The Importance Of Technology In Education

The learning place has been invaded by the ability to know anything and everything. While this picture shows promise, it is actually more complex and distorted with regards to the receivers; these would be the students of today. What makes us capable of distributing the infinite amount of information that can be labeled “anything and everything” is truly remarkable, and that is precisely what technology has allowed us to do. Being that, it is safe to say that technology has expanded to heights worth exploring, and while this brings good resources to the pupils of today, it is the way students will explore and discover through the internet that should be taken into consideration by their teachers before introducing it to the curriculum.

Technology connects students to the world. Educators must use this as a teaching tool to influence thinking, learning, and achievement. According to Holzemer (1998), “the integration of multimedia into the curriculum has helped teachers create student-centered learning environments that encourage students to take responsibility for their learning” (p. 1). The students will receive the opportunities to think critically, provide substance to their activities, learn with their peers and the teacher, and adapt to a continuous learning experience. During multimedia projects, students must learn and apply the appropriate way to present the material. This can be accomplished through photography, videography, a multimedia presentation, and so much more. The more confident a student becomes, the possibilities will be endless. “Putting together a multimedia presentation is a lot of work”, but using an innovative and creative solution will foster creative thinking (Holzemer, 1998, p. 1). Multimedia allows students to work in groups much more effectively. The teacher can set goals, mentor the group and individual students, and keep their projects on task. If the students choose to use PowerPoint or GoogleDocs, for example, “students teach each other the details of the multimedia authoring program being used” (Holzemer, 1998, p. 1). Many students are already familiar with the programs, and occasionally know or can learn the program quicker than the teacher. Many teachers admit, “students

When implemented technology properly, the tech can produce substantial gains in student achievement and increase engagement among students most at risk. Replacing teachers with technology is not a successful formula. Instead, strong gains in achievement occur by pairing technology with classroom teachers who provide real-time support and encouragement to underserved students. Technology has made a positive difference in the learning outcomes of students at risk of failing courses and dropping out.

Technology has been around since the beginning of modern man and it has continued to evolve and transform with time. When once simple hand tools to complete simple tasks were considered technological advances; today technology is viewed a little differently, but the presence remains the same. Technology, beginning near the end of the 20th century and on into today has grown exponentially, and so have the uses and roles, it plays in our daily lives. With this ever-increasing role technology plays in the day-to-day lives of man also comes the increasing role of technology in the workforce, as well as in education. While some educators are open to the notion of implementing technology into the classroom, seeing it enhance student engagement and student learning, other educators see the increasing push for technology into the classroom as a negative outcome. This debate may never be solved completely, but perhaps those resistant to the idea, fearing the technology will, in fact, replace them, are merely just uninformed about how to go about using technology in their classroom, and how it is meant to be an aid in the education of students, not a replacement.

We’re living in a country that is called a technologically civilized society. The use of the internet has not changed the way that we think. However, it is making unique contributions in classrooms by providing us with immediate and convenient access to an extraordinary amount of ideas and information. “In the world that we currently live in, technology is a very vital factor”. Today most people are more familiar with the technically advanced gadget that they carry in their backpack, or their pocket. Every other day a new software device is being brought into the marketplace, which helps improve our knowledge in and out of school. One of the advantages that the internet provides students with, is being able to access all sorts of books that are available at any time. Despite the fact that technology plays a positive role in making our school lives much easier, it also has a negative effect. The internet seems to be impairing our ability to focus and to think deeply on any subject. The more technology continues to grow, the more improvement it provides in an education level for certain students; while for others it has a very different effect in the way we read and take in information. In this paper, I will be discussing both pros and cons of the way technology is used in and out of our schools today.

Does anyone think that they could live in a time when there was no technology? The world has changed majorly since the technology was invented and improved dramatically. It used to only be a television in someone’s house; now it is high definition TVs, iPhones, Ipads, Laptops, and many other things. An economy with poor technology could not survive in today’s settings. It helps us for educational purposes and many different things, but the bad thing is that it causes us to have lack of interest in the real world. It has helped students and teachers majorly in the school systems because they have easier access to teach and learn things. Technology has changed and will continue to change the ways of education; the educational systems will improve over time to make it better and easier for the students and the teachers.

Technology is changing at such a rapid pace that it is extremely difficult for any one person to keep up with the latest developments. However, just like doctors or marketers, teachers are also expected to keep up with the latest research and technology that will result in the best possible outcomes. It is much easier for educators to do this if they have a social community, with whom they can exchange ideas, share experiences, and ask questions together. The first two ISTE Standards for Educators, “Learner” and “Leader,” encourage teachers to become life-long learners and leaders in their practice. Data patterns from the teacher survey show that there is room for improvement with these two standards at McNicholas High School.

The United States education system has evolved a remarkably since there were minute school houses on the prairie. In modern times, today the school systems continue to evolve in various ways. This includes the integration technology into the curriculum and instruction of the schools. However, this can come at a great gain and cost so the factors that contribute to technology in school should be taken into account.

A child’s mind is always growing, with the advancement of technology, it will raise to new heights. Finding the most efficient way to teach and learn, has been an ongoing debate since the beginning of education. Since then, education has gone a long way. Students have gone from learning on chalkboards and memorizing all the information they learned, to having individual computers where they have access to tools to write, learn and communicate. But with all these new tools, many essential skills may be lost. Being reliant on online communication means that real face to face interactions will be gone. Children will not learn the valuable social skill that they will need when they grow up. Although this may be true, incorporating more technology into learning can lead to a more efficient and passionate education. Environmental technology will hugely enhance future technology.

Many are misled regarding technology in schools because they fail to realize the difference between technology usage and technology integration. Technology usage focuses on the physical device, delivering information, and majority conduct comes from the teacher; whereas, technology integration supports the physical device to promote learning objectives, constructs knowledge, and allows students to operate it themselves (Harris 7). This is what separates technology efficient schools from the rest, technology is not their goal, education is (Levin and Schrum 51-53). Instead of taking a “one size fits all approach”, schools are able to succeed because they make learning relevant, provide opportunities, and promote important skills by integrating technology with curriculum. After using that method, and providing a laptop for every student in the school district, Mooresville, North Carolina dramatically improved high school standardized test proficiency from 68% to 88.5% (Levin and Schrum 51-53). However, Robert Kozma argues, ‘“What are the actual and potential relationships between media and learning?”’ (qtd. in Harris 2). Other critics have also stated concerns that technology does not influence achievement, teachers need training to effectively administer usage, and making sure every student has access. On the other hand, proponents of classroom technology say it allows creativity and is better fit for today’s society. Public schools across the United States, from low to high

As a teacher, we must learn how to achieve academic success in the classroom and with our students. The educator philosophers Borich and Wong have different points of view of how learning should be taught. Borich focuses on how technology integrates in the classroom, also on how questioning strategies help with targeting inquiry, and how teacher directed strategies help improve learners to actively respond. On the other hand, Wong focuses on everything you need to prepare for when you as the teacher have your own classroom such as: having a well-managed classroom, how to introduce yourself to your class, seating arrangements, grading systems, discipline plans, and how to achieve opportunities to learn. Consequently, the teacher should be able to balance the way the classroom acts expressively, and the same time encourage them to be culturally responsive to learning.

Technology is quickly developing as a method of communication and information for people everywhere. As technology becomes a part of education, it captures the attention of students in a special way of its own. Although technology is fairly new, technology draws the attention of students because it is interactive and offers many different methods of learning and information for students.

As technology continues to advance and take new heights in so many ways, we can think of many ways that this is helpful and how it makes our job easier. Technology within the school systems are starting to become the thing of the very near future. With many schools implementing "bring your device to school" days. You have to start to think how will this start to tie into the children's lives and how will this benefit them in the long run. According to Leys (n.d.), Technology has some great benefits to help our students further their education, it is also used in harmful ways that have no benefits on learning. All of the technology and gadgets are great, think of the problems and/or barriers that are brought forth. There are learning processes in each. What has to be looked at from a parenting stand point, is how do our children continue to implement better writing skills with new technology? With our children being more into technology, and being taught with technology, we must see the decline in the writing skills of our children and how dependent they will become when leaving the education realm and transitioning into the real world. Expecting technology to do more for them than ever before. Examination has to be taken into consideration on how are our teachers that teach our kids going to be supported, and the financial realm of resources that need to be given to give the correct support.

Matt Richtel is an American writer and Journalist for The New York Times. Richtel is most known for his series that he wrote about distracted driving, which he was awarded the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting. In an article he wrote, Richtel explains about the learning curves that technology has brought to the classrooms. The article mainly focuses on how the movement of technology has changed and how it has made for a challenge among teaching students. As a parent, I find myself concerned about long term effects this may have on my child’s generation with the ability of learning and understanding.

Despite its importance, writing is not given enough attention in schools compare to reading. Since the turn of the 21st century, “there have been a number of significant changes in the contexts in which we teach and in which our students learn to write”. Our culture has taken a digital shift in all aspects of life, including schooling and the way students are exposed to writing curriculum. Robinson, McKenna and Conradi state that “The context of schooling has also changed, with programs and practices affected most directly by an emphasis on standards and assessments as a part of a growing concern with accountability. Given a focus on reading, rather than writing or literacy more generally…this movement has had an impact on teaching and learning at all levels of public education” (Robinson, McKenna & Conradi, 2012, p. 243).