Using Technology Into Your Classroom

Technology has taken us to unimaginable highs and it all starts in the classroom. Millennials are considers the dumbest generation because of our “dependency” on technology, but previous generations misunderstand our use of technology when we are just being productive with getting information. Also generations prior to ours never experienced this amount of technology in their time at school so to them they feel as if we are just being lazy to open up a book like they had too. With being able to make technology easier for us in the classroom it helps to become an overall better student. In the classroom, technology is very useful helping students with their school work. Also helps students connect with each other on assignments or for projects and

Technology in the school has become an increasingly challenging and somewhat disruptive aspect in today’s educational system. In order to maintain what is considered the status quo, schools have focused their energy and resources on banning cell phones, wireless Internet and blocking social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter in schools. However, as technology continues to grow in our society outside of the school, many believe that effectively involving these technologies into the classroom can ultimately improve student engagement in their learning environments. This research paper will focus on both sides of the argument and ultimately seek to determine if there is a best practice regarding technological being put into schools.

This paper presents a theoretical model of online instruction and learning to mirror a constructivist approach to education. Constructivism is a common approach to learning and more and more districts are employing online learning environments in its schools. Course content and delivery elements are explored as they apply specifically to online learning in a K-12 environment. Other components of the construction of a web-based learning environment includes student motivation, student assessment, and the role the teacher plays in the online environment. The findings of this research paper depicted that whether learning takes place completely in an online course, or as part of a blended approach to learning, there still needs to be a strong structural foundation for the online learning environment to be effective. Overall, interaction between the teacher and learners, as well as peer interaction, is critical to the success of any online learning.

Kahoot is a website that students can enjoy learning. Based on off my personal experience with using Kahoot and research about Kahoot, I think quizzing my students on a lesson through Kahoot is great. I can keep the students attention and track their progress to see how each student is doing individually. Plus, Kahoot is easy to access and can be used in all grade levels.

The use of webquest in the classroom is a tool that every teacher should incorporate in their classroom. Not only is this a new way to teach our future students but it is also an alternative from traditional teaching. Using webquest in the classrooms gives students a boost of motivation, this means that they will be more likely to put forth more effort than what they normally would. Although with using webquest in the classrooms comes with a wide range of benefits, as well as some quite substantial downfalls.

I will be using the elementary school scenario for a fifth grade mixed level classroom (special education and regular education) in my discussion for this task.

We are so acclimated to the way of life of classroom ponder, to have the particular offer of questions towards the achievement of web-based preparing is very regular. The issue putrefies when because of the absence of direction, these issues remain unaddressed and to play safe, we wind up with choices that again tie us to same routine and irritations of conventional classroom preparing.

Reinforcing these ideas, Omar, Hassan, & Atan (2012) found in an online course the goal is to gain and keep the learner’s attention. Furthermore, engaging the learner by utilizing activities that capture their attention and build on their previous knowledge and interests will be beneficial to the students’ growth in the course. Facilitating student engagement and motivation, teachers are encouraged to provide constant and consistent feedback which includes questions and activities which spark reflection (Larsen, 2012). Additionally, the use of reflection was found to be a critical element to designing an effective online course (Iskander, 2014). Larsen (2012) found that one method of creating effective interactivity is to incorporate activities using reflection. Using reflection, learners are expected to communicate how the content relates to their own lives as well as any prior knowledge they may have about the content (Verpoorten, Westera, & Specht, 2012). The creation of activities using reflection effectively can be as simple as the teacher creating ‘dig deeper’ type questions for the students to answer about the content of the lesson. Additional studies by Barrett (2013) and Grosso, Smith, & Grosso (2012) found that effective online teachers facilitate deeper thinking by posing additional questions to students as they answer the initial questions. That is to say, using ‘how’ and ‘tell me more’ type questions will encourage students to fully engage in the

Using Quizlet Live! allows the teacher to augment the material of the lesson in order to have functional improvement in the classroom. Although students are learning in a rote manner, they are able to use the technology in a competitive, collaborative way. Additionally, the students were active in their own learning, but they did not need to use the entire class period to play the game.

web based courses and web based services. Web based courses is whereby learning is facilitated through the accessibility of digital reading resources ,podcasting, email linked group discussions, chat rooms and test taking functional virtual classroom while web based services revolves around the accessibility of physical tutors for employee with the institution controlling the contact. Usually the tutor is part of the institution and is also certified by the institution before a referral is made and the student takes up the curriculum of the institution despite their geographical location.

In the words of Zephe and Leach (2010, 171), my preferred teaching style is aimed to “create learning that is active, collaborative and that fosters learning relationships”. It is quite common for my student to comment and describe my teaching approach as highly interactive. It was important for me to reflect on the usefulness of web-based resources as a tool of engagement in bringing about improvement in the individual learners at my annual appraisal, as well as how it can expand participation for part-time and distance learners and other with additional needs.

A high level of interactivity - Online tests and quizzes must be available to offer immediate response to learners.

Due to being highly accessible, web-based technology has transformed how we teach and learn. Technology is now incorporated in most curriculums and plays a vital role in learning. According to IGI Global (2016), they define technology-based learning as “learning which is based on technology. This technology could be electronic, digital or physical. It is introduced to make the student work on the learning topic individually or collaboratively to discover the phenomenon associated with the learning topic” (IGI Global, (2016). In case 4, I will explain one method that may be used to create and develop technology-based activities, I will identify challenges and obstacles to implementation of technology-based activities, and propose strategies for overcoming barriers related to the implementation of technology-based learning activities.

The integration of technology and the classroom has become a supported notion from educators, software manufacturers and parents. They believe that a student’s learning can be enhanced with technology focusing on efficiency and effectiveness. In the area of post-secondary education where costs are much higher for students, the belief of using technology in the classroom is much higher. This is because of the investment students take on in hopes of gaining the necessary skills to land a career job in the now competitive workforce. Learning Objects have become the new tool for students to achieve their goals of a rewarding education. This assignment will look into top Learning Objects and determine whether they are effective for students in educating them. This will include discussing MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) and Difference Engine. I will then conclude with my personal opinion on the use of technology in higher level education.

Students can sign up for courses and choose a format of learning that suits them best; video, interactive tutorials, hyperlinked textbooks or face-to-face group sessions. (US NEWS) Quizzes are given occasionally to ensure that students are learning the material. There are four different types of E-Learning; Knowledge databases (step by step instructions, few explanations and questions), Online Support (Chat rooms, online bulletin boards, email or live messaging), Asynchronous training (Self paced learning based on CD’s, Networks, internet or the intranet) and Synchronous training (Internet using Real Time - communicate directly with the instructor) (Howstuffworks).