concerned with improving the effectiveness and efficiency of learning in educational contexts." (1982 p.1) another definition is "useful for instructional purpose along with the teacher, textbook, and blackboard...as well as...a systematic way of designing, carrying out, and evaluatin the total process of learning and teaching in terms of objectices and employing a combinatin of human and nonhuman resources to bring about more effective instructions." (Commission on Instructional Technology. 1970, p.16) Overall, Instructional Technology is a beneficial and positive tool to be used in the classroom. Let me introduce couple benefits of increasing technology in our classrooms.
The benefit of having more technology is that with increased access to technology, it creates "open door" students whose self-confidence and motivation to do well in school is enhanced. Even "tech-gods" exists who assists with others students and teachers due to their expertise.
Another benefit of more technology is that teachers have additional tools to use in their customary repertoire of teaching practices. Planning was more effective, communication was increased with other colleagues through email and found new information through the internet. A social studies teacher explained:
The technology has just given me more tools to use...One thing i think it has
allowed me to do is access certain students who need something kinetic, like the
students who made a video aren't the kind of students who are going to write an
essay. It's a way for them to convey the message in a way they feel comfortable
with. Everyone else enjoyed watching it.
Not just for the teacher but also for students, the use of technology provides additional tools to turn in hw and do projects.
Last benefit I will include, even though there are plenty more, is that as we increase the use of technology in a consistent and well planned out way we can shift from teacher-centered practices to student-centered practices. For instance, when we use a software that is tied well to the specific curriculum, we can shift from "memorize this formula and practice it 20 times" to "do the interactive lesson on the computer and figure out the rule." RAther than teachers giving out formulas we can actually use technology to increase understanding which will sustain knowledge in long term.
Teachers in the 21'st century are part of a society that is rampant with the use of all types of technology hence it is important for us to transfer the same knowledge and competence to our own students in the classroom. Just as the media and the legislation promotes the importance of an information-based economy that requires knowledgeable and technically skilled workers, we the teachers should educate our students to be competitive in this economy.
The problem now is that there is a high access of technologies but low uses in schools. After almost two decades of intense promotion of technological use by policy makers, parents, businesses, most teachers and students have more access to machines and softwares. Yet, nationally, most teachers and students are occastional to rare users or even nonusers in classrooms for instruction. 43% of teachers in a survey felt that the introduction of computers into public schools was not happening fast enough. (Trotter, 1997, p.7) The reasons vary across different schools of why the use of technology is low and some of them are due to lack of time in the school schedule, lack of competence or preparation by teachers, and even due to too many technical problems.
We as educators need to be more proactive in getting prepared and taking ownership of using technology in the classroom so that we don't use it merely to change how we view notes through the projector. We need to incorporate the curricum into the technology through discovery and inquiry learning. We need to focus on preparing our teacher well with the use of technology along with our curriculum instead of trying to increase the accessibility.
References:
Cuban, L., Kirkpatrick, H., Peck, C. (2001). High Access and Low Use of Technologies in high school classrooms: Explaining an apparent paradox. (Vol. 38, No. 4, pp.813-834), American Educational Reserach Journal.
Earle, R. (2002). Then integration of instructional technology into public education: promises and challenges. (Vol. 42, No. 1, pp. 5-13), ET Magazine
Mehan, H. (1989). Microcomputers in classrooms: Educational technology of social practice? Anthropology and Education Quarterly, (Vol. 20, pp. 4-22).
Trotter, A. (1997). Taking technology's measure. In Technology counts: Schools and reform in the information age. (Vol. 17, Issue 11, pp.6-11), Education Week.
