Technology+in+Education

home Sample Lesson Plans Useful Tools Self Assessment ** Above is a taxonomy chart provided by [|EdTechInnovators] for integrating technology into the classroom.
 * __The Role of Technology in Education__

I think that the use of technology in the classroom is very important. I feel that the outlook on the issue ought to be “if you have, it use it”. So many students today, including myself, find it easier to learn through resources other than textbooks. Technology has a way of grabbing kids attention and making learning more interesting to them. Most children today are constantly surrounded by technology outside of school. It is what they know and understand. I think that if we can take the curriculum and present it to students in a way that is familiar and accessible to them, then they are more likely to be self driven to learn. Textbooks, dittos and handouts are things that today's students find boring. Computer games, videos and the internet, however, appeal to them and excite them. So, because the educational technology exists now, I think that it is an indispensable resource that ought to be utilized in the classroom, but in the appropriate manner.

Technology not only has the ability to make class more interesting to students, but it can make classwork more convenient (not to be confused with easier). Students can do group work or collaboration assignments online, from their own homes and on their own schedules, for example. Perhaps the most important thing that technology can allow for in schools is more opportunities for students to express their creativity. Rather than write papers week after week, or make a trifold every month, students can share the same knowledge in different ways like videos, podcasts, websipirations(1), etc. For me, this is something that is absolutely crucial.

ISTC301 has given me an opportunity to really see what exists out there in the realm of educational technology. I knew of virtually nothing other than a few educational computer games and educational videos going into the class, but I have been able to learn about Wikis(2), Inspiration/Webspiration(1), Blogging(3), Delicious(4), Google Docs(5), and other web 2.0 tools and about how they can be used in an educational setting.

This course also introduced me to the Universal Design for Learning approach. This approach is grounded on the fact that different students think and learn differently. This is perhaps the biggest challenge that teachers face in their classrooms. How can they teach to each individual student's learning style? That is the issue that the Center for Applied Special Technology's Universal Design for Learning aims to solve. This system calls for the usage of a wide range of technological resources so that each student has the opportunity to succeed in not only learning the curriculum, but demonstrating that learning in the ways that are suited to their learning style. Essentially, as is discussed in chapter 4 of __Teaching Every Student__, the goal of teachers should be flexibility. Flexibility in the way that they present materials to students, flexibility in the ways students express their learning, and flexibility in terms of the ways that they engage and motivate students. The UDL approach is also critical for teaching students with disabilities. As an example of how I would use the approach, for instance, if my class included a blind student, than, through digital media, this student would be able to complete a report on a book as easily as any other student in the class. By listening to an audio version of the book and doing the report in the form of a pod cast, this student's disability becomes a non issue. For this ISTC course, the UDL design has helped me not only to learn about various forms of media and how to use them, but it has given me more options of how to express what I have learned. For several of the assignments that we had, we were given the option of how we wanted to complete it (pod casts, Screen Toaster (6), Microsoft Word, etc.). By having the option, I was able to complete the assignment in the way that best suited me. While I felt more comfortable using the pod cast, other students may have preferred Word. It is this type of flexibility that the UDL approach gets at.


 * Below is an interesting video clip provided by Jose Picardo which looks at the primary reasons why technology in education is a positive: **

media type="youtube" key="6AWYIit1uNk" height="385" width="640"

__** Links **__ 1) [|Inspiration] 2) [|Wikis] 3) [|Blogging] 4) [|Delicious] 5) [|Google Docs] 6) [|Screen Toaster]


 * * All links have been evaluated and are safe to access **