Importance Of Technology In The Classroom

There are various types of technology that can be used as methods of learning. Technology provides schools with digital learning tools including computers, projectors, and interactive whiteboards. In the past and still currently used today, teachers would use hard copies of textbooks and handouts. There are many questions that come to peoples’ minds on if technology should be applied to the educational curriculum. For example, the main question: why should technology be used in classrooms? What are the advantages and disadvantages of having technology available to use in classrooms? The use of technology should be applied in classrooms because it can enhance students’ learning abilities, expand teachers’ teaching methods, and gives students an introduction to further advancing technology.

The speed of technology is growing at an exponential rate. In this digital age, students have more opportunities through electronic products such as computers, tablets, and mobile devices.  The average student graduating from college in the United States has spent less than 5,000 hours on studying, but 10,000 hours on computer games or social networking. Moreover, since 2012, as many as sixty-three percent of universities offer online courses. Educational leaders throughout the U.S. are using electronic devices to try to engage students in a classroom setting through familiar technology. But are electronic devices good for the growth of education? Low standardized test scores show that students that use electronic devices for schoolwork

Of the many challenges facing educators today is the fact that our world is an ever-changing and rapidly evolving one as technology and an expanding global society become more and more prevalent in all that we do. Never before in history have we been more connected to one another via digital mediums. From our laptops to our iPhones, social media and apps, how we communicate has been heavily influenced by the rise of technology across the globe. Further, technology has infiltrated our classrooms in profound ways. Not only do presentations call for technology, but with the rising use of iPads, Chromebooks, online/ blended learning approaches, and various media platforms in education, it is clear that technology is continually emerging all around us. It is also expected to be a part of students’ learning experiences according to national and state standards. Thus, it is not only important, but crucial, for educators of today to wisely -- and purposefully -- incorporate technology into instruction in order to facilitate students most effectively on their learning journeys. As 21st century learners and educators, it is critical for all involved in education to understand and utilize the skills which are needed most in this current climate. It is the specific four skills of critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity - the 4Cs - that have been highlighted as “the basic skills that all students need in the 21st century” (National Education Association, 2014).

Adolescents are incorporating their technology communication throughout their day. School authorities argue that these media are distracting, isolating, and disruptive (Subrahmanyam & Greenfield, 2008). Students do not separate themselves from their electronics while in school, which has risen concerns that they may be using their technology to cheat (use their cell phone camera to copy) or to participate in illegal activities (Subrahmanyam & Greenfield, 2008). Since more and more students are relying on the technology, some educators feel the urged to incorporate or allow students to use their technology during classroom (Nowell, 2014). Schools across the United States had banned the idea of using technology during school hours, as it has been labeled as disruptive, but not all educators feel that way (Nowell, 2014). Educators emphasized that texting can be used to send reminders home, communicate with students and parents, and serve as a student response system; however, participants did not recognize texting as a feature to be used in the classroom but rather as a barrier to integration (Thomas & O’Bannon, 2013). In a study by Nowell (2014) demonstrated how teachers in an urban high school employed mobile phones and different social media sites to build relationships, extend classroom learning online, tackle the digital divide, and to teach twenty-first century literacies and other life skills. Thomas and O’Bannon (2013) explained a study (Thomas & Orthober, 2011) that

As we go through the 21st century, technology in the classroom is becoming more predominant. Devices provided by the school such as tablets, ipads, computers, and calculators have had a major impact in today's educational system. Not only do these devices help students with everyday school assignments, but applications such as google classroom, which are on the devices provided by the school, help students organize their work. Technology in the classroom improves engagement, improves knowledge retention, encourages individual learning and encourages collaboration, which is every teacher's dream for his/her students.

Therefore, this essay will focus on the effects of technology in education and student learning by addressing some of the current research of the potential positive as well as negative impacts of technology in education, along with how technology seems to be affecting children by age group, and finally examining how teachers are affected by the use of technology in their classrooms.

The Impact Principle states effective practice yields evidence of learning. The look on each student’s face will provide evidence as to whether or not they are learning. An educator should assess the faces and student work samples to check for learning. If learning is not present, the educator should accept responsibility for not being impactful, and begin implementing a more effective practice so that the students demonstrate new knowledge. I have discovered this first hand in my practicum placement. I taught a lesson, and as a whole class my students understood the content. However, when I was reviewing their individual work, it was obvious that the students missed the point of the lesson. Therefore, I took responsibly for not teaching the objective in an effective way, and I retaught it in a more relevant manner. Then, my students were successful on the next sample of student work. Due to all of the factors in students’ lives that can hold their interest, an educator must gain and maintain their interest to be impactful. It is then the child will learn. If the educator’s delivery of the content is effective and impactful, evidence will be produced.

Technology has been a growing influence in home life, the business world, and now education. Many schools use technology to enhance student learning. Administrators have bought technological devices and tools such as; digital cameras, SMART boards, laptops computers, projectors, and course software to support curriculum, all in the hopes of improving student achievement and motivation. However, the technology tools themselves should not be the focus. Technology cannot take place of the teacher; it is a tool that the educator uses to enhance the student’s understanding and should be used as supplemental and to complement the educator’s lessons. Bassett recognized that the technological age should not be about technology alone, rather it should be about what the teacher and the students are doing with the technology to further understanding and engagement with the lesson (2005, p. 77).

The way we teach students in the modern classroom has massively changed throughout the years. One major changing factor is the development and use of technology. Before, classrooms were filled with paper, pencils, crayons, and all things needed to be completely hands on with our education. Now, most classrooms have replaced these things with tablets and laptops and smart boards that students get to spend all day staring at. Technology has the potential to be a great thing for our students, but it is being used to the point that it is no longer helpful.

Technology has become a significant part of our everyday lives. It is plays an essential role in today’s learning environment, and has drastically changed the face of education, and the way teachers and students go about their daily activities. Technology can be viewed as anything that is created to help adapt to the world’s changes. In the past, teaching daily lessons was simply reading directly from a textbook. Teachers engaged students to learn visually by using chalkboards and overhead projectors. Students in the past did most of their research in the library gathering information from various sources such as books and newspapers.

As technology becomes ever ingrained in the field of education it polarizes educators on either side, either with technology being an atrophy to the critical thinking and reading skills of students or the only real way they can learn in a modern classroom. But who is right? Is technology a cancer to modern education, something that needs to be cut out before it spreads? Or is it a cure-all for poor school systems that completely levels the field? It is neither and it is both, technology is a mighty force in building multi-tasking skills and preparing students for their futures in the tech-dominated world. However, overexposure to this fantastical medium also hurts the students just as much, gutting their development of imagination, analyzation skills, and critical thinking. The over-saturation of technology in education has become a detriment to learning, making worse students and teachers, while at the same time harming certain comprehension abilities in students.

When I was growing up I never would have thought by the time I hit high school that my life would have been centralized on a computer screen. In today’s time, the majority of kids have some kind of technology being tablets, phones, computers, or even gaming consoles that they use every single day. I feel that people get the wrong idea of schools with technology, but so many people are just traditionalist. Traditionalist in the school systems are consisting of people who believe that school should be stuck to the norm. The norm before current time was made of doing all work out of physical textbooks and doing all work on physical paper. The new norm is slowing changing to technology using online textbooks and using word in exchange for

For thousands of years humans have walked the earth without the constant aid of a cell phone, nowadays it seems that people couldn't last a day without them. As technology has made its way into our schools, offices and households, it has also made its way into our brains. Every day our brains are trained to seek speed and efficiency in all aspects of life, and technology is providing it the means to do so(Nicholas Carr). One of the most incredible tools that technology provides is access to immense amounts of information at a moment's notice, which is why technology has quickly been accepted as a tool for academic use. The only problem is, not everyone is using it as they are expected. Because of the versatility of technological devices and the services it offers, it can both be the greatest tool, and the greatest distraction.

Technology is here to stay and appears to be ever advancing, but teachers are struggling to adapt with learning about the new software and tools that the districts are trying to implement into the curriculum. Teachers shape the minds of our future; thus making teaching the most important occupation in the world. In order to achieve maximum greatness in the classroom a teacher must be open to changing the methods in which they teach. With time, technology has seemed to shimmy its way into almost every aspect of the average American’s life; including the classroom. Technology is ever changing and with new advancements teachers must be able to adapt. The main issues that teachers as well as schools are facing with technology is the price of

Technology has been evolving over thousands of years and it has provided humans with education, better health care, and communication that is the key to making our world a better place for future generations to come. Technology is a field of knowledge having to do with the practical applications of science and industry or the inventions and methods of solving problems that are produced through research in these areas. It has helped the school system, the medical field, and provided us with communication that can connect us to everything across the globe. These systems are the keys that make our world work in an efficient way, maybe not all the time, but enough so the world doesn’t just fall apart. In our society, technology has evolved the