Now I would like to pose a question based upon today's society. Is technology a necessity in the classroom today? Personally, the answer to this question could not be any more clear. Technology is a necessity and a must in today's classroom. As teacher's we would not be able to accomplish the learning goals without the use of technology. I myself as a math teacher could not be able to teach without the ability to use a white/chalk board. That's right this is considered technology as well, something that most people do not think about are the old technologies. These technologies such as overhead projectors, whiteboards and other such technologies are still technologies just not the new prototypes that everyone thinks about.
The history of technology can be viewed in this video
Technology Preferences
Laptops are the primary source of technology that students in higher education use in the classroom, over that of smartphones and other handheld devices. The numbers are at a 80% preference rate in high school and even higher at 85% in college.
Teachers prefer to use smart boards or interactive whiteboards in the classroom at a 48% rate. This may have been higher if not for the technology barrier that is evident in the school setting where most kids know how to run the technology better than the teachers.
(according to Kayte Korwitts on Survey Monkey).
Now that you have seen that I value technology in the classroom and many other teachers do so as well with the teacher preferences, I would like to talk about the appropriate ways in which to use technology. I personally prefer to have times in class designated as dead times, where there is no use of technological devices so that students can concentrate and not be distracted by such devices. Teachers must not let the technology be a distraction but an aid in instruction.
Reasons for technology being a distraction in the classroom include
- Mobile phones, ringing, buzzing and making noise along with the apps that distract your attention from the class to other objects.
- Laptops can also become walls and create a distance between the professor and student, this is something that teachers need to address.
(Fang, 2012).
3 qualities that teachers who use technology effectively practice
1) They always start with the WHY- why are we using the technology and what is the purpose.
2) They adapt- They are up to date in the latest technology and know how to use it.
3) Embrace Change- They like to learn new things and do not fight it.
(TeachThoughStaff, 2013).
Sources
Fang, B. (2009, December 22). From Distraction to Engagement: Wireless Devices in the Classroom. Retrieved October 22, 2014, from http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/distraction-engagement-wireless-devices-classroom
7 habits of highly effective teachers who use technology. (2013, May 11). Retrieved October 22, 2014, from http://www.teachthought.com/technology/7-habits-of-highly-effective-teachers-who-effectively-use-technology/
Korwitts, K. (2014, April 15). Top ways to use technology in the classroom. Retrieved October 22, 2014, from https://www.surveymonkey.com/blog/en/blog/2014/04/15/technology-in-classroom/
