Monday, September 8, 2008
Technology in the Classroom
Technology is emerging in classrooms as a necessity and should be treated as such. Through the use of technology, course material can be easier to understand and can be made available to students at anytime and anywhere in the world. In my experience as a student, when a teacher would use a slide show to put notes on a screen they were easier to read and the notes could be gone back too at any point in class. Another advantage of a teacher using these is they could post them online where I would be able to access them at home to make studying easier. Also, through using emails, teachers have been able to give me access to articles and files. This gives students access to material that they can print out and use prior to class instead of waiting to give a handout in class. This also gives teachers the opportunity to give students access to decisions they make on course work and new material that they decide on using. Using new technology and finding new ways to use current technology is a challenge teachers have to embrace to help raise the level of the education that their students receive.
Classroom & Technology use
Throughout my primary and secondary years of education technology was used to a certain extent. Including the use of projectors, movies, typing papers, and going to the school lab to find resources on the internet. Other then that we would listen to the instructor.
The article points out how advances in technology that can be applied to an educational setting may take away from learning as kids more and more can use technology to cut corners. Since they have all these technologies at their fingertips.
The article points out how in japan students go through many grades before even being allowed to use a computer. while American students rely on computers more so.
When thinking about this topic I look at my baby brother he's has had access to a computer since he was born. He can type and use the internet ut since he has always had these resources his hand writing skills never developed. This has penalized him because in school writing is essential because not everyone has a computer and it is required to write to express answers at his grade level.
So if technology go as fars to become maybe the next perfect spell and grammar checker are you learning or has some computer already done the learning for you. I think between learning and technology lines must be defined so kid do not become dependent on the technology that was suppose to aid them in learning.
The article points out how advances in technology that can be applied to an educational setting may take away from learning as kids more and more can use technology to cut corners. Since they have all these technologies at their fingertips.
The article points out how in japan students go through many grades before even being allowed to use a computer. while American students rely on computers more so.
When thinking about this topic I look at my baby brother he's has had access to a computer since he was born. He can type and use the internet ut since he has always had these resources his hand writing skills never developed. This has penalized him because in school writing is essential because not everyone has a computer and it is required to write to express answers at his grade level.
So if technology go as fars to become maybe the next perfect spell and grammar checker are you learning or has some computer already done the learning for you. I think between learning and technology lines must be defined so kid do not become dependent on the technology that was suppose to aid them in learning.
Views on classroom technology use
I feel technology is something that must be used in order to help every student understand the assignment. Think about it there is not just one type of student out there; there are visual learners, audio learners, kinesthetic learners, etc. So you cannot just stand in front of a class and talk and talk and talk. You need to incorporate different learning objects, not all technology but you need to have some in there. Why? Because look at how many kids out there use technology these days and think about it did you like learning things the same way everyday? Probably not because in my opinion that is really boring. Another reason it should be used in the classrooms is because most places have it at their finger tips why not use it?
Well back in the day we used technology to learn things just like we need to do today. When I was in elementary school we used “Distant Learning.” Distant Learning enables you to talk to people in another school anywhere in the world. After connecting the machine you see them and hear them as if they were right in front of you, it is like a web cam.
My fifth grade year we used this technology to talk to students in Texas. I was attending a summer enrichment class where we were learning about space and all the planets. After learning about space, the planets, and their surroundings we did a distant learning lesson. It was actually pretty cool because they were in the NASA building where astronauts came and talked to us as well. We showed the students and the astronauts the projects we did and some of us even did presentations. The children in NASA showed us different things they used to help them learn about space also.
It helped me understand what I was learning as I am a visual and audio learner. I have a hard time of learning things from someone who just lectures the information to me or by just reading a book. I thought it was a pretty nifty thing as I never did it before and it was before I ever new about web cams. I also think this helped many learn new facts and actually made the information that may not be interesting to everyone actually interesting. The lesson helped the information really come to life.
Well back in the day we used technology to learn things just like we need to do today. When I was in elementary school we used “Distant Learning.” Distant Learning enables you to talk to people in another school anywhere in the world. After connecting the machine you see them and hear them as if they were right in front of you, it is like a web cam.
My fifth grade year we used this technology to talk to students in Texas. I was attending a summer enrichment class where we were learning about space and all the planets. After learning about space, the planets, and their surroundings we did a distant learning lesson. It was actually pretty cool because they were in the NASA building where astronauts came and talked to us as well. We showed the students and the astronauts the projects we did and some of us even did presentations. The children in NASA showed us different things they used to help them learn about space also.
It helped me understand what I was learning as I am a visual and audio learner. I have a hard time of learning things from someone who just lectures the information to me or by just reading a book. I thought it was a pretty nifty thing as I never did it before and it was before I ever new about web cams. I also think this helped many learn new facts and actually made the information that may not be interesting to everyone actually interesting. The lesson helped the information really come to life.
Unplugged: Classroom Technology Use
In my opinion technology is very important to incorporate within the classroom. This day in age technology is constantly evolving, and we as future educators must adjust to the changes. I was fortunate enough to go to a brand new science and technology high school where we had the lastest technologies. Of course televisions, projectors, and computers were in every classroom.
There was one particular class that we used technology alot and that was Genetics my senior year. The teacher enstilled in us that science was ever changing and is more and more incorporating new technology. Every Wednesday we had to do in interactive lab on the computer using a software. The labs showed interactive specimens and equipment that we could control by the click of a mouse. I believed that the use of computers to complete our labs was a great way to get the lesson across. We as students were able to work in groups, interact with each other and further strengthen our technological skills.
Now that I am in college and I have to do hands on labs, I really appreciated the use of the computer. When we had questions we were able to pause our activity and ask for help, also we were able to replay instructions over and over again. I will always beleive that intergrating technology into education is one of the best things to do for our up and coming youth. Once we all get into the real world everyone will have a better understanding of technology.
Technology in the Classroom
I think technology can be useful in a classroom if used properly. But I think finding the line of using technology the right way and using the wrong way can be very fine. In high school, I didn't find that technology was used very much. Other than the occational video or power point presentation, nothing was really used. We were even still required to use mostly book sorces for research papers.
It wasn't until I reached college that I found teachers using it more. But even then I felt it was sparce. I've had quite a few teachers that used power point presentations for class, but most were poorly designed and the teachers didn't use them correctly. They often read straight from them and went to fast, expecting you to copy all the notes. Only one teacher to date has used power point correctly and that class is one of the best I've taken.
Other than teachers once in a while showing a video or asking use to go online and do a project or research in class, I found that for the most part, teachers seem to forget about technology. But for the most part I think I'm ok with that. I find often if teachers do use it, it's used the wrong way, and it just makes things worse. I rather a teacher not use technology than use it the wrong way.
It wasn't until I reached college that I found teachers using it more. But even then I felt it was sparce. I've had quite a few teachers that used power point presentations for class, but most were poorly designed and the teachers didn't use them correctly. They often read straight from them and went to fast, expecting you to copy all the notes. Only one teacher to date has used power point correctly and that class is one of the best I've taken.
Other than teachers once in a while showing a video or asking use to go online and do a project or research in class, I found that for the most part, teachers seem to forget about technology. But for the most part I think I'm ok with that. I find often if teachers do use it, it's used the wrong way, and it just makes things worse. I rather a teacher not use technology than use it the wrong way.
Classroom Technology
Classroom technology is becoming more abundant each school year. I believe that this will help students become more prepared for the work place and their futures. I began to see the integration of technology during my high school years. Teachers became more frequent users of the schools' computer labs, the laptop carts, and smart boards. I was upset that once my high school acquired even more of these technologies I was graduating. Upon entering Towson University, I was prepared for lectures and hand written notes; as was common in my high school. I went through a technology shock when I entered my first semester classes. It seemed as if every professor I had was a user of some sort of technology I was not extremely familiar with.
Many of my professors used PowerPoint for our notes and then used blackboard to post those notes and other assignments on. This was my first experience with a website/blog site being integrated into my curriculum. One class specifically in my first semester as a freshman used various devices of technology; my physics lab used "clickers," blackboard, blogs, the internet, and PowerPoint everyday in some form. Each day we used a small remote, a "clicker" as we fondly referred to them, that was synced to sensors on the walls of the auditorium and we used them to check into the class attendance, take polls on opinions, to answer questions, and other interactive activities. Each student was assigned one and this enabled everyone to have a voice somehow in the class. Because of the large room we were in, the PowerPoint slides that held our notes were very helpful. The professor would use these to refer to as he lectured. He even placed hyper links on the pages of the PowerPoint that connected us to examples of what he was lecturing about. This enabled my peers and I to fully understand the physics of the objects in our lessons. This professor, like many of my other professors, used blackboard and would post these PowerPoint's so that we could refer back to them when we were completing our homework or when we were preparing for tests. We also had a weekly blog to discuss the in class activity with our specified groups. The professor did this so that we were able to have group insights on the subject being taught.
This was the largest example of classroom integration of technology that I have ever experienced. I believe that it prepared me for not only my future courses but gave me ideas about how I want to run my future classes as a teacher. I am impressed by technology and I wish that more of my professors would find ways to integrate it into their lessons. This professor used technology very well because he used it to involve every student and made sure that it helped us to further understand the subject. I, as well as my fellow students, thoroughly enjoyed this course because it was unlike many of our other lecture classes.
Many of my professors used PowerPoint for our notes and then used blackboard to post those notes and other assignments on. This was my first experience with a website/blog site being integrated into my curriculum. One class specifically in my first semester as a freshman used various devices of technology; my physics lab used "clickers," blackboard, blogs, the internet, and PowerPoint everyday in some form. Each day we used a small remote, a "clicker" as we fondly referred to them, that was synced to sensors on the walls of the auditorium and we used them to check into the class attendance, take polls on opinions, to answer questions, and other interactive activities. Each student was assigned one and this enabled everyone to have a voice somehow in the class. Because of the large room we were in, the PowerPoint slides that held our notes were very helpful. The professor would use these to refer to as he lectured. He even placed hyper links on the pages of the PowerPoint that connected us to examples of what he was lecturing about. This enabled my peers and I to fully understand the physics of the objects in our lessons. This professor, like many of my other professors, used blackboard and would post these PowerPoint's so that we could refer back to them when we were completing our homework or when we were preparing for tests. We also had a weekly blog to discuss the in class activity with our specified groups. The professor did this so that we were able to have group insights on the subject being taught.
This was the largest example of classroom integration of technology that I have ever experienced. I believe that it prepared me for not only my future courses but gave me ideas about how I want to run my future classes as a teacher. I am impressed by technology and I wish that more of my professors would find ways to integrate it into their lessons. This professor used technology very well because he used it to involve every student and made sure that it helped us to further understand the subject. I, as well as my fellow students, thoroughly enjoyed this course because it was unlike many of our other lecture classes.
Technology in the Classroom
I think the use of technology in the classroom can be very effective. I personally feel like I learn more when different things are integrated into the class, other than the plain old lecture.
Throughout my academic career I rarely used technology in the classroom, but this all change when I entered college. In most of my courses have or are using some form of technology. Some have used technology more than others, but most have. I think one of my favorite tech experiences was in my Creative Writing class.
When I first signed up for the class I didn't think I would really like because it was not something I was interested in. It was the kind of class you take just because you need to. Anyway, we were assigned to write poems and short stories throughout the semester. We were expected to post our writings on the class page and have the other students read and critique them. At first I was a little afraid of doing this because I didn't want others to see my work, it was something I was uncomfortable with. After the first couple of classes I began to get used to it and I actually felt like posting our writings was a real benefit not only for us, but for the flow of the class as well. Since everyone would have already read the posted works, we could come in and start to talk about them. We didn't have to wait for everyone to read their work. Another assignment we had in the class was to make a digital story. I forget the actual program we used, whether it was movie maker or something like it, but I enjoyed the process. It was a form of technology that I had never used before. Because of all the technologies we used I learned a lot. The students in the class all seemed to benefit from the use of technology.
We basically helped to teach each other. We could contact the other students when we were having problems with the technology use. Our teacher was there to help us, but we really graded each other and commented on each others work. Without the use of the computer, I do not think we would have been able to do this.
I thought that this was a great way to integrate technology into the course. It was relied on heavily, but we also relied on human interaction. I think this was the right way to learn through the technology. I think that technology is a great source of learning, but I also think that it is necessary to have the human interaction. I think my learning in the course was dramatically improve because we had the tools necessary to complete the goals of the course.
Throughout my academic career I rarely used technology in the classroom, but this all change when I entered college. In most of my courses have or are using some form of technology. Some have used technology more than others, but most have. I think one of my favorite tech experiences was in my Creative Writing class.
When I first signed up for the class I didn't think I would really like because it was not something I was interested in. It was the kind of class you take just because you need to. Anyway, we were assigned to write poems and short stories throughout the semester. We were expected to post our writings on the class page and have the other students read and critique them. At first I was a little afraid of doing this because I didn't want others to see my work, it was something I was uncomfortable with. After the first couple of classes I began to get used to it and I actually felt like posting our writings was a real benefit not only for us, but for the flow of the class as well. Since everyone would have already read the posted works, we could come in and start to talk about them. We didn't have to wait for everyone to read their work. Another assignment we had in the class was to make a digital story. I forget the actual program we used, whether it was movie maker or something like it, but I enjoyed the process. It was a form of technology that I had never used before. Because of all the technologies we used I learned a lot. The students in the class all seemed to benefit from the use of technology.
We basically helped to teach each other. We could contact the other students when we were having problems with the technology use. Our teacher was there to help us, but we really graded each other and commented on each others work. Without the use of the computer, I do not think we would have been able to do this.
I thought that this was a great way to integrate technology into the course. It was relied on heavily, but we also relied on human interaction. I think this was the right way to learn through the technology. I think that technology is a great source of learning, but I also think that it is necessary to have the human interaction. I think my learning in the course was dramatically improve because we had the tools necessary to complete the goals of the course.
Technology in the Classroom
I believe that the use of technology in the classroom is very helpful. I feel as if the internet and other sources of technology can help you in the class. The technology I personally found helpful in the classroom was powerpoint and blackboard. The first time I really encountered Powerpoint and blackboard was when I got to college. I was in Intro to special education here at Towson and we had to do powerpoint presentations very often. I found this to be such a good way of learning. By doing this, I feel as if I knew the material much better after each and every presentation. That technology helped me do better in that class. I really do think if we didn't do these powerpoint presentations then I probably wouldn't of done as well in the class.
Another form of technology I found useful and helpful in the classroom is blackboard. I became familiar with blackboard at Towson in the class ISTC 201. I knew very little, almost nothing at all about blackboard. Once we started using blackboard in the classroom, the class ran much smoother. I found blackboard very helpful with regulating the class, knowing my assignments, and knowing where I stood in the class. Instead of reading off of a syllabus, everything you need to know plus more in on the web for you.
I'm not the best or most knowledgeable about technology, but I do find certain technologies to be helpful in a classroom setting. In most cases it easier to keep up with the class and learn in different ways when you use technology. Using powerpoint and using blackboard has improved my learning a lot.
technology in the classroom
I honestly think the only forms of computer technology that I've come across in the classroom are Powerpoint, and most recently Webct. Most of my teachers have used Powerpoint as a lecture tool.
My most recent classes have been American Sign Language classes at CCBC. CCBC has had all of their teachers taking computer education courses in order to create more use of technology in the classroom. I find this somewhat amusing for my ASL classes, though. I have had teachers use Powerpoint to cover points they were teaching, and also for exams. But honestly, that sort of technology is wasted in those types of classes. ASL classes are not lecture-type classes, they are (pardon the pun) hands-on learning classes. The only way to learn is to do. Having technology doesn't actually affect the learning by the students in those classes. As a matter of fact, I feel it may actually be more of a deterrent. ASL is, quite obviously, a very visual type of learning. Having something like Powerpoint actually takes away from the teacher by giving the students something else to focus on. In my opinion it seemed kind of wasteful to make these teachers learn about technology that really didn't apply to their curriculum. Was it really necessary?
Webct, on the other hand, is a fabulous application, but for those classes it wasn't used in the classroom setting. It was a way for students to check their grades and check on assignments that were due. Very helpful, yes, but not really used actually within the classroom.
So while technology is very helpful in many classroom settings, I can see that in some settings it's more troublesome than helpful.
My most recent classes have been American Sign Language classes at CCBC. CCBC has had all of their teachers taking computer education courses in order to create more use of technology in the classroom. I find this somewhat amusing for my ASL classes, though. I have had teachers use Powerpoint to cover points they were teaching, and also for exams. But honestly, that sort of technology is wasted in those types of classes. ASL classes are not lecture-type classes, they are (pardon the pun) hands-on learning classes. The only way to learn is to do. Having technology doesn't actually affect the learning by the students in those classes. As a matter of fact, I feel it may actually be more of a deterrent. ASL is, quite obviously, a very visual type of learning. Having something like Powerpoint actually takes away from the teacher by giving the students something else to focus on. In my opinion it seemed kind of wasteful to make these teachers learn about technology that really didn't apply to their curriculum. Was it really necessary?
Webct, on the other hand, is a fabulous application, but for those classes it wasn't used in the classroom setting. It was a way for students to check their grades and check on assignments that were due. Very helpful, yes, but not really used actually within the classroom.
So while technology is very helpful in many classroom settings, I can see that in some settings it's more troublesome than helpful.
Technology Use in the Classroom
My personal experience with technology classroom is not very diverse. From elementary school throughout high school, the only technology that was really used were computers, the Internet, Microsoft Powerpoint/Office, and the occassional LCD projector. My least fondest memory of using technology in the classroom was in my senior year of high school. I was taking Allied Health III and IV, which were both part of my Allied Health major (my high school required that all students have a major that lasted for the last three years of school). I had the same teacher for both classes and the classes were scheduled back-to-back with one another. My teacher liked to give us projects once a week, in which we had to give a PowerPoint presentation every Friday on a current event article that related to our lesson for the week. My teacher gave the instructions that the PowerPoints were not to have anny graphics or audio or anything fancy. The actual PowerPoint had to be completely bare with the exception of the information you included. We did these PowerPoints every week up until graduation week. We would always put the PowerPoint presentations together on Thursday afternoon. We would be given two, ninety minute periods to complete our presentations.
First of all, I think this was an inappropriate way to present current event articles. I think that it would have been more acceptable for the students to give a regular oral presentation of the article and to submit a written copy of the summary. Secondly, nobody was able to enjoy doing the PowerPoints because we were not able to put any of our own creativity into it. Our teacher had us complete PowerPoint presentations every week because he said that he did not enjoy grading papers and it was easier for him to just write down a grade for our presentations. The manner in which he incorporated technology into the classroom was completely inappropriate.
I think that technology definitely does have a place in the classroom, but only if it is going to be used in an appropriate manner. Teachers need to realize that there is a time and a place for everything and certain technologies need to be incorporated into the lesson at appropriate times. Being a student myself, I know that I hate when a teacher bombards students with the same routine over and over again. Acitivties such as projects typically are created to stimulate the creativity of the students. If a teacher always puts the same restrictions on what the student cannot use for technology in their projects, students are going to become very disengaged from the classroom. It is important for students to be able to use a variety of technology in the classroom to learn and help to express their creativity and ideas. In my opinion, both as a student and a future teacher, technology should not be meant to reduce the amount of work that the teacher has to do. Technology should and can be used in a way that enhances learning. I think that many teachers misuse technology in the classroom because they have the notion that technology is supposed to replace teaching. I think that technology should be used in the classroom, but only in such a way that students can really pull something from it and never feel that any piece of technology is too over or underused.
First of all, I think this was an inappropriate way to present current event articles. I think that it would have been more acceptable for the students to give a regular oral presentation of the article and to submit a written copy of the summary. Secondly, nobody was able to enjoy doing the PowerPoints because we were not able to put any of our own creativity into it. Our teacher had us complete PowerPoint presentations every week because he said that he did not enjoy grading papers and it was easier for him to just write down a grade for our presentations. The manner in which he incorporated technology into the classroom was completely inappropriate.
I think that technology definitely does have a place in the classroom, but only if it is going to be used in an appropriate manner. Teachers need to realize that there is a time and a place for everything and certain technologies need to be incorporated into the lesson at appropriate times. Being a student myself, I know that I hate when a teacher bombards students with the same routine over and over again. Acitivties such as projects typically are created to stimulate the creativity of the students. If a teacher always puts the same restrictions on what the student cannot use for technology in their projects, students are going to become very disengaged from the classroom. It is important for students to be able to use a variety of technology in the classroom to learn and help to express their creativity and ideas. In my opinion, both as a student and a future teacher, technology should not be meant to reduce the amount of work that the teacher has to do. Technology should and can be used in a way that enhances learning. I think that many teachers misuse technology in the classroom because they have the notion that technology is supposed to replace teaching. I think that technology should be used in the classroom, but only in such a way that students can really pull something from it and never feel that any piece of technology is too over or underused.
My Opinion on Technology in the classroom
There have not been many classes where I can remember technology ever helping me learn. As an elementary school student, I attended a Catholic school that offered one computer lab of 30 computers to the entire school population. We even had a once weekly class in the lab. Subject matter changing as you got older. Younger kids would play games, 3-5th grade learned proper typing technique, and the middle school used it for word processing. As far as I can remember we were told to use a specific program and then pretty much left to sink or swim for the next 45 minutes.
Is this an effective method? Not unless you wanted to separate the technologically savvy kids from their peers in the early 90's. When we learned to type we used the program "Mavis Beacon teaches Typing". The class started with a diagnostic provided by the program and then we progressed to typing lessons. Some of my classmates progressed very rapidly, completing the program after 4 class sessions, then they got to play games while the rest of us still struggled with proper hand placement. This distracted us from our work because we just wanted to play a game too.
This situation was totally aggravating. While the reward for completing our work was great. Students who struggled with the typing program only got distracted when their neighbor started playing a game. The teacher let the program do all the work and sat behind his desk reading a paper. This class really divided the students who got to use a computer at home from those of us who had minimal exposure to it. I feel like I taught myself to type, and manipulate the programs placed in front of me.
Technology Use In Classrooms
I believe that the use of technology in classrooms is needed to a certain extent. The technology that a teacher provides is useful if students are able to learn and gain knowledge from the class. Nowadays, there have been multiple classes all over thousands of campuses that have computers, which I believe is useful. Computers in classes can be used for research through the internet. Also, they can be used to write papers, make documents, create web designs, etc. These different uses can be essential for students as they pursue what they want to do in the future to make work easier. Besides using technology for personal values, students are able to communicate with other people, especially with people in their class, giving each other resourceful information or assistance. Such examples of communication are the Wiki, Blackboard, and other websites that have blogs or different sources of communication. Teachers can provide and use computers for these purposes as well.
Through computers, teachers are able to provide instruction visually. They are able to set up a lesson plan through power point. They are able to use power point to guide them in their lectures by writing down the main ideas of what they're representing, even adding a few pictures for students to be able to grasp the teachers' purposes of their lectures. Most of my classes that I have taken at Towson had power point used, usually when students had to present any certain topic. Besides computers, I believe there should be some music involved. I believe to make various classes more interesting and provide a better learning environment, teachers should provide a music system, whether it's from an I-pod connected to a computer or a radio, which students can listen to so they won't have to stress out from what they're learning. Overall, I believe the computer is the best source of technology to use in a classroom.
Through computers, teachers are able to provide instruction visually. They are able to set up a lesson plan through power point. They are able to use power point to guide them in their lectures by writing down the main ideas of what they're representing, even adding a few pictures for students to be able to grasp the teachers' purposes of their lectures. Most of my classes that I have taken at Towson had power point used, usually when students had to present any certain topic. Besides computers, I believe there should be some music involved. I believe to make various classes more interesting and provide a better learning environment, teachers should provide a music system, whether it's from an I-pod connected to a computer or a radio, which students can listen to so they won't have to stress out from what they're learning. Overall, I believe the computer is the best source of technology to use in a classroom.
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