Technology and Education

1049 Words3 Pages

Technology and Education

Technology has always influenced education, even when the most advanced technology available was a chalkboard. “In the early 1800s, a technological invention was introduced to classrooms that would prove to have a profound impact on teaching….What was this technological wonder? The chalkboard![1]” Now, more than 200 years later, technology is still finding it’s way into the classroom, but in more modern ways. Some of ways that technology enhances today’s classrooms are through the appropriation of grant money to fund further research on technology in the classroom, the use of technology to increase civic awareness and through the use of Assistive Technology in helping the disabled.

Today’s classrooms are becoming increasingly more technological, but does that technology really help the students learn? That is exactly the question that $15 million worth of grants from the US government are trying to answer. This money, part of the funding included in the No Child Left Behind Act, will go towards research in 8 states that will “plan and conduct an evaluation of how an education program uses technology to raise student achievement in one or more core academic subjects; to test and document the methods, practices, and instruments used to assess the impact of the technology on student achievement; and to share that information with other states.[2]” The grants will allow research to be done on a variety of areas, including improving problem- solving abilities and thinking skills; improving teacher’s professional development in technology as well as in math and reading; and evaluating the effectiveness of school-wide laptop programs. The resulting data will allow researchers to...

... middle of paper ...

...69

Hopkins, J. (2004) School library accessibility: the role of assistive technology. Teacher Librarian. Feb. 2004. Vol. 31, Iss 3; pg. 15

[1] Ryan, K. & Cooper, J.M. (2003). Those who can, Teach. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.

[2] Trotter, A. & Borja, R. (2004) Researchers Eye Technology’s Effects on Achievement. Education Week. Jan. 7, 2004. Vol. 23, Iss 16; pg. 8

[3] Braun, J. Jr. (2004) Technology in the Classroom: Tools for Building Stronger Communities and Better Citizens. Kappa Delta Pi Record. Winter 2004 Vol. 40, Iss. 2; pg 69

[4] Braun, J. Jr. (2004) Technology in the Classroom: Tools for Building Stronger Communities and Better Citizens. Kappa Delta Pi Record. Winter 2004 Vol. 40, Iss. 2; pg 69

[5] Hopkins, J. (2004) School library accessibility: the role of assistive technology. Teacher Librarian. Feb. 2004. Vol. 31, Iss 3; pg. 15

Open Document