Chapter 2: Understanding Educational Technology Issues and Trends

Chapter 2: Understanding Educational Technology Issues and TrendsBethany RobertsonMorgan Banks

What Will Motivate You to Use or to Consider Using Technologies in Teaching?Motivating FactorsEnhances my ability to teach academic materialLets me use my time more efficientlyHelps me manage large class environmentsPromotes best teaching practicesExposes students to technologyResponds to students who are encouraging me to use itImproves my annual evaluation as a teacher

IntroductionSmartphones for educational purposes, podcasts, online videos, and other forms of digital content are on the rise among teachers.Technology is a powerful way to motivate and engage students.Surveys show that students are bored in class and when completing homework. An increase in technology usage for educational purposes is considered a way to prevent the boredom that many students experience.

How often do you plan to use the following in teaching?

Computer at school for your professional work

Computer for classroom presentations and demonstrations

Computer for creating and maintaining a class website or blog

Internet to research academic content and lesson plans

Video clips as teaching tools

Computer software and learning games

Handheld or wireless devices for student use in research and projectsRoles For Technology in TeachingTechnology Use by TeachersIn 2002, a federal government study concluded that education was the least technology-intensive part of the U.S. economic system (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2002).

In 2011, a former head of the Gates Foundation concurred: Education remains one of the few sectors that information and communication technologies have not transformed (quoted in Bailey, Henry, McBride, & Puckett, 2011, p.6)

Project Tomorrow found that teachers are using technology for:

Webinars (28%)Multimedia presentations (54%)Online learning communities (38%)Uploading videos and photos (65%)Reading blogs and wikis (34%)Updating social networks (45%)Posting on Twitter (8%)

How often do you plan to use the following in teaching?Computer at school for your professional work

Computer for classroom presentations and demonstrations

Computer for creating and maintaining a class website or blog

Internet to research academic content and lesson plans

Video clips as teaching tools

Computer software and learning games

Handheld or wireless devices for student use in research and projects

Teacher-Centered Teaching. Teachers believe that knowledge is passed from the teacher to the students. They believe that students should listen and passively receive information. Those who adopt this approach use student scores from tests and other quantitative measures to determine who has learned and who has not. Student-centered Teaching. Teachers view teaching as orchestrating different experiences for students. They believe the role of the teacher is to create puzzles, ask questions, and engage in conversations with students, which leads to learning information and skills through exploration and discovery. Student-centered teaching is also called constructivist, progressive, or project- or project based teaching.

How often do you plan to use the following in teaching?Student Centered TeachingTeacher-Centered TeachingTeachers roleFacilitatorExplainerGoals of LearningSense making by StudentsContent Delivery by TeachersStudent MotivationInterest and effortKnowledge of Required CurriculumClassroom organizationMultiple small groupsWhole Group ActivitiesHow likely are you to use the following teaching methods in the Classroom?Large-group teacher-led discussions and lecturesCooperative learningSmall-group activitiesStudent presentations and performancesIndependent research by studentsComputer-based activitiesDifferentiated instruction (tailoring curriculum to learning styles)

National Educational Technology StandardsYour teaching strategies can be examined in relation to the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS). NETS have been set forth by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and endorsed by NCATE (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education), many states, and hundreds of teacher education programs in colleges and universities throughout the nation.

Continued At the core of NETS is a belief that technology makes new learning experiences possible. The role of schools is to teach academic content, promote innovative and creative thinking, and prepare students for citizenship in a digital world, while also addressing the needs of all learners in equitable ways.

NETS for Students and NETS for Teachers were updated in 2007 and 2008. In the language of the revised standards, teachers are expected to inspire student learning and creativity through designing digital-age learning experiences, modeling digital-age work, promoting digital citizenship, and engaging in professional development and leadership in schools.

Students are asked to think creatively, communicate and work collaboratively, learn the skills of information research and fluency, think critically while solving problems and making decisions, and practice digital ethics, all while expanding their knowledge of technology operations and concepts.

Students and Their TechnologiesDigital natives. Younger people (those born since 1980) who have grown up using instant and interactive computer and wireless technologies.

Digital immigrants. Those still learning how to interact with computer technologies.

The differences between how these two groups learn about technology have two important implications for teachers:

Student perspectives. Students value the ideas and talents they have learned from electronic and computer environments. They are less inclined to learn using the traditional school-based literacies of book reading and writing on paper.

Teacher actions. Teachers must think critically and creatively about how to change teaching to accommodate the different technological experiences of students. Teachers experiences have made them familiar with book reading and writing on paper. Therefore, choosing how and when to integrate new technologies into teaching becomes a crucial decision for every teacher.

How Are Students Using Technology in and out of School?TelevisionComputers (web surfing)Online gamesVideo gamesEmailText messagingVideosMP3 playersSmartphones RadiosMusic CDsCalculationsBlogsSocial networking websites

Overcoming a Digital DisconnectDigital disconnect refers to the differences that students perceive between themselves, who are internet-savvy, and their teachers whose integration of technology into classroom content seems painfully slow by comparison.

Computer and online experiences have positively influenced student attitudes about using technology for learning. Five metaphors describe how students think about the Internet when they are not at school and not under direction of their teachers:

Internet as virtual textbook and reference libraryInternet as virtual tutor and study shortcutInternet as virtual study groupInternet as virtual guidance counselorInternet as virtual locker, backpack, and notebook

ConclusionAs a teacher, your actions will either bridge or extend the digital disconnect that so many students perceive between themselves and their schools. Most students need active learning environments to do their best learning in schools. Active learning can include technologies such as computers, the Web, educational software, blogs, wikis, and other tools that make academic content easy to access and engaging to use.

At the same time, students need to learn about positive and negative ways to use technology in schools. Information that has been posted online is not always useful or reliable. Deciphering what is and what is not reliable is part of learning what technology has to offer. Teaching students about technology requires a dual role: You use technology to teach students, and you teach students to use technology. These dual roles are interrelatedone without the other creates incomplete teaching and learning experiences for students and for you.

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