Technology in the Classroom

by

Katie Nash

Edu 384

Fall 2018

Reinhardt University
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Introduction

The use of technology in the classroom is inevitable. Technology enhances students

learning and enriches a child’s educational experience. Skills developed through technology help

the student with future career opportunities. When technology is used to present information to

students, their recall rate is higher than if the information was presented in a text book. A teacher

can incorporate different programs into the curriculum that allow the students to work at their

own pace. Vast technological resources exist for teachers to engage students. Special education

students especially benefit from the use of technology in the classroom. The technology allows

them to be able to read, write, and present like the rest of the students in the classroom. Teachers

benefit from the use of technology by saving time and space within the classroom. Proper use of

technology also decreases the amount of work required by the teacher. With all the benefits

technology offers, some limitations also exist. Technology is expensive and requires

professionals to problem solve and train teachers on how to use it. Teachers must become

proficient in managing the students while they are working on the computers to ensure the

computers are used for the intended purpose.

Benefits

Technology has many benefits for all learners in a classroom. Using technology in the

classroom, helps prepare students for future jobs. Jobs that may not have required technology

skills in the past, now require those skills in the twenty first century. If students have never used

technology before they are placed at a disadvantage to other students who have used technology.

Research proves that students have a better recall rate when the information is presented using

some form of technology, such as a power point or smart board. New forms of technology allow

students to learn at their own pace. The programs use performance tests which allow the program
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to differentiate the lesson to the needs of the student. If the student is not doing well on a part of

the lesson, the program will stay at that concept or level until the topic is mastered. Technology

allows learners to have access to enormous amounts of information. This information can be

used to help the children learn and to connect with peers. Classroom technology improves

facilitation of interactive communication and visual aids, so students can spend more time

listening and less time taking notes.

Special Education

New forms of technology allow special needs students access to information they

previously have been unable to obtain. Many resources are available to help level the playing

field for students with special needs. Rehabilitation tools have been created for students with

severe disabilities to help them gain cognitive abilities and physical skills. These students rely on

technology to function in everyday life. Technology also gives less severely disabled students the

extra support that traditional teaching methods cannot provide. Technology helps students with

special needs communicate and express themselves.

Technology conforms to the different needs of the students. Software that allows students

to click on certain words to read them aloud would be helpful to a dyslexic student or a visually

impaired student. This form of technology makes it easier to provide the audiovisual experiences

needed by some students and would also help students with a visual processing disorder learn to

read. The technology reads the text and the student reads along matching the auditory sound to

the text. A less visually impaired student may use a tablet or computer to make the text bigger. A

more severe case of a visually impaired student might have the text read aloud to him. All of

these students could use the same device just in different ways. Forms of writing technology

helps students who have poor handwriting or who cannot hold a pencil. The technology also be a
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useful tool for those students who are non-verbal. Those students can type their responses to

questions, then the program can read what student has written and allows them to share their

work like the other students in the classroom. Many students could use the same program, just at

different levels according to the amount of support they need in the classroom.

Teachers

Teachers must attempt to use technology in the classroom to reach all their learners.

However, some teachers still resist using technology in the classroom despite all the important

benefits. Proper training increases the likelihood that teachers will implement technology in the

classroom because will not feel inadequate to the students. Teachers also feel more comfortable

using technology when they have technical support. Teachers can use technology to reduce

workloads and save time. One way technology saves time is entering grades in an electronic

grade book. The computer electronically averages the grades saving the teacher time from doing

the math herself. Teachers can organize documents used in the classroom by storing the

information on the computer which saves retrieval time and space within the classroom. The

teacher does not have to spend time searching through boxes for a worksheet, the worksheets are

saved in a file on the computer. Storage space is reduced or eliminated as documents are stored

electronically. Other benefits the teacher might experience from the integration of technology

include reducing workload requirements, job performance efficiency, and the ability to

interactively involve students in the lesson.

Limitations

Challenges related to the use of technology in the classroom include both teacher’s

proficiency levels with technology and their successful use of applying it in the classroom. The

biggest problem with technology is the cost. Schools may not have the required funds or man
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power to run the technology. The teachers also have to be trained on how to use the technology

which also requires money. If the school can afford to buy the equipment necessary, they also

must have a technical support department to help fix all the problems with the technology.

Another problem with technology is classroom management. It is hard to closely monitor

all the students in the class to know if they are using the technology for leisure or its intended

educational purpose. School systems must filter what information the students can accesses on

each computer or tablet.

Lastly, over use of technology eliminates social interaction between students and

teachers. Students who do interact socially in school may fail to pick up on important social cues

in the real world. A students school years are a large social setting that helps students learn to

interact and cope with the behaviors of others. Technology use must not remove that social

learning process.

Conclusion

Technology generates many positive benefits for teachers and students; however, it also

creates some problems for teachers and students. Students who use technology in the classroom

are better prepared for future jobs, have a higher information recall, and have access to a vast

amount of information. Students with special needs use technology to enrich their learning

experience. Technology provides support to these students who might need help reading or

seeing the text and to the students who need help writing or presenting what they have written.

Teachers can use technology to save time and space within the classroom. It can also reduce

workload requirements on teachers. Despite all the positive benefits of technology, it still has

some major downfalls. Technology costs may exceed the budgets for schools not to mention the

pay for the staff needed to keep the technology working. Technology is hard for teachers to
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monitor to ensure the students use it for educational purposes. Teachers must be careful not to

incorporate technology that eliminates the social process of learning in school. Considering the

positives and negatives discussed, students are more likely to succeed when technology is

integrated into lesson plans.

References

Ferrell, O., & Ferrell, L. (2002). ASSESSING INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY IN THE

CLASSROOM. Marketing Education Review, 12(3), 19-24.

Hicks, S. D. (2011). Technology in Today's Classroom: Are You a Tech-Savvy Teacher?.

Clearing House, 84(5), 188-191.

Ivy, S. (2017, September 26). Use of Technology In The Classroom. Retrieved September 10,

2018, from https://www.useoftechnology.com/use-of-technology-in-the-classroom/

Roland, J. (2015). How special education technology improves learning. ISTE. Retrieved

September 14, 2018, from https://www.iste.org/explore/articleDetail?articleid=568.

The Use of Technology in Special Education. (2017, September 15). Retrieved September 14,

2018, from https://degree.utpb.edu/articles/education/technology-in-special-

education.aspx