Technology in Education

In all of my years in school, technology has always been a key component to the teaching and learning process in the classroom. Although my memory of my elementary school years is somewhat blurry, I do recall my middle school through high school years and the technology that was used to enhance the way the material was presented. I haven’t had any experience in teaching or helping out in school, however, I do remember the types of technology used in my classes. The main tool that I remember seeing my teachers use was PowerPoint. It was used mainly for note taking, however, there were times when the students were assigned a project and it was to be presented as a PowerPoint to the class. I also remember one of my teachers assigning us a project that involved us using Photo Story. This type of technology in the classroom is called educational technology. Educational technology is the use of any form of technology that helps the teaching and learning process. The role of educational technology in teaching is to enhance the effectiveness of a teacher’s instruction to his or her students. Educational technology also plays a role in learning which is to help students better understand what is being taught in the class.

I feel that technology should be majorly integrated into teaching and learning because the use of technology has increased tremendously over the years. Because of social media, cell phones, hand held games, etc., children of all ages are becoming more experienced with technology; therefore teachers should as well. I think teachers should begin to make the material that they teach as interesting as possible so that it produces a positive response from the students. For example, instead of just simply standing up in the front of the room teaching the value of money to elementary students, they could use a computer game that creates a fun atmosphere for learning the value of money. This will not only keep their attention longer, but it will also enhance their knowledge of money and allow them to become more experienced with technology. For jr. and high school students, teachers could create a website that is inventive and appeals to them. Through this website, the teacher could make assignments and due dates more accessible to the students by alerts sent via text message or e-mail. Although I only listed two examples of how technology could be integrated into teaching and learning, there are numerous other ways to do this as well.  The fact that utilizing technology in the classroom produces a positive reaction from students is enough to want to incorporate as much of it as a teacher can. However, there are a few factors that discourage the use of technology in the classroom. The main discouragement is time. Teachers are only allowed a certain amount of time to teach and technology could be a hindrance. Another factor is that the type of technology a teacher uses could randomly have difficulties working and therefore prevent the class from learning.

All in all, educational technology is a great tool to help teachers conduct their classroom. Educational technology also aids students to learn in different ways. There are several factors that encourage technology in the classroom, however, there are also a few factors that interfere with the use of technology in the classroom. The integration of technology in teaching and learning is an excellent way for a teacher to enhance his or her effectiveness while administering.