Journal 5: Harness the power of technology (Extra Credit)

(NETS-T 3 & 5)

Duncan, A. (2011). Harness the power of technology. Learning and Leading with Technology, 38(8), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/digital-edition-june-july-2011.aspx

The disconnect in today's classrooms in terms of bringing technology into them, is that teachers often view technology as an add-on to a lesson, rather than a means of integration. The number one beneficial factor in bringing technology into the classroom, Duncan says, is because students are easily engaged through it. Students who were unsuccessful in more traditional methods of learning, such as reading, find their academics improve greatly through the integration of technology in their lessons. To move along the improvement of technology education in the classroom The U.S. Department of Education is promoting ARPA-ED which stands for Advanced Research Projects Agency for Education. This agency will be meant to "aggressively pursue" advancements in technology in education and learning throughout the country. Of course, one of the biggest motivators and influence on a student is their teacher. A good teacher combined with technology is a combination which is the best for a child's academic success.

Question 1: Duncan mentioned that there are many schools in rural areas of the country that do not have internet access. Does this mean that the students who attend these schools are behind in academics than students who have ready access to the internet and whose schools have integrated technology readily into many lessons?

I definitely think the students who attend schools who have made it a priority to give the students access to technology in their studies are at a huge advantage. There are many ways a student can grow academically without the use of technology, but it may take more work on the students part. The advantage of having technology available is that it appeals to students, and as a result of the interest, more students will probably be doing better academically. So, my assumption would be that overall, students who attend a technology-savvy school will be more likely to have academic success than students who attend a more traditional school, because they have the tools to do so at their disposal.

Question 2: With technology rapidly growing is it essential for teachers now-a-days to be trained to be technologically savvy to keep up with technology?

I think it is extremely important that teachers are trained using the most recent technologies and resources available to them. Children coming into the education system are often one step ahead in this area than the generation that preceded them. To make full use of this knowledge that children have coming into school, teachers should be trained in that fashion. If children know a lot about something, chances are it will catch their attention. So using this in a classroom as a way of engaging the interest of students would be a very beneficial teaching method.