The Role Of Technology In The Future Of Education

Technology of the past 20 years has become a focal point of teaching and learning. As a teacher, it is my job to facilitate the learning for an individual by creating an environment that not only conducive for learning, but also places the child in a position to discover and learn them for themselves. Technology has given teachers to opportunity to take learning beyond the classroom, and has begun to reshape their role in the learning process.

Education plays a vital role in shaping tomorrow’s leaders. Education is the process of giving or receiving systematic instruction, especially at a school or university. There are many reasons why one would need an education. For example, having an education can help someone obtain an exceptional job, increase their knowledge, and even increase their earnings potential. Obtaining an education is not only learning math, science, or history, but it also teaches people about the world around them. Having knowledge about the world can teach people about other cultures and different types of lifestyles. People can also learn about different and higher paying jobs. Another way to gain knowledge is through technology. Technology plays a significant role in education. The role of technology in education is to enhance learning.

Even though many education systems are embracing the face of technology, some schools are still attempting to hold on to traditional teaching styles. In a 2012 New York Times article, teachers reported a decline in written work, and shorter attention spans which they believe is the result of all of the technological distractions (Richtel). This is just an example of the many concerns coming from teachers and school boards. Another issue they find is that they are being pressed to integrate these new advances into their time tested lesson plans, ultimately taking away from teaching and the student learning. If teachers believe or see that the students are the ones suffering from that, they are going to be less willing to try and understand the concept of technologies role in education. Although these educators have respected opinions, the goal should more so be to

Technology has had and will continue to have, the ability to transform society and necessity to incorporate into education to, as Bruce, 1998 simply states it, “…learn technology, learn through technology, and learn from technology.” (p. 22) Teachers, not computer technologies themselves, need to take ownership of the responsibility ensuring students learn well with any given technology. Teachers and school leadership must be willing to use the available tools appropriately, integrate into the development of lesson plans and implement in the classroom for it to be successful to support the education of students. As technology advances forward at a relentless pace,

As we navigate through the 21st century, technology in the classroom is becoming further predominant. iPads are replacing our textbooks, and we can research any desired topic on our smartphones. The impact that technology has had on today’s schools has been utterly momentous. Educators have now seen firsthand the numerous benefits of technology in the classroom. According to a study by IT Trade Association CompTIA, around 75 percent of educators have come to the conclusion that technology has a positive impact on the education process. Educators have also recognized the significance of developing these technological skills in students so they will be prepared to enter the workforce after they graduate (Cox). By incorporating technology in the classroom, teachers are setting our students up for a successful life outside of school. The increase of technology has even changed how teachers teach along with how

Technology involves using tools to solve problems. From the perspective of a teacher, technology helps present information to students. A smart board or a Promethean board is a form of technology that helps present materials during a lesson. Students with visual impairments and visual learners benefit from the usage of smart boards and Promethean boards. For example, while doing observations for a second-grade class I noticed a teacher using an electronic version of their math textbook. Students had their textbooks out and the teacher had it up on the smart board so that they could all work on problems together. When I was in elementary school there were only black boards. However, I did take computer classes all throughout elementary school and all my classrooms had computer centers. I was not exposed to a smartboard until I reached middle school. One goal of adding the smart boards was to make both students and students more technologically savvy. Another goal was to increase the interaction and interest of students within the classroom. Midway through the seventh-grade, the classrooms got Promethean boards. At first, they were confusing to use, but by the time the year ended I was able to use them, so I achieved the goal of being more technologically savvy. Despite the initial confusion, they were fun to use in the classroom. My reading teacher would get electronic books and put them on the board as we read a story. At the end of a unit, this teacher would create Jeopardy

Malcom X once said, “Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.” Today, technology has impacted classrooms in many beneficial ways, but there is always a demand for answers of how it will change education next. Modern education has learned to collaborate with technology to achieve better results for the future generations. By taking a step toward improving education and new system has been used to track a student’s progress in school and relay it back to the parents via automated text message. Long before there were smartphones, it was a student’s responsibility to ensure their parents about their progress in their studies. However, frequent communication between parents and teachers about the child’s academic performance to be a vital component to their education. Automated school notifications can improve a student’s overall development by allowing the parents to be more involved, an increase in the student’s performance and GPA, and providing an easy form communication between the parent and school.

Well before college and career, at the grade school level, there too is a growing demand for students to have access to integrated subject learning experiences. Because integrated subjects are the more accurate renditions of reality that feels most natural to students’ lives, lessons are more transferable to their real world experiences, which makes it easier for students to obtain, understand, incorporate, and modify or alter knowledge. Further demand for integration of technology is also sought in upper childhood, childhood, and even early childhood institutions as technology becomes a more core essential part of students’ lives as well as their potential academic and career futures. In a time driven by email and virtual communication, it is now just as important that a student know email or online communication etiquette just as much, if not more, than it is that they know how to write and send a letter by post. The demands of the grade school institutions for evolution of the system to meet knowledge needs are increasingly being served as new teachers are being taught to serve those demands through their higher education institutions; however, those same higher education institutions refuse to evolve their systems to also meet those demands.

In the past decade, advances in technology have contributed to a leap in quantitative changes in education, allowing for a gradual, if not rapid, introduction of innumerable digital tools to enhance the very culture and approach of education in virtually all required subjects. One example this is reflected in an informative 2011 analysis regarding ambitious integration of and experimentation with advances in technology for the social sciences titled, “Retooling the Social Studies Classroom for the Current Generation.” Here, a quartet of authors combine their talents and experiences to describe popular and innovative uses of digital media in modern-day social studies classrooms full of imagination. Over the course of this article, they aspire to inform and convince current and future teachers educating in the social sciences of the necessary challenge in embracing the advantageous likes of online collaboration, participation, interaction, and the building of social networks in consideration of the updated National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) guidelines for technology. The purpose of this peer-reviewed article is to briefly probe and critically evaluate the potential value of effectively utilizing and incorporating Web 2.0 tools as detailed by the academic study – with its emphasis on blogging, wikis, and digital media–sharing) – in a social studies classroom, regardless of grade level or past experience.

John Dewey once said, "If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow." Technology is advancing and becoming a bigger part of our lives on a daily basis. Limiting students' use of technology would be a disservice to them. It is my belief that technology is an essential 21st century skill, which is why in my classroom it will be implemented to the fullest extent as a supplement to in class instruction. It is my goal for all my students to leave the classroom having at least a moderate understanding of how to use technology in their future education and in their everyday lives.

What once was a 4.0 student is now a person facing D’s and F’s on his next report card. Vishal Singh is a typical 17-year-old at Woodside High School, he was considered to be a motivated young student, until like most other kids in this century, he got increasingly captivated by the internet after getting his computer in sixth grade. Since then it's been late nights, and GPA downfalls (Richtel). The increasing screen time that teenagers are exposed to leads to distractions that often always lead to school becoming a their second priority. Students are constantly distracted by social media, when they should really be focusing on broadening their education, in order to create a better future for themselves, and to set better goals for the education systems we have today. Technology is controlling teenager’s education, but education is not controlling their technology, and this causing students to be encapsulated in the cyber world in the classrooms, and halls of almost every twenty first century high school. Knowing this, we need to limit electronic use and students must shut off their devices during studying hours and limit computer use to school related topics, in order to create a brighter future for our educational systems.

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 advancing rapidly and because of this, our lives are constantly changing. We have to adapt to the changes in our world. Technology is one of the most significant and beneficial changes in our history and schools need to be taking advantage of this. While some schools believe technology is a distraction that hinders learning, technology should be integrated into classrooms because it provides a large amount of information and prepares people for the use of technology in their futures.

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.

The education world has been greatly influenced by rapidly changing technology and the increasing availability of information. Schools have advanced by leaps and bounds when it comes to incorporating technology into the learning environment, however, many more advances need to be made. In all areas of the country, educators are trying to help students keep up with technology, but there are more changes that are essential for preparing the next generation for the future.