Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Using Technology Effectively in the Classroom
This article was really interesting to read. In schools right now there is such a big push to get laptops, ipads and other electronic devices. Schools that don't have these are considered to be behind. However these schools without technology may not be any more behind than some schools who have all sorts of technology. It all depends on the teachers. In schools that have laptops for most of their students there has been many studies done on the effectiveness. Most schools with laptops saw there scores on tests increase. But some schools didn't seem to make any gains. It would of never occurred to me that the reason behind this was the teachers. It makes sense now that I think about it. If you have a teacher who does not know how to use laptops or just plain doesn't want to use laptops the students won't be able to either. If a teacher doesn't incorporate the use of laptops in their lessons, students aren't really going to have a chance to use laptops to help further learning. So the big thing is we need to train teachers on how to use laptops(technology) and show them the benefits of it. Many schools districts don't want to take time to teach teachers how to use this technology, but if they would, students would be the ones benefiting in the long run. I think back to my high school and how some teachers were anti technology. The problem was that most of them just didn't know how to use this technology. So they automatically had a negative attitude towards it. So for school districts that are just getting into the technology phase they need to makes sure they have plans in place to teach the teachers about this new technology. Technology can equal better tests outcomes for students!
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Agreed! What do you think would be a good way for schools to make sure that the teachers know how to use the technology and are integrating it in to lessons?
ReplyDeleteI think teachers need to have meetings where they focus on using technology and the simple ways it can be used to enhance learning in the classroom. Having a technology coordinator in each school is helpful for everyday questions that teachers have also. My school had one and he would help teachers in this way.
DeleteI think a teacher's desire to use new technology will directly correlate with the students' desire to use the new technology. If the teacher is apprehensive about using something new and advanced, then can we really expect students to want to use it either? There's no point in getting new technology in classrooms if it won't be utilized by the teachers.
ReplyDeletei agree! I think they should have a technology workshop in the summer before each school year. Especially if the district is installing new tools (ex. smart boards) that way teachers won't feel stupid not knowing how to use the tools in front of their class. I think the reason lots of teachers don't use more technology is because they are frustrated they don't know how to use it or they think it will take a lot of extra work/time.
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