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Benefits and Implications of Technology Use in America’s Classrooms

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Benefits and Implications of Technology Use in America’s Classrooms

In today’s world, technology is transforming conventional methods of every facet of human life; from the way that we grow our crops, to the way that we communicate with one another. Technology has opened our minds to new ideas and even to new places, such as space exploration. Simply put, technology means applying science toward an objective and the outcome is advancement in modes of construction.

Technology is improving at exponential rates and being applied toward nearly every industry in America.

For this reason, further advancement and integration of technology in every aspect of life is undoubtedly a critical element of the future of our society. …show more content…

Very often, people understand this term to mean computer, but technology itself is just as diverse as its applications. It certainly applies to the use of computers in education, but educational technology expands greatly beyond this one application, to video production, distance learning, smart classrooms and a wide range of additional applications. “Each type of technology has different uses and fulfills different learning goals” (Critical Issue: Using Technology to Improve Student Achievement). Being that technology is a difficult word to clearly define, it is best to define specific technologies by the basis of their application rather than by one vague generalization.

In order to understand the outcomes of technology use in classrooms, we must first evaluate the types of technologies currently being used in American school systems and to what degree they are being utilized. There are four major functions of technology as used today. First; technology can be used as a tutor (drill-and-practice software, computerized tutoring systems, instructional television/video, and different forms of computer-assisted instruction). Secondly, it can be used as a means for exploration (CD-ROM encyclopedias, simulations, hypermedia stacks, network search tools and microcomputer-based labs). Another function is technology as a tool to create, compose, store, and analyze data (word processing and spreadsheet software, database management

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