Technology

Technology in education

It is no longer a question of using technology in education – that is now akin to asking whether we should use paper and pencil in education. Technology is not an option but a necessity. In a survey I did of student use of technology, one student answered the question about what various tools she uses every week by adding under Other, “Kindle (if this is considered a technology).” To students today, what we call technology is a part of their lives. For that reason alone it needs to be more than another part of education; it needs to be incorporated seamlessly into our teaching, as seamlessly as pen and paper and the whiteboard. The other reason it is necessary is that students today must be comfortable with technology in order to be prepared for life outside of school, and by comfortable I don't mean they need to be able to use a cell phone and update Facebook; they need to be able to connect and communicate and collaborate and do research and make videos and present results. They need to have a digital portfolio of their work to demonstrate their competencies.

Technology in the classroom brings a number of compelling advantages:

· it engages students;

· it allows for the use of a wide range of tools;

· it allows for greater student collaboration;

· it promotes student self-directed learning;

· it enhances creativity;

· it provides access to an unlimited number of resources;

· it allows teachers to ‘flip’ the classroom;

· it allows for the ongoing creation and retention of curricular materials;

· it allows for clearer communication and organization;

· it simplifies the task of catering to different learning styles;

· it makes differentiated instruction much easier;

· it allows for the creation of sets of student work artifacts;

· it raises student readiness for college and beyond.

The widespread adoption of technology can, if we want it to, alter the nature of the educational environment. For some specific ideas, please look here.