Like many things technology in the classroom is about balance.
When reading The Pros and Cons of Technology, it states many believe you
can’t dive in 100% when using technology in the classroom. The article
discusses the technology used in a Kindergarten classroom when the students
used technology in an authentic way. The beauty of technology is its way to
engage learners to dive deeper into their academic material.
Pros to the use of technology include data and analytic
reporting which allows teachers to see where students are at and gives us a
chance to use assessment data to share with other school adults. There have been several times in my classroom where I have been able to share and discuss data with administrators and parents by using technology. It also allows
for just in time learning which helps to solve problems immediately. There are
many pros to technology being used in the classroom, differentiated
instruction which is huge in the school where I work which has immense diversity both of culture and academic needs, different learning modalities, as well as assistive technology
which aids those with special needs. I have seen great benefits for students with special needs in my classroom- they are able to practice skills and learn at there level and pace through using assistive technology.
We must also look at the cons, some think it is replacing
teachers- it has happened in other professions such as manufacturing industries.
Technology can also be distracting, which I have seen first-hand in my
classroom- learning a balance has been something I have need to perfect.
Plagiarism is also a concern with technology because of the accessibility of
others work. Many students do not have
access to internet outside of the classroom, last year in my class about 1/3 of
the students were not able to use internet outside of the school building.
Lastly, there is also the issue of privacy of student information.
The article states that there truly no right or wrong when
looking at this dilemma, I think a constant start of the pros and cons allows
us as teachers to utilize it responsibly in our classrooms. I have mentioned
multiple times that balance is the key to success in many ways and using
technology in this way is no different.
Technology does a wonderful job of helping to create an even playing field for students while allowing teachers to enrich learning without spending hours upon hours used on preparation and development of activities. It holds a wealth of knowledge at our fingerprints which assist us and help us do our job more effectively and efficiently. The question we must consistently ask ourselves is, are we using this resource to make my life easier- or is it to truly create a deeper level of interest and understanding of the content for the student?
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