Technology in Education:
The Benefits of Modernizing the Ways We Educate Our
Youth
Name: Carolyn Heslop
Advisor: Mr. Logsdon
Date: 5/10/13
In
today’s rapidly developing world, technological advancements are achieved
daily. Because technology is constantly being made more accessible and less
expensive, schools across the world have jumped on the “technology bandwagon”
and begun implementing technology into their everyday lessons and educational
activities. Incorporating different media mediums of technology into all levels
of classroom instruction allow for a widespread list of benefits for the
students, the teacher, and society in general. Some of these benefits include
the fact that technology can increase both the interest and activity of the
students, as it takes a much more interactive and hands on approach to
learning. In addition to fulfilling the student’s mind with the necessary
material, technology has the potential to increase this want and need to learn
as it brings a whole new level of interest. Technology also can end up saving
both the teachers and the school administration a great deal of time and money
in the long run. Although it would initially cost a good deal and take up a
decent amount of time to get the programs underway, in the end the teachers
would be more efficient and able to spend their precious time on additional
lesson plans or activities. Schools would not have the need to spend as much
money replenishing school supplies such as paper and writing utensils. Along
with this idea is the thought that if everything is digital, there will not be
as great of a need for paper, and this is ultimately better for the
environment. The benefits of the World Wide Web allow students from all across
the globe to have access to the same learning materials, allowing for a type of
universal lesson plan. Video and audio clips bring in a whole new element as
they allow for new knowledge on certain things that simple cannot be explained
verbally. Technology is both a beneficial and convenient tool for educators,
students, and administrators at all levels of educational instruction. Although
it is not yet time to be solely reliant on multimedia tools in a classroom-type
setting, there are various improvements in education that can be made from its
implementation. There following studies and surveys demonstrate the extent to
which technology has proven to be beneficial to all persons involved with the
school.
Education
is not only beneficial but crucial to the lives of our youth, making it an
eternally relevant topic of discussion. In his book The Making of Americans,
E.D. Hirsch goes into great detail to explain just how necessary education is
in sculpting the minds of the youth. He goes on to explain that stressing the
important of good education has been a topic of discussion ever since the time
of some of America’s earliest thinkers such as Thomas Jefferson, John Adams,
James Madison and Benjamin Franklin: “Our early thinkers about education
thought the only way we could create such virtuous, civic-minded citizens was
through common schooling. The school would be the institution that would
transform future citizens into loyal Americans. It would teach common
knowledge, virtues, ideals, language, and commitments” (Hirsch 5). Originating
back in the 1700s, people believed that providing children with a good
education would allow them to have everything they need in order to become a
better citizen, and this is not only good for the individual but for society as
a whole. Hirsch then went on to explain that this trend did not stop when these
men died but continued on throughout history, as can be seen with the example
of an 1845 New York legislature that established a fund to secure common
textbooks for all of the state’s elementary schools. Governor Silas Wright
responded to this legislature:
“On
the careful cultivation in our schools, of the minds of the young, the entire
success of the absolute failure of the great experiment of self government is
wholly dependent; and unless that cultivation is increased, and made more
effective than it has yet been, the conviction is solemnly impressed by the
signs of the times…The only salvation for the republic is to be sought for in
our schools” (Hirsh 7).
Most people agreed that
the aim of this legislature was simply to “give them education, intelligence,
sound principles, good moral habits, and a free and independent spirit; in
short to make them American free men [and women] and American citizens, and to
qualify them to judge and choose for themselves in matters of politics,
religion, and government” (Hirsh 8). As clearly evident today, this movement
toward expanding education has no stopped here. In just the 1900s alone there
were dozens of education acts that ranged from dealing with problems caused by
desegregation in schools to making it mandatory for U.S. states to develop
assessments in basic skills to be given to all students in certain grades. One
of the most recent items of education legislature was Obama’s Elementary and
Secondary Education Act:
“The
blueprint challenges the nation to embrace education standards that would put
America on a path to global leadership. It provides incentives for states to
adopt academic standards that prepare students to succeed in college and the
workplace, and create accountability systems that measure student growth toward
meeting the goal that all children graduate and succeed in college ” (AVoice).
Despite the leaps and
bounds that these types of legislature have made in the category of education,
there are still many improvements that can be made, and many teachers,
administrators, and researchers agree that much of these can and are being done
through the increased implementation of modern technology, as there is an endless
list of benefits.
One of the greatest benefits that technology can bring is
a whole new level of active involvement among the students. There was a study
done on a Dutch kindergarten classroom that was aimed at determining the risks
and benefits of engaging teachers in the design of a technology rich
environment that aims to foster the development of early literacy. The
theorists behind this study have claimed that children play an active role in
their own development as opposed to a passive one where they are simply fed
information. The child’s involvement in his/her own education should be active,
social, and often connected to test-related discourse. The experimenters came
to the conclusion that “active teacher involvement in learning environment
design positively influences the quality of the learning environment as well as
its implementation and use” (Australian
Journal of Early Childhood). First grade teacher at the Manchester Memorial
Elementary School Ann Heslop said that she has noticed a higher level of active
student involvement when some sort of electronic device is incorporated:
“We
typically don’t go a single day without utilizing our in class Activboard.
What’s great about this device is that it allows the students to be much more
actively involved. Rather than sitting back and listening to lectures, students
are actually able to get up and physically use this interactive board. One of
the best things that this allows for is the incorporation of different learning
modalities, such as visual, audio, and kinesthetic” (Heslop).
According to Heslop, it
is important to have various different learning tools at hand because not all
students learn in the same way. There are some students that are auditory
learners, some who are visual, and others that are sensory. For example, the
first graders have access to about 15 Nooks in which help them learn to read.
One of the amazing perks is that is have the capability to say the words out
loud with just the touch of a finger. This feature is oftentimes used for the
students who are just learning to read and often get stuck on words. It also
allows the students to not only become familiar with how a word looks on a page
but also how it sounds when said aloud. This active/hands on approach can end
up teaching the students more than they would learn in the absence of such
technologies. According to a survey from the Paw Research Center’s Internet and
American Life Project, many teachers believe that the Internet and digital
tools have a very good positive effect on how students do research. Ann Flynn,
director of an education technology for the Alexandria, VA-based National School
Boards Association said, “Students need to develop [digital literacy] skills,
and the place you develop those skills is in school” (Education Week). Participants in the study agreed that these
resources allow students to find information very quickly and oftentimes manage
multiple tasks at a given time, and among these participants, more than
three-quarters said the overall impact of the Internet and other digital search
tools was “mostly positive” (Education
Week). Overall this more active involvement allows the students to take
control of their own education and end up getting even more out of it.
Along with increased student participation, the
integration of technology in a classroom also brings increased interest, as it
makes students more enthusiastic about their learning. From a Department of
Education 1995 forum, panelists decided that technology changes the way
students view their own education, and this can end up being quite beneficial:
“Education
technology has been found to have positive effects on student attitudes toward
learning and on student self-concept. Students felt more successful in school,
were more motivated to learn and have increased self-confidence and self esteem
when using computer-based instruction. This was particularly true when the
technology allowed learners to control their own learning” (“Technology Impact
on Learning”).
When the students are
more excited and interested in what it is they are learning, the information
will be able to better stick in their heads. As opposed to simply sitting in a
classroom and taking notes on a subject or listening to a lecture, different
educational activities having to do with technology open up the doors to a
plethora of opportunities that excite the student and make them more adept to
learning. As studies show, “introducing technology into the learning
environment has been show to make learning more student-centered, to encourage
cooperative learning, and to stimulate teacher/student interaction”
(“Technology Impact on Learning”). Heslop said that she notices her first grade
students getting excited about new lessons that incorporate technology every
day:
“About
once a week I make up a PowerPoint presentation that includes a virtual tour of
a famous world landmark such as the Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower,
and Big Ben. The kids get so excited going through these virtual tours because
it allows them to feel as though they are actually physically on site. They get
a much different experience out of this virtual online tour than simply looking
at a photo of the landmark” (Heslop).
Heslop also said that
with the newly developed Elmo projection device, she was able to enlarge the
image of a real live meal worm that the students were growing in class. This
was something that the students were all cooperatively able to enjoy and
explore, as it was projected in front of the entire class. This increased level
of excitement helped the students to become more academically engaged and
ultimately get more out of their education. According to the U.S. Department of
Education’s report, “Teachers’ use of Educational Technology in U.S. Public
Schools: 2009” published in Education
Week, many teachers agree with Heslop, concerning the clear benefits of
educational technology:
Courtesy of Education Week
Going
off of this point, technology is not only beneficial to the students but also
to the actual teachers and educators themselves, as it allows them to do more
with their teaching and to dedicate their time in various other areas. Teachers
note that because of these new and interesting technological teaching methods,
they do not have to work as hard to keep the students engaged. In an article
that appeared in The New York Times, teachers
noted that one of the hardest things about teaching is getting the students to
remain engaged and interested in what they are teaching. Dave Mendell, 44, a
fourth-grade teacher in Wallingford, Pa said “educational video games and
digital presentation were excellent ways to engage students on their terms”
(Technology Changing How Students Learn, Teachers Say). If the students are
independently engaging themselves in their studies, then it is less work for
the teachers to have to force them to get involved. Mendell said, “I’m tap
dancing all over the place. The more I stand in front of class, the easier it
is to lose them” (Technology Changing How Students Learn, Teachers Say). However,
with these newly developed technological devices and activities, the teachers
won’t feel the need to stand in front of their students and lead as many
lecture-type classes. In correspondence with this idea, the article also noted
that teachers were “using more dynamic and flexible teaching styles” because
they had the advanced capabilities to do so. According to a PBS press release,
a survey found that teachers are very optimistic about the benefits that
technology in the classroom can bring them:
“Three-quarters
of teachers surveyed link educational technology to a growing list of benefits,
saying technology enables them to reinforce and expand on content (74%), to
motivate students to learn (74%), and to respond to a variety of learning
styles (73%). Seven in 10 teachers (69%) surveyed said educational technology
allows them to ‘do much more than ever before’ for their students” (PBS).
As this study clearly
shows, teachers are in agreement with the idea that technology allows them to
teach in a variety of ways that end up being quite beneficial to their
students. Not only that, but is can end up making life quite a bit easier for
the teachers to run their class: “Nearly half (48%) of teachers surveyed
reported using technology for online lesson plans, and just under half use
technology to give students access to web-based educational games or
activities” (PBS). This ends up making lesson planning a great deal easier for
the teachers as they can use things such as online templates and activities
that are already set in place somewhere on the Internet, as opposed to taking
up the time to make up their own. Heslop said that in her first grade class she
uses the Activboard daily in order to be more efficient in her class. As
opposed to taking daily attendance and going through the entire list of lunch
options to take the lunch count each day, Heslop has the kids come in and do
all of this themselves, using the Activboard in her classroom. The students
come in and take turns dragging their name bubble into the column marked “here”
and then putting a tally next to the lunch option that they would like that
day. Heslop said that not only is this more efficient, but at the same time is
increases the students’ responsibility/accountability. These statistics from Education Week further validate the idea
that more and more teachers are seeing the benefits of technology:
Courtesy of Education Week
Across the board it
seems that technology in education allows teachers to be more efficient and do
more than they would be able to do in the absence of some of these
technological resources.
To further expand on the idea that technology allows
teachers to do more in regards to lesson planning, it also allows students to
learn things that could not be learned in any other way. One of the greatest
examples of this is in the subject of foreign language. Technology can
especially come in handy in regards to learning a foreign language due to some
of the audio aid programs for computer that can be used to assist students.
According to the article “Computer Conversation” from Classroom Computer Learning, “there is great potential to use
speech synthesis to discover the educational potential for linguistics, foreign
languages, or simply acquaintances with the technology.” These programs allow
the students to actually practice speaking the language as opposed to simply
writing it over and over again. The article also stressed the idea that “these
various programs will allow the students to learn the proper pronunciation of a
certain word/phrase in another language.” Language is something that is not
only written but spoken as well, so it is almost necessary for students to be
able to practice hearing and speaking the language in which they are studying.
However, technology does not only bring benefits to the study of foreign
language. At the Manchester Memorial Elementary School, the kids have access to
a cart of 25 iPads in the technology lab. A group of kindergarteners were
studying animals using a special animal app that was purchased on these iPads.
Through these apps, the students were able to listen to an audio recording of
the type of sound that the animal makes as well as watch a video that shows the
animal in its natural habitat. The world is so used to having this technology
at the tip of their fingertips that it’s easy to forget that the only
alternative way that the students would be able to hear what type of sound a wallaby
makes.
The common misconception among
people is that all this educational technology is far too expensive and
unneeded; however, evidence shows that although the initial costs may not be
ideal, the purchase of these technologies becomes financially beneficial in the
long run. According to “The Economist,” schools in African have been embracing
this idea of technology in education. The Amaf school in Kenya purchased
multiple tablet computers, through a program called eLimu, in which students
all took immediately. As it turns out, this investment was not as expensive as
expected: “A for profit venture, eLimu is one of many publishers that is looking
to make the transition from traditional textbooks to digital content, as it has
the potential to be cheaper and better” (The
Economist). One of the most interesting things about this article is the
fact that Kenya is clearly not one of the richest countries in the world, yet
they see the value in investing in such technology. As it turns out, their
investment was smart as the tablets have already begun to be a huge hit: “This
success shows that even the poor are willing to pay for digital education—as
they already do for the conventional kind” (The Economist). Once the initial technology is purchases, the
following purchases are often a lot cheaper. For example, as mentioned
previously Heslop has a set of Nooks that her class frequently uses. One Nook
costs around $130, but the great thing is that each book only needs to be
purchased once. If a book is purchased on one device (typically at a discounted
price) then it is able to be transferred over to the other 14 devices. A survey
done by the U.S. Department of Education shows that not only is there adequate
support for educational technology, but the funding for this technology is
being spent in some of the most appropriate ways possible:
In her article “How
Schools Can Save Money By Using Technology” Misty Lackie proposes the actually
one of the best ways to improve the problem of lack of funding in schools is by
adding new technological elements:
“Each
class should have its own private web portal where the teacher can login and
post notes, announcements, upload homework assignments, etc. Each parent will
also have a login where they can access the daily notes and homework. It should
be the responsibility of the parent to print out the homework and send it back
the next day with the child.”
According to Lackie,
this would save money on basic classroom supplies such as paper, crayons,
pencils, and other arts and crafts supplies. Although it might seem like the
cost of a pack of crayons is very little, crayons need to be replenished every
so often. However, the price of setting up a portal is a onetime deal, as it
last forever once it is set up.
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