6 pros and cons about technology in the classrooms

https://tophat.com/blog/6-pros-cons-technology-classroom/

6 pros and cons about technology in the classrooms

Technology can be both a blessing and a curse! We need to keep in mind that the generation of students are born using technology. It is changing rapidly, but it is here to stay. As teachers, we need to remember that technology needs to be viewed as a tool, not the replacement of teachers. As mentioned in the article, schools have always been about the teacher-student relationship and this is when the education happens. Technology can be frustrating and time-consuming, but it can bring new experiences, new discoveries and new ways to learning and collaborating.

Here is what we can do to incorporate technology into our classrooms:

Pros:

·        Use technology to increase engagement, have a more active learning

·        Ensure full participation

·        Use it to make it more fun and effective by inserting games, role play and healthy competitions.

·        Automate the tedious tasks: attendance, performance, assignments…

·        Have access to fresh information to supplement the older textbooks

·        Practice the skills: creating presentation, learning how to find reliable sources, use proper online etiquettes.

Cons:

1.      Technology can be a distraction

a.      Identify projects, time during class and what the intention of technology use will be during the class

2.      Can disconnect students from social interactions

a.      Create assignment that uses both technology and oral presentation/group collaboration to learn how to interact with each other

3.      Foster cheating! Students have always found ways to cheat

a.      Design assignment where is will be difficult to cheat. Make them open books, focus on problem solving, focus on mastery versus retention.

4.      No equal access to technology

a.      Don’t make it a barrier for those how don’t have access. Use it in a inclusive manner.

5.      Quality of research and sources may not be great

a.      Guide the students on finding reliable sources

6.      Lesson planning might be more labor0intensive!

a.      Check if the software has a training section and give yourself time to learn!

One-to-One Technology in K–12 Classrooms

Many districts and schools have found technology to be an area of needed focus.  They have found, with research evidence, that students can benefit from 1:1 devices.  This can positively impact student achievement, classroom learning experiences, differentiated instruction, and engagement and motivation.  Although there are many benefits to this added focus on technology, there can also be some challenges that districts and schools can face.

A huge finding in the study was that students who used the devices more out of the classroom had a significant impact on their math achievement.   There was also better performance for students that were in a 1:1 program as opposed to a 1:5 program. Although screen size was not a significant difference, bigger screens helped keep the students engaged for longer.  These achievements were also across content areas, not just for math, although some state the contrary.

When students with devices, as opposed to students without devices, studies found that the classroom environment was run differently.  Students were encouraged to work in small groups and utilize more collaboration on activities and they communicated more effectively. They found the students felt a sense of accomplishment and showed more leadership skills.  This shows that not only were there positive quantitative results, there were also positive qualitative results for students with 1:1 devices. Not only did teachers run their classrooms differently, they were also found to implement research-based lessons and differentiate for their students. Students had more creative responses and a higher level of motivation and engagement in these lessons.

Although there are so many positive findings in research with 1:1 programs, they also found that there were some challenges.  While some teachers are eager to utilize technology in their classrooms, there are teachers that are not that tech savvy and need added professional development.  With the use of more devices also leads to more technical problems. Sometimes the internet can go down and leave the teachers to think on the fly as to what the students can work on or how to change the activity.   

I think the benefits outweigh the costs with use of technology and 1:1 programs. I found this super beneficial to read about as our district implemented a 1:1 program for our middle school last year.  We are learning how to make this program better and what professional development we need to add. Everything is a learning experience and if there are so many benefits, then not only do we need students buy-in, but we need teacher buy-in.  Teachers also need support in their schools.

Technology as a Tool to Support Instruction

http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech004.shtml



The article I reviewed was titled Technology as a Tool to Support Instruction. This article states the advantages of using technology in the classroom. I do think that using technology in the classroom can be positive, but I also think it can be negative.  One line in the article that caught my attention is that "technology encourages exploration". I feel unresolved over this statement because it can encourage exploration, but educators are also tasked with the job of making sure the students are using the technology in the classroom appropriately. However, I do think it is important to include technology in the classroom, which the article supports.  This is important so that students are up to date, and have the knowledge of how to access and use all this information.  The article makes a good point in stating that technology allows the student to be active in their learning, and allows the student to use their own learning style while acquiring and presenting the information.  All in all, I believe that technology should be used in the classroom with caution.

A Guide to Integrating Physical Education and Technology

A Guide to Integrating Physical Education and Technology

http://www.fitrated.com/resources/physical-education-technology-guide/

This article had a lot of insightful information about why I should use technology in my physical education class.  Physical education is an important part of students' lives and education growing up.  There are a lot of benefits of taking part in physical activity whether it is physical, social, or mental.  Every year in class I try to produce positive changes in my students and guide them to become lifelong learners in physical activity.

Often times, it can be difficult to engage students and make them feel motivated to exercise on a daily basis whether it is inside or outside the classroom.  According to the article many PE teachers have started turning to technology to create a dynamic and interesting classroom environment where students are excited to work out and overcome challenges.  I have always been looking for new ways to incorporate technology into my physical education classes.

I agree that more young students have their on smartphones and we might as well take advantage of it.  There are many applications that can be found on a smart phone that helps students keep track of movement, nutritional help, or anything else that has to do with physical activity.  Some of the physical activity apps the article listed to be very beneficial are; cardiograph, coach my video, coach's eye, steps pedometer & counter tracker, and google drive.

Two more if the technologies that could be beneficial to use in class are pedometers and smart watches.  The pedometers will give my students opportunities to sets goals and they be able to watch themselves progress tremendously.  Students are able to stay active and keep track of their progress.  Smart watches would be a step up from pedometers and you can even access music.  They also help students keep track of their heart rate and how many calories they've burned.  

I did enjoy looking at the list of applications they listed in the article and I plan on using them in my classroom,since we are becoming more technology bound.

I'm excited that we are going to be using more technology in our class next year, so my students and I can check out Vimeo or YouTube to checkout different fintiess combinations or demonstrations for skill development.  I also love the idea the article mentioned about the students creating their own instructional work of their own and then they will teach it to the students.  This i a fantastic idea and I can't wait to try it!  We have tried doing games like Wii sports or a Just Dance game in class before.  It was fun for majority of our students.  I think it depends on how  many students we have in class, but with us having more technology in our classroom next year-we can maybe setup the games into stations.

As PE teachers, we need to teach our students how to use various forms of technology for their fitness and healthy just like any other teacher would show their students what expectations they have for their class when they use technology.   I also believe that using technology in physical education class will boost efficiency and keep my students motivated to track their fitness on a Day-To-Day basis.