Adaptive Uses of Technology in the Classroom
As we have been exploring the variety of ways to use technology in the classroom, I have found the website and multi-modal presentations to be the most helpful. While I came to this course knowing plenty about classroom applications for Promethean Board, ActiVotes, and other “Smart” technology, the various web-based applications and tools that we have been introduced to has given me a much wider appreciation for the role that technology does, and can, play in our classrooms.
As we have discussed new literacies in this class, I have clung on to one of the first readings we did in which William Kist said “text is anything that communicates; a garden is a text” (Kist 111). This statement really resonated with me because of its authenticity with regards to our students’ lives. The fact is, as we move into the wired age, everything around us must be ‘read’ critically as a text. Billboards, t-shirts, magazine and web page ads, Facebook and Twitter posts, all of these are examples of texts that our students must be able to interpret as contributing members of both society and our economy. The saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” has never rung more true, as many advertisements today don’t even look like they’re selling anything. There can be no words on a page, just a picture of Hayden Panettiere in a red dress with a milk mustache, and the ad basically screams “DYE YOUR HAIR BLONDE, WORK OUT, WEAR SEXY RED CLOTHING, AND FOR GOD SAKES DRINK YOUR MILK!!!” If students cannot critically read the world around them, they cannot make intelligent decisions about what to buy, who to emulate, how to act, or what to do.
So, how do I use technology in my classroom to teach t...
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As technology continues to play an ever-increasing role in our students’ day-to-day lives, we must continue to find new and engaging ways to adapt our lessons to include technology. However, we must not use technology solely to keep students engaged, we must also have students use technology to gain practice in the authentic technological skills that will be required of them as they move on to college or enter the work-force. Basic skills like writing/formatting a paper, conducting scholarly research, and navigating the labyrinth that is the world wide web, are all skills that every student we have will eventually need in the future and that we as English teachers must continue to incorporate into our lesson planning.
References
Kist, W. (2005). New literacies in action: Teaching and learning in multiple media.
New York: Teachers College Press..
If you were to ask some high school students, “Have you ever looked up a sports score or checked your Twitter feed in class on your phone or computer?” what do you think their answer would be? The answers from most, if not all, of the students would be “yes”. Technology use has drastically increased over the past few years, and this dramatic increase is having its effects on classrooms. With online textbooks, homework, and lectures, it is inevitable for it to have an effect. Technology is rising at a rapid pace, and it is rapidly being integrated into secondary classrooms in many forms, such as online textbooks, homework, and lectures. Because of this swift incorporation of technology, high school students have a decreased focus in the classroom, have decreased motivation and patience, and it has changed the roles of teachers and students, in addition to having negative effects on a students’ writing and spelling skills.
It is very hard not to realize that technology has overpowered education in many ways. “Technology integration is similar to a tidal wave, growing silently in strength, then falling with an unstoppable roar upon those who paid no attention or showed little interest” (Guhlin, 40). Nowadays, computers are almost considered a necessity in the classroom, and are the main component of technology integration. Computers are being used in more numerous ways, besides only being used for basic word processing. With a simple computer, copious availabilities of technologies can be used in the classroom. “The one thing that is so great about the computer is that it does give a lot of instruction--and you don't need to have hearing to take advantage of it” (Anderson, 12). It’s amazing how one simple screen can provide everlasting opportunity for learning.
In her essay “Technology and Literacy: A Story about the Perils of Not Paying Attention,” Cynthia L. Selfe notes that “technology is either boring or frightening to most humanists; many teachers of English composition feel it antithetical to their primary concerns and many believe it should not be allowed to take up valuable scholarly time or the attention that could be best put to use in teaching or the study of literacy” (Self 412). Looking around campus it takes little time to verify Selfe’s caution about indifference to computers: except in its uses as “a simple tool that individual faculty members can use or ignore in their classrooms as they choose” (Self 414), computer use has been, and for the most part still is, nascent within the humanities. As computers increasingly become an irreplaceable part of daily life in modern culture, however, more and more instructors attempt to carry out the task of incorporating technology into the pedagogical techniques of their disciplines. Over the past four months I’ve had the invaluable opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at one particular attempt to integrate computers and writing instruction. In Dr. Will Hochman’s English 101-43 (SP 2003) classroom I’ve learned much about both the process and underlying philosophies involved in making computers a productive classroom tool.
With the widespread use of digital technology, the classroom teaching approaches and practices went through remarkable changes. When compared to the past ten years, today the classrooms look entirely different in terms of programs and technical tools used to enhance the learning skills of students.
...ating technology provides students with opportunities to succeed in reading and writing. As an educator, and possibly a future literacy educator it is vital to teach students that learning is not something that only happens in school. Learning will happen every day for as long as one lives. Learning happens at school, at home, at a sporting event, at the mall, or on the computer. Learning happens everywhere. It is also important to teach students reading is everywhere and it will follow them the rest of their life. As educators, we need to help students enjoy reading and develop a love for it that will last forever. It is our role to therefore provide the best instruction possible and use assessment that allows children to succeed. Most importantly, as life long learners ourselves, we need to strive to make sure that our students become and stay life long learners.
To begin with, before anyone can develop an opinion as to whether technology is a useful tool in the classroom, one needs to understand that technology plays an important role in today’s world. However, the use or over-use of technology in educating young children in teaching literacy to young children is a much debated theory. There are many opinions regarding the positive influence technology can have as a useful tool in the classroom, yet there are those, like myself, who also see the negative aspect of too much technology.
Students in the classroom today represent the first generation to grow up with new technology surrounding them since they were born. It has become common to see children from an early age learn how to use computers, smart phones, video games and other advanced digital tools. The use of the Internet, computer games, and instant messaging has become parts of students every day life. It is an obvious result that today’s students think and process information differently. My generation is considered the last pre-digital generation. As a future educator who will be teaching the 1st generation of digital natives I fear that there are many concerns about preparing students for life and the work environment. This paper examines how the technology available to students has changed the way in which they learn. In addition, I would like to look at the profound implications technology has on student education. I’m curious to find out if the technology available today is helping students le...
Do you ever think about how much technology has changed the way we work, learn, play, and even think? Technology is a major beneficiary to society; especially in the classroom where we get the opportunity to learn and grow. In recent years, schools have begun implementing tablets and other devices in the classroom to better student’s education. The use of technology in the classroom provides more of a personalized learning experience and gives students a widespread availability to engage in learning. Technology is necessary in today’s modern globe, it is basically “the pen and paper of our time and the lens through which we experience much of our world” (Warlick, 2013). Technology is not just considered the “internet”, it is so much greater than that. Overall, it enhances the quality of education and engages students deeper than ever before. With all the significant gains, why would people argue that technology hinders students more than it helps? Critics may try to repute the use of technology in the classroom but I believe what really matters “is the way we use it, the context that we use it in, and the learners who we use it for” (Chong, 2012).
Throughout history technology has been the driving force of change. From movable type, to television, to the Internet, technology has been embraced and incorporated into our daily lives. Within the constructs of civilized society, the vast rewards of technological innovations have far outweighed the negatives. The digital revolution has altered conceptions of time and distance. It has created a wealth of information that is available at the stroke of a key. Not since the invention of the printing press has the distribution and consumption of information been so democratized. The rapidly changing technological landscape has put students and teachers in the cross-hairs. Can students be positively impacted by this digital revolution? Has the wave of technology that has swept through in recent years improved teaching and learning in the classroom? Utilizing various research tools such as Boise State University's Albertsons Library database, Google Scholar, and other online tools to access peer-reviewed journals, this paper will demonstrate that technology in the classroom results in increased student performance. great intro, Evan. -Barbara Schroeder 5/6/10 7:51 AM
Over the past few years technology has taken on a whole new meaning. We have moved from the days of chalkboards, to whiteboards, to interactive whiteboards. Our students seem to be more computer savvy than their teachers. Home telephones are starting to become a thing of the past, and cell phones have turned into mini-computers. Technological geniuses have even tried to eliminate books by creating electronic books, for example the Kindle and Nook. It has become pretty evident that being technologically smart is a necessity in today's world.
Through new technologies including computers, World Wide Web, and email, we have seen many changes the way we think about and carry out the process of writing. While most seem to welcome new technologies others like Sven Birkets believe these new technologies are hurting the learning process. He writes, “Many educators say that our students are less and less able to read, or analyze, or write with clarity and purpose. Who can blame the students? Everything they meet with in the world around them gives the signal: That was then, and electronic communications are now (63). This “cyberculture” that we are a part of has truly changed the way we currently live our lives. If we use new technologies to enhance learning and not it’s primary source we as a culture, a “cyberculture” will be able to make even greater advances than previously anticipated. Presently the need for actual printed textbooks is on the decline and is sure to continue as we move further into the future.
The introduction of technology into education has revolutionized the teaching quality and learning outcome in the last ten years. The integration of technology into lectures by teachers in classroom has become so natural that both teachers and learners consider computers and their related applications for instruction are “a routine component of the classroom and educational processes in general” (Nuldén, 1999 cited in Buzzard et al., 2011, pp.131-139).
students prefer technology because they believe that it makes learning more interesting and fun. They especially like laptops and tablets. Subjects that students deem challenging or boring can become more interesting with virtual lessons, through a video, or when using a tablet. Technology occupies an important place within students’ lives. When they are not in school, just about everything that they do is connected in some way to technology. By integrating technology into the classroom, teachers are changing the way they used to teach (lectures six hours a day) and providing students with the tools that will take them into the 21st century. One of the characteristics of the modern classroom is collaboration and technology helps to empower it. With classroom technology students can collaborate with other students and their teachers in and outside of the classroom quickly and easily.
Technology properly used in the classroom has many advantages to a student’s learning. Technology can help students become more involved in their own learning process, which is not seen in the traditional classroom. It allows them to master basic skills at their own rate rather than being left behind. Teachers and students alike can connect to real life situations by using technology in the classroom; this can also help to prepare students for real world situations. Technology can be used to motivate students as well as to offer more challenging opportunities. It can also be used as a visualization tool to keep students interested in the subject that is being taught. When technology is used effectively, students have the opportunity to develop skills that they may not get without the use of technology (Cleaver, 2011). Assessing and monitoring students is easier on the teacher because of the ability to use technology in the classroom. When technology is used correctly it offers limitless resources to a classroom atmosphere.
Computer technology is one the most innovative advancements in modern-day education. Technology has made its way into the world of teaching practice and principle by expanding the way we approach instruction in the classroom. We are no longer confined to pencil and paper, but have the ability to project and present knowledge in an enhanced way to capture the minds of a generation of students whose society is built around ever expanding world of computer technology.