Thursday, June 21, 2012
The importance of instructional technology in education
A first year doctoral student commented in class. "I don't want to do a dissertation about virtual classrooms or electronic boards, because in three years from here, we may not have electronic boards!" He was right, right in the sense that instructional technology changes dramatically. Every year, I have changed the curricula of my Instructional Technology courses. I keep learning, and applying it more and more. My best advice for students, who will be teachers, is to learn what is new and decide what fits them, and their teaching style as well as their students learning style. The big question is, if technology changes so fast, what is its role in Education? Should it have a role at all?
As a researcher, I always use materials, or techniques that have shown effectiveness. Then, most of my decisions on what to use or not, are based on research. I am passionate on how technology facilitates learning but never obsessed, sometimes I use blackboard and chalk to teach. I believe we have to change our presentation techniques in each class so we motivate the students and keep them engaged. A few years ago, I wrote a short article about Technology Closes the Gap between Students’ Individual Skills and Background Differences published in Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education proceedings in 2004. It was a discussion that a specific software help students of different backgrounds to excel in Physics. I wanted it to be used in every single school. I saw using research, how students with careless preparation compete with students that have received a better preparation.
The key point here, is that yes, there is role that instrucional technology plays in education. As teachers or professors we are ready to use anything that help retention, learning, and stimulate our students brain and critical thinking. The key point is to use it based on research and not in "fashion wave", specially that budgets are limited. Always check the cost/benefit analysis. And my last comment, if technology helps to close the gap, it definitely plays a role in education.
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Here is my link to the WebQuest:
ReplyDeletehttp://zunal.com/webquest.php?w=156153
Here is my link to the powerpoint:
http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/SOPHIA144-1452724-sophia-powerpoint-environmental/
Overall, both of these assignments required a tremendous amount of time and patience. I found myself struggling more with the webquest. I really liked my powerpoint. In all my slides I included plenty of vivid fonts, played around with the font sizes, the images are a bit different, I used a background for each of the slides to make them even more creative, the colors are also very creative. My first slide is great to look at.... it is the one I had spent the most time on.. it uses plenty of colors, so many different fonts, and different font sizes. The music was not working on my computer so for this powerpoint there is no music. If you would like to take a look at all the slides of my powerpoint. I had spent a great deal of time on all of them. I am so grateful for how the powerpoint turned out. It was great to look at all the various fonts, the layout of the master pages is each different. I am grateful to have taken this course. It has truly opened my eyes to technology and many more things. It was an absolute honor to have taken this course with you. I thank you in advanced for everything.
The role of technology within a classroom is a very interesting and current topic. One can find countless articles on how to properly infuse technology into a classroom or what is the best application to use to teach us technology. One thing as educators that we will have to face in the next 5 years and on is teaching the students who truly are the "iPad" kids or the "tablet kids". When you think about that, it is not that technology enhances a lesson and provides further understanding for our differing learners, its that it will be the norm expected from us by our students. Within the article "The impact of classroom technology on student behavior", the Authors Davies, Korta and Lavin state that this is going to be our problem within the next few years.
DeleteAs stated by the authors within their text "Technology, it seems, is everywhere these days. As computers have become more
commonplace, the use of information technology has become pervasive in most everyone’s lives.
For most of us, it is hard to image daily life without the influence of technological devices, be it
handheld video games, personal digital assistants, cell phones or any number of computers. This
is especially true for younger generations. In academia, we have likely reached the point where
the use of technology is expected, by both students and their parents." This is something we have to confront face on with our best foot forward.
Hopefully the districts (specifically NYC) because I know the Long Island schools are pretty advanced with technology, will agree with this stance as well
Few people get their arms around the whole elephant better than you do.
ReplyDeleteThe role of technology in education is increasing as we all are headed into the 21st Century. I had seen in many classes that education is being used as a supplement to teaching a lesson. This is a great start, which we as teachers have been doing for many years now, but technology must be part of the learning process and not just a supplement to learning. This very technology that is being used in the 21st Century is what most careers are using in order to succeed in their fields like business and medicine. This very technology is the technology that the students go home and use to communicate, engage their minds, and to take on video gaming as a way in challenging themselves. The students are engaged by doing, not just by viewing.
ReplyDeleteIn Sir Ken Robinson’s Changing Education Paradigms, there has been a big shift of children in the form of education, in a general sense, that students now more than ever have a bigger role in the world. Children see the world in many ways as they learn by observing cognitively. Once they start being educated, they only learn one way rather than many ways of finding a solution to a problem. I feel the same way he is feeling that our country is taking away creativity by standardization. Students are structured to learn and not to think but the use of instructional technology will play the role in education that a student will figure out to find the solution to a problem in more ways than one.
That's true. We push standardization, but that may take out our students creativity. Technology helps teachers to find ways to engage students in the way they are engaged playing or socializing. The big question is how we can use it, in a way that we take advantage of its power, and not become just another tool to distract the attention.
DeleteTim -
DeleteYou and Robinson are so right. Traditional education leeches creativity from our students. The rows, the standardized responses, the memorization of facts, and the "templates." English teachers across NY state teach a set way for students to write their standardized test (Regents) essay. Even writing, one of the most creative processes we engage in, loses the opportunity for creation as students "learn" that the thesis statement should go "here" and the paragraphs should be organized "like this." It's a shame that the standardization process has placed such an emphasis on multiple choice examinations. There's no room for creativity when there is only one right answer that every student should be choosing. Thinking back to his paperclip example... it doesn't matter if the students can come up with 200 uses for a paperclip if the test only accepts one specific one.
Robinson mentions the importance of the aesthetic experience. Students remember these experiences much better than rote memorization, lecture, and cramming. Technology, when used correctly, can provide or promote those aesthetic experiences. They can watch, interact, focus, and manipulate content, which is difficult—if not impossible—to achieve with standard lecture or traditional homework assignments.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was very interesting how he connected the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution to the modern (well, traditional-and-never-changed) style. In the past, students needed either their teachers or access to very specific books for their education. Now, there are so many possibilities and avenues for students to gain knowledge: online courses, websites, discussion boards, YouTube, etc. There are so many ways for kids to seek out new information, all of which can be tied into a classroom to personalize the experience.
Patrick
DeleteI agree with you about the idea of a student’s aesthetic experience. When I apply an assignment that a student would need to use technology, like using a laptop to complete an assignment, they learn through the experience by doing and being motivated within the lesson. I also like to take my class on a field trip and/or on an in-school field trip with using distance learning technology to NASA, or the Library of Congress and they get a great sense of the content of what they are learning in the moment.
On the thought of personalizing a student’s learning experience, there is no one better on the subject than Will Richardson. He wrote an article about that very thing on how to use technology in order for students to find information about what they are passionate to learn for self-knowledge. He even breaks down the idea of personalized vs. personal education. The name of the article is “Preparing Students to Learn Without Us”. Here is the link: http://www.ascd.org/publications/educationalleadership/feb12/vol69/num05/Preparing-Students-to-Learn-Without-Us.aspx. I believe that you will find this quite interesting.
Enjoy,
Tim
If the link doesn't work, just copy and past this link on the url address bar, http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb12/vol69/num05/Preparing-Students-to-Learn-Without-Us.aspx
DeleteThanks,
Tim
Thanks a lot man
DeleteGreat comments Tim and Michael,
ReplyDeleteYou highlighted very well the importance of technology in preparing students to learn. A few years ago, I wrote a paper where I test the knowledge of teachers in technology at the beginning and at the end of a basic instructional technology course. It come to my surprise that although It was not taught in the course, IM knowledge (I am talking about 5 years ago, that could be the uses of twitter in this era) increased. The reason was, once you have the basic knowledge, future teachers begun exploring other techniques or instruments.
yes that is the truth.The importance of instructional technology goes a very miles to improve the academic performance of students
ReplyDeleteTechnology is an addition to what is already available. Technology evolves. As a history teacher I see the evolution, the progress that surrounds technology, and Instructional Technology is part of the evolution. Can we imagine farmers still working today in the fields using horses to plow? Given the current population of the planet we would surely starve. But, and its a big but, do farmers sometimes, somewhere for given reasons still use a horse to plow a small field? Yes, they might.
ReplyDeleteIntroducing the internet, tablets to replace huge textbooks, and online classes to ADD to education is a positive direction. We add, but that does not mean we necessarily have to walk away from chalk. As teachers we use diversify to engage and hold student attention.
Robert Regina - EDE 5611 - Summer 1 - Dowling College
Robert
DeleteYou are right. I have a passion for technology, but sometimes I just enjoy my blackboard with a chalk. A few days I visited a private school, I was surprise the lack of electronic boards, and computers in classrooms. However, their student performance is higher than other institutions. It is the teacher who makes the difference.
The intro of the book discusses the breakdown of the book as well as the way the activities are broken down into different levels. It explains that in level one, the author is guiding and basically holding the reader’s hand as they go through the activity. As the levels increase, the amount of guidance decreases until the reader is completing the activity independently. This reminds me a lot of when I teach a Writer’s Workshop lesson. First I demonstrate the skill. I have total control as the teacher. Then the class moves to the Guided Practice, where I still have the majority of the control, but the students are trying the skill with my guidance. Lastly, the students go off on their own and try the skill independently. I feel that this is an extremely beneficial model because students are able to see what is expected of them in the modeling, are encouraged to try along and are comfortable with making mistakes in the guided practice, and feel comfortable and confident when they move to the independent practice where they try the skill on their own. I also like the quote “We believe in application”. This definitely proves to be true. I have seen this in my experiences as both a teacher and a student. When I practice a skill and am able to integrate it into my daily living, I am more likely to own that skill. I also see this to be true with students. When a skill is taught in writing in the beginning of the year, students who use that skill in their writing throughout the school year, master it. Those who simply ignore the skill, even though they had it mastered when they were taught it, will lose the skill. I like the way the book is designed to give readers a chance to try the skills. I feel it will help me to be successful in maintaining the skill long after I have completed the text and the course.
ReplyDeleteLindsey, you have a great level of thinking. The importance of practice, and recreate old experiences within new experiences is highlighted in your comment.
DeleteThe big question is, if technology changes so fast, what is its role in Education? Should it have a role at all?
ReplyDeleteThe role technology plays is an important one in education. Technology is a necessity to help streamline and disseminate information to people. Some may say it moves to fast but that is what makes it great as you are able to modify improve and makes changes to components. Most times it would have taken longer to achieve a certain task than before. Technology in education is not to take over but to enhance and provide an alternative means of providing information and activities for various learning needs. Staying on top of the latest trends or becoming familiar and not afraid of technology in the classroom is key. You asked, "Does technology have a role in the classroom?" The short and long answer is YES! One of the many great things about technology is that it does change and evolve so fast. In many aspects people don't like change but when using technology it is important to be able to make changes to programs, materials,and even cpu systems when needed. To some this may seem overwhelming, but knowing that the main goal is to provide the most efficient, educational, and state of the art information to students is the key to success.
Thanks,
Rick S (Summer I 2013)
A doctoral student just finished his interview in the most successful teachers, all of them are fascinated of how technology helps their student learn, As you commented.
ReplyDeleteI found this chapter very interesting. I like how it explains, in detail, what the book is going to be about. It also discusses different activities to do and gives you great detail into those activities. Technology is all around us and you need to work with it to get across to your students. By using this book, it helps us to learn about different aspects of these activities so that we can teach our students. As you get more in depth, it gives you less and less information to complete a task. This is like many things that you learn from. When you first start, they give you specific details to help you get through the first few steps. Once you become more advanced, they give you less details because they know that you know what they are talking about. When learning a new task, it is best to read over instructions and be able to do it yourself. Hands on learning, for many people, are the best way to learn and when you are able to use the skills that you have learned, you become more developed in it and you can use it more often. I like how the book gives you different activities to do so that you can learn and become more advanced in the topic. By doing this activities with information that you understand, it helps you to learn it and helps you to become skillful in that topic. This book is very helpful and could be useful to many different types of people who are learning to use this software.
ReplyDeleteOverall I found this chapter to be not only interesting but very helpful as well. I especially liked how the book is laid out and gives you many details on what the book is going to be about. I also really liked how there are different activities that you can do which are also explained in great detail. This was especially helpful for me to follow along because I am the type of person who needs great detail especially in the beginning when I am not too sure of how to do something specific right away. Technology is a huge part of our lives and in order for you to get across to your students you need to be able to work with technology. This book can be a useful tool for us in a number of different ways. The different activities can be helpful for us to help us teach our students. I really liked how this book was designed I thought it was designed in a clever manor by allowing the readers to give them a chance to try the skills. This was especially helpful for not only me but for others who learn better hands on. By giving us the chance to try the skill we can eventually have a better handle on that skill and then are more likely to use it more often since we have developed in it. Overall I feel that this book can not only teach me different skills that can enhance my learning but also that I will be able to use long after this course.
ReplyDeleteTeaching students with emotional disturbances is tough to begin with. As a teacher you must prepare for the worst on a daily basis. The teacher who does not use technology within their classroom will easily bore any student with an emotional disturbance. When these students come into the classroom they want to learn, and they want to learn with what they are familiar with. Regardless of disability, these students are familiar with the latest and most advanced technology there is. It is our job as educators to provide them this opportunity.
ReplyDeleteOne message that is portrayed through different scholarly articles is to embed technology into lessons but while also using it as a reward system for when the lesson is done. This can be very dangerous in a classroom with emotionally disturbed students, when not done effectively. If there is a system of reward for technology, it has to be uniform across the board for all students, because these students are known to lash out and damage school property.
The introduction of the book describes how the book is outlined and what we will be exploring. Technology is so important in the current classrooms. It is essential for educators to know all that they can about technology, in order to provide for their students. The author explains the activities that will be introduced in the book. There are three different levels of activities. I think this is a great idea. As each level increases, the reader or individual is granted more independence. This is a fantastic way to learn! As teachers, we always use this model for lessons. The author also introduces the mentoring videos and how they can be used alongside the chapter readings to help the reader. The end of the introduction included a short survey. This was provided to help the reader self-assess. This is another tool teachers could also use in the classroom with students. The introduction provided tips for the reader that were relevant and useful!
ReplyDeleteI agree that technology is crucial in our classrooms today. I also think it is important for teachers to stay up to date with the technology that is available to them. We need to take classes in order to know exactly what our technology is capable of and how to use it. I was lucky enough that my mentor last year was proficient in the use of a SmartBoard, so he taught me pretty much everything he knows. I am so grateful of this, because I now rely on the SmartBoard for everything. All of my lessons are on the SmartBoard. It makes my life easier having everything there at my fingertips. My students also love it. They love being called up to the board to interact in one way or another with the SmartBoard. I worked in a life skills class last year and even my students in that class loved the SmartBoard. They would get so excited when I asked them to erase it, etc. I think it is a great way to incorporate technology into the classroom and I truly believe that everyone benefits from it.
ReplyDelete