Technology’s Influence on Education

Site: The Tech Issue
Author:Megan Donley
Title of Article: Technology's Influence on Education
Issue 15: March 2012
URL: http://source.southuniversity.edu/technologys-influence-on-education-76874.aspx

I read "Technology's Influence on Education".  The article centers around the evolution of technology in a society as being an integral part of the educational experience. The article specifically speaks about the pros and cons of technology being used by children of all ages stating that "(53%) of all 2 to 4 year olds having ever used a computer, and nine out of 10 (90%) 5 to 8 year olds having done so.” (Donley, 2012)

Furthermore, the article discusses that technology in education can both help and hinder the educational process and reports that nearly 15% of children have been bullied with a technological device. But the article discusses that social networking can be very beneficial to students who are introverted allowing them to interactive and be social with peers.

In addition, the article states that Facebook is one of the most widely used social networking sites that allows students to stay connected. The site can have both negative and positive effects specifically for colleges encouraging school spirit. Finally, the article summarizes that no matter your age, young or old, technology is a huge integral part of your educational experience.

Reflection:
I believe that this article is very simple and to the point. It clearly depicts the reality that technology portrays on education today. Education is so deeply rooted in technology today that if you are not using it in your classroom you might be considered to be living in the dark ages. Furthermore, technology is such a vital part of education today that if we do not use it in the classroom we will lose touch with our student population because they are truly entwined in it, every aspect of their lives can be seen on a social networking site or with the touch of a button, it is truly a remarkable thing.

Ten reasons why technology is vital to education

I read "Ten Reasons why Technology is vital to education" by Joh Page.  http://www.mathopenref.com/site/techreasons.html  This article listen ten reasons why it's so important.  One that stood out to me was #10 - Lower Cost.  Page explains how expensive high text books can be and how much laptops can cost.  The reason some schools are using both right now is simply because districts are in transition, and the transition will be expensive!  Our own Superintendent stated that our town is looking at doing all books on iPads or laptops and eliminating text books altogether.  As a parent or a soon-to-be high school student, I was kind of surprised that this was happening already but I know it would be better for my students at home!

The other reason that stood out to me was that students need to use media for self expression.  When students create something at school and are able to share it at home or with friends, it could be more motivating for them.  Also, when an assignment is similar to something they create on their own anyway, it can help them realize that they can do the work and it does apply to their lives. 

In Classroom of Future, Stagnant Scores

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/04/technology/technology-in-schools-faces-questions-on-value.html?pagewanted=all

Grading the Digital School: In Classroom of Future, Stagnant Scores
by Matt Richtel
New York Times
Business Day
Technology
September 3, 2011

This article outlines the issues with technology in classrooms and stagnant test scores. Kyrene Schools in Chandler, Arizona were highlighted. Classrooms in this district have plenty of technological resources, however, their test scores have not improved. This is where the controversy lies. Some opponents say that if the new resources are not improving student achievement, it should be discouraged. Proponents claim that test scores may not have improved but, students are getting more enriching opportunities through the technology resources provided to them. Opponents of technology also claim that students don't emotionally interact with technology as they do with paper and print material. They also say that technology replaces the time students would otherwise be interacting with a teacher. Other's claim that technology may distract from learning instead of help with instruction. Funding is another big issue. Schools are spending generously on technology while budgets for teachers an other supplies has been severely cut in the past few years. Schools are not allowed to spend technology money on anything other than technology. This concepts frustrates teachers and parents of some districts. Technology money attracts vendors to district representatives. They attempt to sell new technology resources or upgrade existing resources and encourage districts to spend, spend, spend. Parents are attracted to schools that are equipped well with the newest technology. However, when faced with tax increases or bond issues, they feel conflicted.

Review by Amy Long

Capitalizing on Emerging Technologies: A Case Study of Classroom Blogging

Capitalizing on Emerging Technologies: A Case Study of Classroom Blogging

School Science and Mathematics, May 2008, Vol. 108 Issue 5, p.173-183

This study explored the blogging practices of a high school math teacher and his class to explore the value of a classroom blog.  The criteria, which had to be satisfied in order for the blog to be studied, were:  it had to be created and maintained by High School Teacher, it had to be updated several times/week, there had to be high levels of student contribution and involvement and the teacher had to be willing to be interviewed.

The article indicated that the teacher’s intentions for having a class blog were to create additional forms of participation and increase student exposure time to content.  The findings of the blog indicated that the blog supported student learning.  It promoted reflective thinking, nurtured collaboration and relationship building, increased student accountability, encouraged peer support, increased opportunities to receive feedback, extended learning outside classroom walls and encouraged interactions between classmates and with those outside the classroom.

One curricular unit was studies in depth.  It lasted 27days, and included 1,292 lines of text.  Mr. K, the math teacher, required each student to take a turn writing a post that recorded what happened in class that day.  The student posting would name next student to post, so everyone had to check the previous day.  Before any test, students were required to write a reflective post on what they learned, or pick the “Editors Initiative” option and identify and discuss mistakes or omission of material (missed material) from someone else’s post.

In addition to this, each Sunday, Mr. K would add a Sunday Game Post to the blog.  This would be a new puzzle or problem based game to solve.  The blog also included a chat box for students to converse while doing homework, which increased student communication and provided students with math-resources (assignments, reviews online, tutorial or quizzes).  Last, Mr. K, the math teacher, added a visitor’s map, which would show from where people were looking at the blog. 

The blog had a very positive impact.  In the student’s view, they were part of “Co-Constructing a textbook for the world”.  The blog received many positive e-mails and was nominated for awards.  The benefits of the blog included some of the following.  It provided a place where students could work together outside classroom, it double plus exposed students to topics, it increased socialization, it facilitated question asking and it opened the doors to their classroom and exposed them to the fact they were part of a Global Learning Environment.

The blog provided a unique opportunity to capitalize on teen interest, increase teacher/student and student/student communication and provide many benefits.  I would like to do this in my classroom.  I think it would be a valuable tool and a fun new way to communicate with students.  

The Article can be found at the following website:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1949-8594.2008.tb17826.x/abstract

Technology in the Classroom---Just Flip it!

The article, "The Flipped Classroom: Pro and Con" is by Mary Beth Hertz, Technology Teacher in Philadelphia, and was found on edutopia.org.  I have been fascinated by this hot topic in education recently, and have read many articles examining the flipped classroom's philosophy.  This particular article is actually found with a subheading: technology integration.  As anyone who has caught the flipped classroom buzz knows, there is an idealogy being explored that reverses the traditional classroom.  The teacher assigns homework, but the homework is actually the lecture.  The students are required to watch a video, or listen to an audio, instruction of their lesson. Then when they arrive at class the next day, they apply their newly learned lesson on an in-class assignment.  The teacher is able to spend quality one-on-one instructional time with students, as opposed to lecturing to the class as a whole.  Those who are struggling with applying their lesson receive tutoring.  Those who are able to breeze through their work are given more challenging puzzles or creative options for application of the new lesson.  The pro then for this flipped classroom is the individualization of instruction.  The cons lie in the technology issues.  Do all students have access to technology outside the classroom?  If one student is unable to find a computer, ipod, or smartphone, the entire model really is not employable.  I believe the concept is exciting.  I also value the discussion, prompting educators to continually ask how we can teach better.  I believe integrating technology is clearly the future and we need to accommodate the world in which our students live.  With many resources available from which to tap for math lessons (Khan Academy, musical renditions of math theorums and properrties, self-created DVDs or CDs of lessons, etc), we can enrich our teaching in varied and prolific ways.  I see the very real concern, that every student must have available computer access, and this ultimately must be addressed completely before flipping one's classroom.

The Instructional Power of Digital Games, Social Networking, and Simulations and How Teachers Can Leverage Them

Article: The Instructional Power of Digital Games, Social Networking, and Simulations and How Teachers Can Leverage Them Site: http://education.mit.edu/papers/GamesSimsSocNets_EdArcade.pdf Authors: Eric Klopfer, Scot Osterweil, Jennifer Groff, Jason Haas This article discusses the advancement of digital games, social networking, and simulations in our society and how teachers can take advantage of their popularity and use them to enhance their teaching. The article shares some popular examples of games, social networks and simulations that are out there and are very popular and how teachers can actually use many of them to enhance curriculum. It mentions games and simulations, such as World of Warcraft, Civilizations, and Lure of the Labyrinth. Each of these, and many more which are listed on a link, can be used and were actually designed with education of some group in mind. Lure of the Labyrinth, for instance, was designed to teach algebraic items to students. It also mentions many newer social networking sites that are actually being designed with students and teachers in mind. Sites like Diigo and Think.com are actually designed to be used in a classroom-type setting where the teacher has control and can monitor everything that goes on. These sites can be used for a multitude of applications and go beyond the simple blog or wiki in that they can be used for entire project sharing and many other things related to a classroom. The ideas also benefit from recent research which has shown the learning process fits well into these social networks because learning is a social activity. It has been proven that most students learn much better in collaboration and through more social interaction than just sitting in a classroom taking notes. Many unique things can be done with these technologies but teachers have many issues that cause them to be hesitant. As a teacher, I know I have many things that hold me back from trying some of the things I see, even though they seem like fantastic and useful ideas. My main issue is the lack of technology available to me and my students. Even though it seems that today every kid has a cell phone and the internet, that is simply not the case. It is even very difficult for me to find computer access for my kids while in school, making such ambitious activities very difficult. We must pick and choose smaller activities that don't take much time as finding a day to use computers is very difficult. I think until schools have the funding and equipment to do these ambitious things, they will be difficult to incorporate for many. Also, the lack of technology seen in our testing procedures also hampers what we can do. Very little technology of any type is used or even considered in any type of testing. It is hard to justify to parents or administrators spending time on projects that are not very similar or directly tied to getting good scores on these tests. The testing methods also need to adapt themselves to the 21st century if this new way of teaching is going to take off.

Embracing Classroom Technology

Embracing Classroom Technology by Bridget McCrea

http://thejournal.com/articles/2010/06/17/embracing-classroom-technology.aspx

This article talks about a teacher who was tired of doing things the old-fashioned way.  Velerie Gresser wasn’t satisfied with the way her students were learning in that ‘old-fashioned’ manner, all her students gathering around the lone computer she had in her room. So she took it into her own hands to make learning in her classroom up to date and in the 21^st century. Valerie knew there were better tools out there, and she knew that tools like SMART boards, interactive whiteboards, digital cameras, and document cameras would go a very long way in her classroom, now she just had to look for ways to turn her vision of a 21^st century classroom into a reality. She was informed about a $20,000 grant through CCS Presentation Systems, and decided to write up a plan about how she could use the money to create an up to date classroom for those 21^st century learners. Well, Valerie won the grant! She won projectors, electronic whiteboards, document cameras, interactive electronic tables for data input, and entry-level cameras for student use! Gresser worked hard to get what she wanted for her classroom. She spent a lot of time learning about the technology and figuring out what would benefit her classes the most, but she worked hard and fought for what she wanted and it paid off!