How does technology implementation make a difference
in classroom teaching?
Currently, technology permeates every aspect of our lives. People use technology as a form of entertainment, as a tool to communicate with each other, and as media to enhance work. Although technology has been embraced in many areas in our society, it seems to have slowed its footsteps in front of our school gate. Oliver, Osa, and Walker (2012) explain that “While society, in general, has embraced 21st-century technology innovations for daily living, a gap remains in the understanding of appropriate uses for technology in the learning environment (Banister & Ross, 2006)”. Since teachers care about the students’ success now and in the future, it is critical to integrate technologies into the classroom.
Primarily, using technology strengthens student engagement and learning. According to the survey conducted by Spires, Lee, Turner, and Johnson (2008), the students being interviewed significantly rate using computers and doing research on the Internet as their favorite activities. In contrast, they rated listening to teachers explain things and doing worksheets as their least favorite things. Another study by Billings and Mathison (2011) discusses how instructional technologies help raise student achievement. In their study, two groups of students were assigned the same camp activities, and only one group of students were allowed to use their own iPod to learn the information highlights before and after the activities. Through the study, Billings and Mathison (2011) noticed that students using their own iPods seemed to be much more excited to participate in the activities than the other group. Consequently, based on the post-test over the information that they learned, these students achieved much larger learning gains than the other group.
Another essential reason for the need of more technology integration into classrooms is that technology helps students learn at their own pace. It is undeniable that students vary intellectually and mentally. In traditional pencil-paper classrooms, it is not easy to assign multi-level tasks to students based on their various abilities. In contrast, almost all education apps allow for individualized instruction. Students can learn according to their abilities and needs. This form of teaching is also advantageous for teachers because it gives teachers the time to work individually with students who may be struggling in some certain learning areas. Srithar and Selvaraj (2015) conducted a study to determine how the education app Quizlet serves as a self-directed way of mobile-learning in Mpumelelo High School, Zimbabwe. According to this study, students thought the app helped them to learn at their own speed, face the exam without fear and to perform better, and to study their complicated subjects easily. On the other hand, teachers viewed the app useful as it could help track students’ weak areas and plan the upcoming lessons.
Moreover, there is a high need for technology integration in classrooms because more students are growing up in homes that have much access to technology. According to the United States Census Bureau (2013), 83.8% of U.S. households reported ownership, with 78.5% of all households having a desktop or laptop computer, and 63.6% having a handheld computer. At the same time, 74.4% of all households reported Internet use. If students are becoming more familiar with using a variety of digital devices, teachers need to try and utilize these skills to help them better teach students. Bauerlein (2010) recalled in his book that one student questioned him on why the class needed to memorize a poem so that they could recite it to the class. He realized later that instead of acting rude, the student just didn’t understand the necessity of this assignment. His study shows that students today value very different things compared with how students recognized values before technology was so prevalent. If students are not fully engaged in the material, they will not achieve to their highest ability and, consequently, they will not get the most of their education.
Some teachers may complain that it is too challenging to implement technology into teaching. According to them, it is a distraction to teaching which may cause lower learning outcome. For instance, it may be difficult for a teacher to monitor the students so closely in class as to determine whether they are utilizing educational apps on their tablets or merely browsing for the fun games they are interested in. Meantime, they think that it takes a longer time to plan. That means it requires time to learn how to utilize the technology-based tools, which is usually not essential in those official school-held teacher professional development workshops. All reasons mentioned above may result in the fact that these teachers still rely largely on pencil-paper teaching rather than implementing more technology into everyday teaching.
Although there are some challenges that go along with implementing technologies into the classroom, the benefits of utilizing them overweigh the negatives. As mentioned above, one of the major benefits of integrating technologies in classrooms is that they make learning more fun for the students. If the students are having fun while learning, it is more likely that they will be more engaged in the learning process. In order to effectively implement technologies into classrooms, the teachers need to know how to correctly use them and teach their students how to use them properly. As Oliver, Osa and Walker (2012) emphasize:
Within a sound educational setting, technology can enable students to become capable information technology users, information seekers, analyzers, and evaluators, problem solvers and decision makers, creative and effective users of productivity tools, communicators, collaborators, publishers, and producers, informed, responsible, and contributing citizens (International Society for Technology in Education, 2002).
Action Plan:
PD goals:
1. To encourage teachers to integrate useful technology into classroom teaching.
2. To eliminate the side-effects of implementing technology with hands-on practice and evaluation.
Steps:
1. Advocate the PD series in staff meeting.
2. Meet with IT teachers to discuss the topic; select well-recognized educational apps which are suitable to various subjects.
3. Gather teachers who are interested in technology integration; let them introduce what they prefer to use in daily teaching; introduce the selected educational apps.
4. Each teacher focuses on one app they currently use and one new app which may be implemented in teaching in one week.
5. Hold short meetings with hands-on practice of the apps; evaluate the usage possibility/ merits/ problems; group discuss about how the fix the problems.
6. Implement the apps again with the suggestions; evaluate in groups after usage.
7. Share the experience in grade-level/ school staff meeting with more teachers.
Primarily, using technology strengthens student engagement and learning. According to the survey conducted by Spires, Lee, Turner, and Johnson (2008), the students being interviewed significantly rate using computers and doing research on the Internet as their favorite activities. In contrast, they rated listening to teachers explain things and doing worksheets as their least favorite things. Another study by Billings and Mathison (2011) discusses how instructional technologies help raise student achievement. In their study, two groups of students were assigned the same camp activities, and only one group of students were allowed to use their own iPod to learn the information highlights before and after the activities. Through the study, Billings and Mathison (2011) noticed that students using their own iPods seemed to be much more excited to participate in the activities than the other group. Consequently, based on the post-test over the information that they learned, these students achieved much larger learning gains than the other group.
Another essential reason for the need of more technology integration into classrooms is that technology helps students learn at their own pace. It is undeniable that students vary intellectually and mentally. In traditional pencil-paper classrooms, it is not easy to assign multi-level tasks to students based on their various abilities. In contrast, almost all education apps allow for individualized instruction. Students can learn according to their abilities and needs. This form of teaching is also advantageous for teachers because it gives teachers the time to work individually with students who may be struggling in some certain learning areas. Srithar and Selvaraj (2015) conducted a study to determine how the education app Quizlet serves as a self-directed way of mobile-learning in Mpumelelo High School, Zimbabwe. According to this study, students thought the app helped them to learn at their own speed, face the exam without fear and to perform better, and to study their complicated subjects easily. On the other hand, teachers viewed the app useful as it could help track students’ weak areas and plan the upcoming lessons.
Moreover, there is a high need for technology integration in classrooms because more students are growing up in homes that have much access to technology. According to the United States Census Bureau (2013), 83.8% of U.S. households reported ownership, with 78.5% of all households having a desktop or laptop computer, and 63.6% having a handheld computer. At the same time, 74.4% of all households reported Internet use. If students are becoming more familiar with using a variety of digital devices, teachers need to try and utilize these skills to help them better teach students. Bauerlein (2010) recalled in his book that one student questioned him on why the class needed to memorize a poem so that they could recite it to the class. He realized later that instead of acting rude, the student just didn’t understand the necessity of this assignment. His study shows that students today value very different things compared with how students recognized values before technology was so prevalent. If students are not fully engaged in the material, they will not achieve to their highest ability and, consequently, they will not get the most of their education.
Some teachers may complain that it is too challenging to implement technology into teaching. According to them, it is a distraction to teaching which may cause lower learning outcome. For instance, it may be difficult for a teacher to monitor the students so closely in class as to determine whether they are utilizing educational apps on their tablets or merely browsing for the fun games they are interested in. Meantime, they think that it takes a longer time to plan. That means it requires time to learn how to utilize the technology-based tools, which is usually not essential in those official school-held teacher professional development workshops. All reasons mentioned above may result in the fact that these teachers still rely largely on pencil-paper teaching rather than implementing more technology into everyday teaching.
Although there are some challenges that go along with implementing technologies into the classroom, the benefits of utilizing them overweigh the negatives. As mentioned above, one of the major benefits of integrating technologies in classrooms is that they make learning more fun for the students. If the students are having fun while learning, it is more likely that they will be more engaged in the learning process. In order to effectively implement technologies into classrooms, the teachers need to know how to correctly use them and teach their students how to use them properly. As Oliver, Osa and Walker (2012) emphasize:
Within a sound educational setting, technology can enable students to become capable information technology users, information seekers, analyzers, and evaluators, problem solvers and decision makers, creative and effective users of productivity tools, communicators, collaborators, publishers, and producers, informed, responsible, and contributing citizens (International Society for Technology in Education, 2002).
Action Plan:
PD goals:
1. To encourage teachers to integrate useful technology into classroom teaching.
2. To eliminate the side-effects of implementing technology with hands-on practice and evaluation.
Steps:
1. Advocate the PD series in staff meeting.
2. Meet with IT teachers to discuss the topic; select well-recognized educational apps which are suitable to various subjects.
3. Gather teachers who are interested in technology integration; let them introduce what they prefer to use in daily teaching; introduce the selected educational apps.
4. Each teacher focuses on one app they currently use and one new app which may be implemented in teaching in one week.
5. Hold short meetings with hands-on practice of the apps; evaluate the usage possibility/ merits/ problems; group discuss about how the fix the problems.
6. Implement the apps again with the suggestions; evaluate in groups after usage.
7. Share the experience in grade-level/ school staff meeting with more teachers.