Technology and Classroom Instruction

Bill Gates and Classroom Technology

In an article by Amy X. Wang on Quartz's website, Bill Gates gave his views on technology and its function in the classroom. Gates stated that technology should be used to keep our students engaged and involved in the lesson, and I understand the point he is making. But it's hard. There are only so many sites that a teacher can find and when she does find these awesome, amazing websites she needs to find time in her lesson plans to use them. Which is all fine and dandy, until she realizes it's already March and she has four more chapters to get through. I would love to use technology more in my classroom, but my problem is I run out of time for everything I'm expected to get through.

Gates also mentions in this article that the kids who love technology have easy access to it and use this technology to their advantage. But it's the kids that need technology that have no access to it. I would love to put lessons online that my students can re-watch at home or give my students lots of sites to help them study for that big test. And most of my students will use those sites. It's Bill who needs the extra practice, but his family doesn't have internet so I can't reach him. 

The article with Gates also mentions that technology hasn't proven itself enough yet. Teachers don't have enough information to show that using technology in their classroom boosts what the student learns. And, if there isn't enough research to back up the benefits of using this technology every day, am I really going to break my back trying to implement it into my lessons every day?? Especially when my school is not one-to-one with gadgets. 

http://qz.com/634289/bill-gates-explains-why-classroom-technology-is-failing-students-and-teachers/