Integrating technology into lessons for elementary students in this century is a vital part of the twenty first century student's education. The implementation of technolgy as a requirement for teachers is present in many districts today. Unfortuantely, teacher willingness and funding prohibit this implementation in many cases.
Incorporating technology into classroom lessons requires commitment from the teacher as well as support from the district (e.g., training, hardware, and technolgy support personnel). Without these, technology will surely fall by the wayside.
There are several ways in which educators may choose to use technology in the classroom. Janice Christy (2005) explains that the use of "online literature, PowerPoint presentations, and video clips" are just the beginning of ways to increase the use of technology in everyday lessons. There are several "free" websites that provide these services.
In order for teachers to effectively integrate technology in the classroom, they need to be adequately trained in a classroom setting, work together in teams, create meaningful conversations with peers, and collaboratively create lessons with peers (Norton and Sprague, 1997). Teachers also need to have a support personnel to turn to when things go wrong.
Educators need to invest time and learning into planning lessons that incorporate technology into their classroom. In turn, districts need to offer support through quality training, support personnel, and finances in order for teachers to actively welcome technology into their classrooms.
Christy, L. (2005). Integrating technology into the language arts classroom. Glencoe Online. Retreived from http://glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/subject/int_teach_it_la.phtml
Norton, O. & Sprague, D. (1997). Teacher education and the integrations of technology. George Mason University School of Education. Retreived from http://itdev.gmu.edu/it/tech_class.htm
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I have been an educator for the past 3 years, and can totally identify with the points you have made. Though the accountability for technology has increased, the availability has not. I teach predominantly in the middle school area The students are definitely more technologically savvy than some of their teachers, and I can attest to the district I teach in does not invest in adequate resources, and time to train teachers on how to fulfill that need. A big piece is missing, and unless there is a big change (I mean big!) there will always be a void somewhere in learning.
ReplyDeleteIntegrating technology in elementary schools is exactly where this process begins, for knowledge the children gain and work with will dictate our futures. And I think that you have elaborated on a very important facet of learning, the "online literature, PowerPoint Presentations, and video clips." And I agree that this is just the beginning of where the education is headed in the future. Also, as you say, it is of vital importance that the instructors be schooled in the technology of the day, actually be ahead of the norm, because they will be the people who will be responsible to teach it to others.
ReplyDeleteBeing in the elementary field myself, I cannot tell you enough how much the technology has changed over the years. The integration of technology inside the classroom is detrimental to student success these days. I enjoyed reading your blog and the points you went over about the use of "online literature,Powerpoint presentations, and video clips." All of these will help the steady progress of keeping the school curriculum up to date with the use of technology. Great job on your blog! It had a lot of great information on a topic that should be brought up more during school wide planning.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful blog!
ReplyDeleteTechnology is such a powerful tool in the classroom. I teach high school math, and all TI products really add lots of fun into the classroom learning and teaching. In the mean time it makes a lesson alive. Smart board really makes math walk and talk! Additionally, it is a technology era now, and our kids need all these information and skills to be successful!