What is it that technology actually helps teachers and students to do?
If you ask students you might get answers such as:
*makes learning fun
*makes content interesting
*it helps to keep me focused
(I polled my 9th grade students for those!)
If you ask teachers you might get answers such as:
*organize my lesson plans
*make my lessons more interactive
*expose my students to more content/ideas than I was able to in the past
* have my students interact with experts via live chats/video links and email discussions
*have students create multi-media presentations
While students and teachers have different ideas about the specific uses of technology, they can both agree that it generally tends to improve things in the classroom. The changes and advancements in technology have changed how teachers interact with students and have changed how teachers allocate their time in and out of the classroom (Kashy, Thoennessen, Tsai, et. al. , p 1). When offered the opportunity for electronic submission of homework, the majority of students will choose this option (Kashy, Thoennessen, Tsai, et. al., p. 4). Students being able to hand work in online may help to combat late work. As soon as the student completes the homework all they need to to is upload the file and submit it. Voila! No more lost homework!
Tom Carroll believed that technology would play an important role in shaping the classroom of the future ( Bransford, Lin, & Schwartz 2000, p. 1). I think he was correct. Not only does technology shape the classroom of the future, but it shapes the society of the future. A basic purpose of school is to prepare students to become productive, wholesome members of society. Because technology is everyone, it is vital that it become a regular part of the classroom, used everyday and that both students and teachers become comfortable and familiar with its use. Aside from budget concerns, the only limitation a teacher has is their own creativity in how they choose to implement technology into the classroom.
What can technology do for you? Anything you can imagine it to do, there is unlimited potential here. It is important to note however that technology should not be used simply because it is available (Bucci, Copenhaver, Lehman & O’Brien 2003, p. 39). It needs to fit naturally into the content and the context of the classroom. Technology must have relevance and even then it is vital that the teacher remembers to put the emphasis for the grade on the content of the work rather than on the precise execution of the technology.
References
Bransford, J., Lin, X., & Schwartz, D. (2000). Technology, learning, and Schools: Comments on articles by Tom Carroll & Gerald Bracey. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 1(1), 145-182.
Bucci, T. T., Copenhaver, L. J., Lehman, B., & O’Brien, T. (2003). Technology integration: Connections to educational theories. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 3(1), 26-42
Kashy, E., Thoennessen, M., Tsai, Y., Davis, N.E., Wolfe, S.L. Using networked tools to promote student success in large classes.
