Evolving “Education is evolving due to the impact of the Internet. We cannot teach our students in the same manner in which we were taught. Change is necessary to engage students not in the curriculum we are responsible for teaching, but in school. Period.” – April Chamberlain Education is constantly evolving. Students in the early 1900’s had access to a one room school house and now today’s students have access to distance education, laptops, Chromebooks, mobile devices, and many other digital technologies. Students and educators no longer use typewriters and green chalkboards. Now classrooms have access to desk top computers, laptops, tablets, Chromebooks, SMART Boards, and white boards. Advances in digital technology have forced educators to continuously improve their abilities as teachers. Digital technology historically has been categorized by four different eras; pre-microcomputer beginning in the early 1950’s, pre-microcomputer era, beginning in the late 1970’s, internet era, starting in 1993 with the invention of the web, and lastly the mobile technologies, social media, and open access era of today. (Roblyer, 2016) With all these advances in digital technology, a teacher must be able to successfully integrate technology into the classroom curriculum. It is not an issue of just using technology in the classroom, it is a matter of effectively integrating technology into the classroom. (Roblyer, 2016) Effective Educators and school districts face obstacles with integrating technology into the classroom effectively. There are social, educational, equity, and ethical issues that have to be navigated. Educators, school districts, and parents must protect students private information. There are concerns that the use of excessive technology may cause health related diseases due to long periods of non-physical activity. Students have to be mindful of what they do share on the internet. Educators have to teach students of all ages digital citizenship. Educators are aware of potentially harmful malware, viruses, spam, and hacking. (Roblyer, 2016) Educators often face a lack of technology funding within their school districts. Even if there is a desire to effectively integrate technology into the classroom, not all schools are created equal because of the funding mechanisms provided to school districts to operate. There is increasing pressure from outside interest groups and politicians demanding accountability from educators and school districts. Common Core State Standards and emphasizing accountability using testing to the standards have driven the use of technology in the classroom. There are two opposing perspectives regarding effective instruction. One view is called directed instruction while the other perspective is inquiry-based learning. Direct instruction involves the teacher leading and organizing predetermined lessons to students. This view originates from objectivism, or “a belief system grounded primarily in behaviorist learning theory and the information processing branch of the cognitive learning theories. Inquiry-based learning perspective arises from constructivism, “which evolved from other branches of thinking in cognitive learning theory. Constructivists do believe that learners should create their own knowledge by their own experiences and teachers only serve as facilitators. My personal belief is that direct instruction and inquiry-based learning should be utilized in all classrooms whenever necessary. Educators must remain flexible and adaptable when teaching. (Roblyer, 2016) Integrating technology into the classroom is exciting but demands educators learn how to integrate technology. Just having access to digital technologies does not equate to effective technology use. Educators have to continually examine whether the technology used in the classroom provides meaningful learning opportunities for all students.
Roblyer, M. (2016). Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching (7th ed.). Massachusetts: Pearson.
20 Popular Technology in Education Quotes - EdTechReviewTM (ETR). (n.d.). Retrieved September 4, 2016, from http://edtechreview.in/news/2112-technology-in-education-quotes