Information And Communication Technology In The 21st Century

Throughout this course, a new perspective has provided us with the opportunity to take a look at many of the different ways in which the digital world has become one of the most dominant viewpoints of today’s generation, and how technology has taken over and welcomed itself into many aspects of our lives. This course paper will take a look at one topic of interest in particular, which in hopes will shed some light on a heavily discussed topic in the education world: does technology help or hinder the student. This paper will look to prove the point and discover more about the way in which technology has been incorporated into the classroom, both in an elementary context as well as a post-secondary context, and the effects that it has had on the student, the teacher, and the overall academic development that accompanies it.

It is believed that different technologies are used in a way to better society and excel students learning particularly in literacy and numeracy. Australian Schools have integrated a number of technologies over time such as the use of computers, notebooks and most recently, iPads and the interactive white board. The

Technology has many attributes and applications that improve livelihoods. As a student myself, one of the most obvious advancements is in the field of education. Educational technology has slowly been integrated into classrooms over the last decade. Today, the basis of technology, digital literacy, is a crucial skill for academics. “Students who are digitally literate know how to effectively use technology to collaborate, create original content, and conduct in-depth research for academic purposes” (Dotterer, “Fostering Digital Citizenship In The Classroom”). Some worry that the use of technology will encourage people to “cease to exercise their memory and become forgetful” (qtd. In Carr, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”).

Technology is all over our minds and concerns whether in regard to social impact, dependency or its use at educational institutions. It is currently the most debated issue in our modern society. Technology, it is believed, will become necessary for our survival in the future. It is the agent who will preserve the human race. The use of technology in classrooms is one example that the future will be better and students will turn out to be multi-dimensional in their thought processes and in the application of knowledge in future. Critics are always there. It is argued that technology in the classroom is a distraction in gaining information from lectures, and it is playing a negative impact on the minds of young generation. Is it really technology which is a source of disruption or is it individually based? A thought which is worth considering! Technology is the faster way to grow the education up in the future.

Education is ever-changing and students need to be confident, creative, connected and active lifelong learners. Digital technologies are very important to our student’s world as they use them to connect with each other, learn new skills and pursue their interest. Luckey (2009) stated “For students in particular, technology is almost an extension of themselves. They use it to communicate, to discover the world, to play games, to collaborate, to create things, to write, to read, and to organize their lives. Nothing can be more foreign to them than school without technology or where technology is relegated to its own special place.” Mobile devices with the power of digital technology are being placed in every student’s hand in schools around the world which equips them with the personal technology needed to learn and communicate in the 21st century. While these programs can be very effective for students, they can be challenging for schools. Some educators believe that digital technology in the classroom may cause more of a distraction to students; however integrating digital technology in the classroom helps students become more engaged. In the digital world, data is at students’ fingertips 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Technology is everywhere and many students have adopted practices

When technology is implemented effectively and when it is not merely a replacement for paper or a required elements of a lesson, technology can help both students and teachers to gain access to information, demonstrate knowledge in unique ways, and communicate with authentic audiences. The ability to share information is infinite as students become not only consumers but creators of ideas as well.

Most people know the feeling getting in their comfy clothes and sitting down to watch a new episode of their favorite tv show on the laptop. The popcorn laying by ones’s side. Their butter fingers across the keys, while each image is illuminating your face. Their phone is buzzing from the Snapchats. In this generation, people cling to some type of electronic device. “According to the US Department of Education and studies by the National Training and Simulation Association Technology-based instruction can reduce the time students take to reach a learning objective by 30-80%”(ProCon.org). In a classroom, teachers are able to take their class around the world electronically to look at the development of civilizations in Egypt, Greece, Rome, and Latin America. Also, students are able to take virtual trips and collaborate with other students around the world and research in the best libraries

Many establishments in the educational system change as culture unfolds (Van Brummelen, 2002, p. 81). The reason that change is necessary in the educational curriculum, is for the reason that in the past decade, there has been an emergence of expansions that are performing research-based, top practice teaching strategies, which are escorted by discoveries regarding learning and learners. With change, it is predominant throughout our school in the U.S. In our country, these changes are taking place rapidly, against a framework of the move from an industrialized economy that is solely constructed on the universal traffic of information. In America, our nation has progressed to a post-modern civilization. In our schools, they are not designed to prepare our children for the needed knowledge our economy or its demand for the effects over the process.

In Lavin, Korte, Davies). The result of the study further pushes the notion of how important it is for school staff to understand the given technology so they can distribute the information effectively to their students. All the technology in the world will be ineffective if the teachers themselves are not passionate of their work. “Technology has the potential to transform the learning environment from passive to active and more subject to the control of the learner.” (qtd. In Lavin, Korte, Davies).

There are so many avenues to experience by using technology from research to presentation. For example, the use of classroom-to-classroom video chatting, such as a debate between two classes on a particular subject, can help students learn in a quicker manner and help them understand the topic at a higher degree. The use of iPads early on in elementary school and the introduction to computers that many children don’t receive would be beneficial later on in life. In today’s society, technology is used extensively in the workforce. Having the proper up-to-date technology can help the student better succeed and stay on top of the growing world. Utilization of technology will now prepare students for a better future. Schools should provide more ways to use technology in order to prepare students for a better

Bagley, a proponent of the Scholar Academic ideology, believed that in order to maintain social progress, cultural knowledge accumulated by humanity is invaluable and should be taught to each generation. Curriculum should be rooted in the liberal arts academic disciplines, with no differentiations, despite a student’s future academic or work endeavors. Schools should have appropriate instructional methods and materials for qualified teachers. Schiro, 2007, p. 39) This ideology is leans away from student-centered learning in that it focuses on the basics as rigorous academic learning in such subjects as English, history and geography, fine arts, math, and science as opposed to discovery learning by the students, teachers as facilitators, cooperative learning, and bi-lingual education (Bennett et all, 1999, p. 584-626; as cited in Schiro,

It is crucial that students are not just being educated in only one way. Each child is different; as a result, learning styles should be versatile and open to new strategies. By learning to use technology correctly, teachers are preparing themselves, and the students for the future by developing certain skills that will be essential in the 21st century. Besides developing the students’ technology skills, students will

"Digital technologies are electronic tools, systems, devices and resources that generate, store or process data. These include social media, online games and applications, multimedia, productivity applications, cloud computing, interoperable systems and mobile devices" (Victoria State Government, n.d.). Thus, many people think digital technology and education has connected with each other. They believe that the school is making students learning and spreading the knowledge of society, and digital technology is "providing skills for students to be better understand the theory idea, information, and intelligent behaviour" (Woolf, Lane, Chaudhri and Lolodner, 2013). Digital technology also could help the teacher to develop the personalized educational programs for individuals or groups of students, and even help students use a range of learning styles and methods. Thus, in this essay, I will discuss the problems and the role of digital technology in education, and find some ideas could help the school in the future through digital technology.

We live in the era of technology, and we experience rapid technological progress. Many things around us have become automatic. Specifically, technology has become a part of many fields such as math, science, business and education. Also, kids in this generation are raised with smartphones, tablets, multimedia and many other technologies. Ramamuruthy and Rao (2015) describe students today with the term “digital native” because they are exposed to technology everyday (p.24). Since education plays a significant role in society, it needs to be developed in order to meet the demands of the 21st century. In other words, students need to be educated in a way that keeps up with their daily lives.

Across the U.S., technology used in education has been increasing exponentially. Every learning institution ranging from elementary school to college have incorporated technology into their teachings. Online textbooks, quizzes, notes, and classes are all examples of how education has been utilizing technology. While technology has a place in education, not everything in education needs to involve technology.