Entry 2: Technology to Enhance Instruction
Integrating Instructional Technology
In today’s society it seems like technology is here to stay and it is growing so rapidly that at times it could feel overwhelming to keep up with all the changes. This era is known as the “technology era” and kids are getting used to technology at a younger and younger age now. There are some children at age 4 or 5 that know how to work a phone better then some adults. With this rapid growth of technology teachers need to take advantage of it, so they can get their students to maximize their ability to learn with technology. Teacher can use social media such as Facebook, Power Points, and custom websites that can enhance a students learning and can be more efficient with giving instructions.
Facebook
Social media is an underrated, but a great tool to provide instruction in a classroom. The reason why it is such a great tool is because students do not have to be on a computer at home or at school to access instructions or assignments that are going to be due they can just check on their smartphone in between classes. The reason why this is so important is because if a student for whatever reason is not near a computer they can access the Facebook page of the classroom and be able to see right from their phone what is due or what they have to study for. According to Lampe, Wohn, Vitak, Ellison, and Wash (2011) not only do kids use Facebook as a educational tool they also are using is as a collaborative tool on certain assignments that ask for them to be in a group. I will use Facebook in my classroom to write different assignments that the class is going over as well as the key points that were talked about in the classroom that particular day.
Power Points
Power Points are used in almost every class now, especially since the growth of technology. Power points can be tricky for teachers because if a teacher just puts up words with pictures for their lectures week in and week out it could get boring for the students in the class, causing the teacher to lose their classroom. According to Yu and Smith (2008) the most common mistake teacher do when using Power Point is that they make the class keep repeating the same look of a power point each week, making it more and more boring as the weeks pass. The way I am going to use Power Points in the classroom will be not just key points and pictures, but it is going to be an activity Power Point, each student will have to go to my web page and pull up the Power Point and in the Power Point there will be questions and interactive learning for the topic at hand.
Custom Websites
This last tool might be the most important source of instructional technology out there today and that would be teacher’s custom websites. The reason why this is such a vital part in instructional technology is because it not only allows the students to see everything that is upcoming assignments, but it also provides instructions to the future assignments. The website will also share different links to help students work on the type of curriculum they are working on at the time. This also allows parents to keep track of what is going on in the class and how their child is doing in the class.
Pros and Cons of using Technology to Facilitate Learning
Technology has made things a lot easier not only outside the classroom, but also inside the classroom as well. Everyone has to remember though for everything good that comes with technology there can also be some issues regarding technology in the classroom. The good that comes from using technology in the classroom is that it seems that more and more kids are starting to participate in classrooms at the high school level. According to Flair (2014) studies show that in high school students are 3 times more likely to be interactive with the type of learning they are doing if the instructions are coming from smartphones, laptops, or tablets. The cons of technology in the classroom is that with all the technology we are giving the kids such as laptops, tablets, and there own personal smartphones, they can be used to distract students when the teachers is talking. Students could be on Facebook or Facebook messenger causing this to be a distraction from learning the assignment.
Wired and Wireless Classrooms (100-200 words)
The term Wired or Wireless classrooms means one technology is a little bit older then the other. According to our E book a wired classroom still has computers, but the Internet speed is just above dial up and the computers do not have so much money in them. According to the E book the wireless classroom has the new technology and supports WIFI on all computers and all the new software for kids to learn on. The pros of the wired system is the kids do not have the high-speed Internet access, so they will have less things to distract them with online. The pros of having a wireless system is the students will have access to every video needed for the assignment and the teachers can use interactive learning online with them.
Conclusion
Technology is growing in schools nationwide and there is nothing that any teachers or administrators can do to stop this change. The best thing to do is to embrace this change and realize that technology is mostly beneficial for students and if a teacher uses it the right way students can not only have fun, but learn a lot in the classroom.
References:
HARGIS, J. (2014). EAGER ADOPTERS IN EDUCATION: Strategic Plan Ideas for Integrating Instructional Technology. Turkish Online Journal Of Distance Education (TOJDE), 15(4), 14-22.
Flair, I. (2014). Technology in education. Salem Press Encyclopedia,
Yu, C., & Smith, M. L. (2008). POWERPOINT: IS IT AN ANSWER TO INTERACTIVE CLASSROOMS?. International Journal Of Instructional Media, 35(3), 271-282.
Lampe, C., Wohn, D., Vitak, J., Ellison, N. B., & Wash, R. (2011). Student use of Facebook for organizing collaborative classroom activities. International Journal Of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 6(3), 329-347. doi:10.1007/s11412-011-9115-y
Integrating Instructional Technology
In today’s society it seems like technology is here to stay and it is growing so rapidly that at times it could feel overwhelming to keep up with all the changes. This era is known as the “technology era” and kids are getting used to technology at a younger and younger age now. There are some children at age 4 or 5 that know how to work a phone better then some adults. With this rapid growth of technology teachers need to take advantage of it, so they can get their students to maximize their ability to learn with technology. Teacher can use social media such as Facebook, Power Points, and custom websites that can enhance a students learning and can be more efficient with giving instructions.
Social media is an underrated, but a great tool to provide instruction in a classroom. The reason why it is such a great tool is because students do not have to be on a computer at home or at school to access instructions or assignments that are going to be due they can just check on their smartphone in between classes. The reason why this is so important is because if a student for whatever reason is not near a computer they can access the Facebook page of the classroom and be able to see right from their phone what is due or what they have to study for. According to Lampe, Wohn, Vitak, Ellison, and Wash (2011) not only do kids use Facebook as a educational tool they also are using is as a collaborative tool on certain assignments that ask for them to be in a group. I will use Facebook in my classroom to write different assignments that the class is going over as well as the key points that were talked about in the classroom that particular day.
Power Points
Power Points are used in almost every class now, especially since the growth of technology. Power points can be tricky for teachers because if a teacher just puts up words with pictures for their lectures week in and week out it could get boring for the students in the class, causing the teacher to lose their classroom. According to Yu and Smith (2008) the most common mistake teacher do when using Power Point is that they make the class keep repeating the same look of a power point each week, making it more and more boring as the weeks pass. The way I am going to use Power Points in the classroom will be not just key points and pictures, but it is going to be an activity Power Point, each student will have to go to my web page and pull up the Power Point and in the Power Point there will be questions and interactive learning for the topic at hand.
Custom Websites
This last tool might be the most important source of instructional technology out there today and that would be teacher’s custom websites. The reason why this is such a vital part in instructional technology is because it not only allows the students to see everything that is upcoming assignments, but it also provides instructions to the future assignments. The website will also share different links to help students work on the type of curriculum they are working on at the time. This also allows parents to keep track of what is going on in the class and how their child is doing in the class.
Pros and Cons of using Technology to Facilitate Learning
Technology has made things a lot easier not only outside the classroom, but also inside the classroom as well. Everyone has to remember though for everything good that comes with technology there can also be some issues regarding technology in the classroom. The good that comes from using technology in the classroom is that it seems that more and more kids are starting to participate in classrooms at the high school level. According to Flair (2014) studies show that in high school students are 3 times more likely to be interactive with the type of learning they are doing if the instructions are coming from smartphones, laptops, or tablets. The cons of technology in the classroom is that with all the technology we are giving the kids such as laptops, tablets, and there own personal smartphones, they can be used to distract students when the teachers is talking. Students could be on Facebook or Facebook messenger causing this to be a distraction from learning the assignment.
Wired and Wireless Classrooms (100-200 words)
The term Wired or Wireless classrooms means one technology is a little bit older then the other. According to our E book a wired classroom still has computers, but the Internet speed is just above dial up and the computers do not have so much money in them. According to the E book the wireless classroom has the new technology and supports WIFI on all computers and all the new software for kids to learn on. The pros of the wired system is the kids do not have the high-speed Internet access, so they will have less things to distract them with online. The pros of having a wireless system is the students will have access to every video needed for the assignment and the teachers can use interactive learning online with them.
Conclusion
Technology is growing in schools nationwide and there is nothing that any teachers or administrators can do to stop this change. The best thing to do is to embrace this change and realize that technology is mostly beneficial for students and if a teacher uses it the right way students can not only have fun, but learn a lot in the classroom.
References:
HARGIS, J. (2014). EAGER ADOPTERS IN EDUCATION: Strategic Plan Ideas for Integrating Instructional Technology. Turkish Online Journal Of Distance Education (TOJDE), 15(4), 14-22.
Flair, I. (2014). Technology in education. Salem Press Encyclopedia,
Yu, C., & Smith, M. L. (2008). POWERPOINT: IS IT AN ANSWER TO INTERACTIVE CLASSROOMS?. International Journal Of Instructional Media, 35(3), 271-282.
Lampe, C., Wohn, D., Vitak, J., Ellison, N. B., & Wash, R. (2011). Student use of Facebook for organizing collaborative classroom activities. International Journal Of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 6(3), 329-347. doi:10.1007/s11412-011-9115-y