Breaking the Technology Barrier: Using Technology In Education

Technology and education have always seemed to go together. In order to prepare students for the workplace or college they need to be able to be exposed to it. Teachers in the classroom use technology believing that the students are gaining valuable information and retaining the concepts taught but in reality the students need to be involved in the lesson and actively participating in activities that include technology. Student engagement is critical to student motivation during the learning process. The more students are motivated to learn, the more likely it is that they will be successful in their efforts.

Uses of Technology:
There are numerous uses of technologies that are available to teachers to include students into the classroom’s lesson.. To put the uses of technology into an effective practice, teachers need to help students set achievable goals; encourage students to assess themselves and their peers; help them to work co-operatively in groups and ensure that they know how to exploit all the available resources for learning. The following are how some technology is used to help students learn.

Interactive Whiteboards:
There are two different types of whiteboards. The first is a virtual version of a dry erase board. It allows students to see what the instructor or other students write or draw using a special pen. The second functions similar to a normal whiteboard but also contains a projector screen, an electronic copy board or as a computer projector screen on which the computer image can be controlled by touching or writing on the surface of the panel instead of using a mouse or keyboard. They function by connecting a projector to the whiteboard panel with the use of a computer and software. It is important to know the different functions in order to determine which whiteboard is right for the educator. By knowing the difference you can also learn the terminology and understand the basic functions of each.

Advantages to the Students:
Learning sciences research tells us that students learn much better by doing rather than by listening. This means that passive learning the traditional lecture is being replaced in our classrooms by more active learning activities that emphasize student problem solving, discussion, presentation and other authentic learning-by-doing-activities. By including students into the lesson it opens up a realm of possibilities because students can retain roughly only 10% of what they write down.

Teacher Apprehension:
So why are teachers not using technology that engages and interacts more frequently with students? There are many reasons why teachers feel apprehensive or uncomfortable using an interactive whiteboard and PowerPoint. The first of which could be the length of time from their college prep program until now. Teachers often get exposed to and learn new technologies in their teacher prep courses. Some might not have been prepared enough upon entering the workforce. Although the availability of technology in American schools has increased information released by The National Education Association indicates that less than 35% of public school teachers feel they are "very well prepared" to use this technology effectively.

The second reason is blockage from the school’s control or security system. Teachers claim that the firewalls and filtering systems create blockage in their attempts to educate and communicate with others with technology. The teachers and other users can become frustrated when they do not understand why a certain item like a website used for a scavenger hunt or a hyperlink in a PowerPoint are not available.

The inconsistency from school to school is another reason. At one site there may be access to all different types of technology while at another the absence is very evident. The general public perception is that our schools are using technology and managing our resources in that area well. In several surveys done some schools do show nearly 100 percent use of technology while in others the use of technology is nonexistent.