Why Is It Important To Use Technology In The Classroom
Students interact with technology while off the campus, so integrating this technology into classrooms will simply make it very easy for them to learn. Teachers have to learn how to use latest new educational technology so that they also simplify the way they do their Job. Technology provides educators effective ways to teach and reach different types of students. Technology can also bond the relationship between teachers and their students. Because teachers will have to interact and guide students on how to use this technology, and it will also bring teachers closer to students, since these students can use technology platforms like Piazza.com to ask questions and get instant answers from their teachers.
It is also important to incorporate modern technology in classrooms as a way of preparing students for the outside tech demanding jobs and tasks. Now every job will require some skills of technology, so it is very important to bring this technology in the classroom and to also incorporate it into the all educational curriculum. On the other hand technology is much cheaper than what we think. A basic text book can cost a student $100 and some time more. Through the use of free educational tools which allow students access academic information for free at a less cost, every student will have the ability to gain knowledge. Their is an effort which is going through organizations like OER COMMONS , to ensure that educational resources can be accessed through an open source online.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO USE TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM?
• Easy access to educational materials: Teachers can use new technology tools like Pizza to easily answer student’s questions, manage course materials and track student participation. Also students can access Pizza on their computers or portable gadgets to access course work assigned to them by their teachers. This saves time on both sides.
• New Technology Motivates Students: The use of computers and other new technological gadgets in class makes students like what they learn. These students are familiar with these gadgets, because they use them in their daily life for entertainment, so integrating them in the classroom will make learning fan. As opposed to getting instructions from a teacher directly, students will prefer getting these instructions via the computer, a teacher can be emotional which can irritate the student and stop them from learning, yet a computer is just a gadget, the student will be in control and they will take information on the computer more seriously.
• Increases Students Participation: New technologies for education like portable laptops and internet allow students to learn and participate while out of the classroom. Sometime learning from one place can be boring, so technology makes it flexible. A student can simply access course material or get involved in a peer discussion suing an Ipad or a Galaxy Tablet
• Improves Students Writing skills: Computer applications like word processors make it easy to write and edit notes, these applications also have inbuilt dictionaries which will help in improving a student’s vocabulary. Also students can decide to publish their works on blogs were other students can access them. This is more interesting compared to taking notes in the book with a pen.
• Subjects are made easier to learn: It is very easy to learn new subjects using a computer and internet. Many computer applications have been created to make learning of new subjects easier. Students can easily solve math equations through online match games and puzzles. Students can easily learn new languages using free online language translators
• Encourages Personalized learning plans: In this case , students are encouraged to use various multimedia technological tools to demonstrate them selves in the classroom.In this process , students get more involved in the process and they learn better.
Challenges of new technology for education:
Even though new technology for education has many benefits, it also has some critics. And these include:
• Digital Divide: New technology is quite expensive to implement. You can imagine how much it can cost to have 30 computers in a classroom of 30 students. Some schools can not afford that luxury. Public schools use less technology in the classroom compared to private schools. Then when it comes to developing countries, some areas have no power and internet, so it becomes very difficult to use educational technology. This creates a big gap between the digital have and have nots’.
• Need for Training Teacher: To integrate new educational technology in classrooms, teachers will have to be trained on how it works. To some extent this is a difficult task, because we are used to teachers teaching students not them getting taught. Most of them have less time to learn new technologies. As for the students, they will find it difficult to learn these technologies without a guide from their teachers. Read more on challenges of technology in education here>>>
