May
10
Scholar Blog Post
May 10, 2017 | Leave a Comment
When it comes to technology in the classroom at this point in time, it’s almost impossible to not use it since it has become a gigantic focal point in our society and culture. During this class we talked about and viewed videos that showed us how to effectively use these technologies in our classroom. One specifically was the video that talked about a history classroom that used Chromebooks and Google Docs to effectively to display their knowledge on the Roman Empire. By using good web research techniques and organizing their information in the Google Doc, they were able to demonstrate a good practical use of technology in the classroom. But, aren’t there some downsides to having them in the classroom as well? Not if you are prepared and have it well planned.
I recently read an article that talks about a study done in a 7th grade class that looked into the effect on academic success of students and if the online technologies allowed the students to complete their tasks assigned to them. In the article, they discuss that in order for the technology to be effective, they need to design the classroom around them. “The digital classroom needs a well-planned classroom environment with specific features, rather than a random environment involving various technological devices.” (Ozerbas & Erdogan, Pg. 204) The main thing you need for the technology to effectively work is a server or way of all connecting them. The best sources the article talks about are websites. Websites are easily accessible and make it a click away for someone to connect and be interacting with the other students. ” The site is a well-organized education environment prepared within certain criteria, rather than a random digital environment.” (Ozerbas & Erdogan, Pg. 205) One of the best cites that I have seen used in most of my classes is Kahoot. The ability to make your own questions and giving it a scoring system makes students look at it as a game and immediately become more engaged.
Another important factor when it comes to technology in today’s classrooms is that the professor or instructor is also literate in these new technologies. An article written by two professors from Texas A&M looked into specifically technology in the English classroom and importance of technological literacy, “to meet students equally in their educational experience and for collaboration with fellow teachers in order to bolster teaching practices.” (Black & Lassmann, Pg. 620) This gives teachers the ability to easily communicate what they have been using in their classrooms and what has been the most effective. This doesn’t mean that teachers need to know everything about all technology, just the ones that can benefit their students the most. Another thing that I believe can help both the instructor and student is that if both are open to learning new technologies and learning off of each other. This relates to the my class where we all looked at new technological teaching tools and how we had to come up with questions on how to effectively use them.
As we rely more and more on technology, we become more comfortable with it and learn all of its features. In the beginning we only start off with the basics of whatever device we are using and as we get more comfortable we look to try new and creative things with it. We should take this same approach when it comes to education and technology. In Southern California there was a summit to discuss technology in the class room and teachers shared the top 10 practices when it came to implementing them. One of the principals at the summit talked about how “She created planning time for teachers to work with colleagues in different subject areas. In each session, they start with the academic standards, then get creative with devising projects that can bring lessons to life.” (Levitt, Pg. 58) She further goes on to talk about how they would describe different technological teaching tools and try to come up with new ways to use them in a classroom setting. By communicating with each other they all discovered new ways to use the tools that they had already been working with.
When all of these factors come together, you can effectively use technology in the classroom. First, plan out well what you are going to be doing and what you are using. Second, ensure that you are technologically literate with which ever device or program you use. And lastly, be open to new ways and technologies to be used and be able to learn from your students as well. Technology is constantly being updated, created, and thrown away as we look towards the future. An effective teacher should be able to adapt to the culture and needs of their students by using these as tools to only better education
Google Slides Video
Works Cited
Ozerbas, M. A., & Erdogan, B. H. (2016). The Effect of the Digital Classroom on Academic Success and Online Technologies Self-Efficacy. Journal Of Educational Technology & Society, 19(4), 203-212.
Black, B., & Lassmann, M. E. (2016). Use Of Technology in College and University English Classrooms. College Student Journal, 50(4), 617-623.
Levitt, M. (2017). Educators Share 10 Best Teaching, Technology Practices. Education Digest, 82(8), 56-59.