The integration of technology and educational instruction is spreading rapidly. It is taking education to a new level – adding a wealth of information to students at the touch of their fingers, new ways to communicate and share their work, interactive lessons and practice, the list is endless, inspiring, and, at times, intimidating. No matter your stance on technology in the classroom, research shows that integrating technology into the classroom can have a positive effect on learning goals when the objectives of a lesson have been clearly stated before the technology is introduced (Pitler, Hubbelt, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). This question is – how is it being used. Today’s students have grown up in a fast-paced technology-driven environment. They are used to a lot of the equipment that many adults, find uncomfortable. The frustration lies, quite frequently, in the lack of knowledge and/or training that teachers have been given for the technology that is often available for them. This gap must be bridged in order for students to be able to take advantage of many of these tools and the positive ramifications that it can have in the classroom and education in general.
One way that this gap is being bridged is through the use of standards based education (Pitler, Hubbelt, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). These standards require that teachers integrate technology into the curriculum. For example, in the Juneau School District (2003) students, beginning in kindergarten, should know how the standard operations of a computer, how to listen and record one’s own voice, and access files from a computer. The way that these requirements can then be integrated into the classroom are plentiful and can enhance and motivate learning.
There are a number of ways that teachers and students are using technology in the classroom. From basic word processing to online research, students are using computers and the Internet to learn about and interact with our globally connected world. I find this to be an important aspect to learning. Every day, as teachers, we must consider how to integrate higher-order thinking skills into our lessons and learning. The use of the online research encourages students to think about the information that they are reading, judge it, characterize it, and synthesize the material (Arends & Kilcher, 2010).
Personal or classroom websites, blogs, or Wiki sites allow students (and the teacher) to communicate beyond the classroom walls. Showing students work online, photographs of classroom activities, and student voices, give power to students in what they do. It is a huge motivator for the work that they are willing to immerse themselves in and can have an enormous impact on their lives (T. McKenna, personal communication, October 5, 2011 and Pitler, Hubbelt, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).
Further, technology acts as an important tool for differentiation. ELL students, students with special needs, and at risk students especially benefit from the use of technology in schools. “It is nonjudgmental and motivational; facilitates frequent and immediate feedback; allows teachers to individualize learning through designs to meet students’ needs allows for more student autonomy; and provides a multisensory learning environment incorporating images, sounds, and symbols (Pitler, Hubbelt, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007, p. 3).
The results of using technology are significant. It is a just a matter of the successful integration of technology by teachers and whether students have access to it. Both are necessary in order for this integration to truly happen. From this angle, I believe that we still have a ways to go before this truly can happen.
Arends, R., & Kilcher, A. (2010). Teaching for student learning: Becoming an
accomplished teacher. New York, NY: Routledge.
Juneau School District. (2011). Elementary Technology CORE/GLD:k-5. Retrieved from
http://www.juneauschools.org/district/instructional_services/curriculum
Pitler, H., Hubbel, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using Technology with
Classroom Instruction that Works. Denver, CO: Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning.
Elizabeth, I love your point about how teachers must both have access to technology and know how to integrate it into curriculum for it to be effective. I particularly liked how you pointed out that technology can be a great extension for differentiation as well. Not only does it provide motivation, but it also adds new dimensions to how we can teach.
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