Should We Embrace The Role Of Technology In Education

The students in today’s classrooms cannot fathom a world without computers, video games, and smart phones. These students are tech-savvy as they play, learn, and communicate in a connected, digital world. School administrators and curriculum planners have come to the realization that they must meet students in their world by using technology to present meaningful and engaging lessons for all students. No longer can schools continue using the standardized teaching model, which became popular during the industrial based economy of the 1900’s (Jacob, 2013). Instead, educators must be willing to embrace the movement to the 21st century schools where technology enables personalized learning for all students. In addition, teachers must be educated

In addition, over 90 percent of all school has internet access. Nevertheless, 30 percent of the teachers in classroom state their students only use computers on the average of one hour a week, while 40 percent admit to not using computers with their students at all (Gahala, 2001). Often times the focus is more on using technology rather than on the subject matter. In addition, teachers just do not have the proper training to use technology to the full potential. As technology is constantly evolving even new teachers with technology training can be as overwhelmed as much as teachers who have taught for

This does not mean knowing how to play educational games or drills and practice programs. To be successful students must learn to use technology for problem solving and creativity. So longer should classrooms be “teaching to the test,” by relying on rote and memorization as the basis for lesson planning instead, the focus must be on developing critical thinking and collaboration by the use of technology tools for brainstorming, researching , and productivity. However, because of the No Child Left Behind movement, teachers feel so pressured to prove that their students show yearly adequate progress during standardized testing time. Many important areas of curriculum, including technology are put aside as students are “trained” to take the test (Higgins, Miller, Wegmann,