Technology in Education
Nowadays
the use of technology has spread around the world. It's used in different
fields such as business, medicine, politics, science and education. But, how is
technology used in education? What are the benefits of technology? Does it
have disadvantages or challenges? Can we use technology in the future properly?
All these questions will be discussed here.
Technology can be used both in teacher- directed
learning and student-directed learning. First, the teacher can use technology as
supplemental support in the classroom (Smaldino et al, 2012). For example, the
teacher first explains the lesson and then shows them a video related to the
topic of that lesson or might be the other way around; i.e. the teacher shows
the video as a warm-up and then starts the lesson. The effectiveness of the
technology depends on the teacher. Accordingly, Wittich & Fowlkes (1946, as
cited in Smaldino et al, 2012) found that when the teacher used a film and
related it to the learning objectives, the students gained more information
from the film. I agree with this because if the teacher doesn't state the aim
of the thing (a video, film…etc) he\she uses, students will get lost or simply
they don't know why they are watching that video or film!
Watch this video to know about
the reasons behind using technology in classroom.
Regarding student- directed learning; it can be
through distance learning where students can access the course from home
without the teacher. An example for this is E-learning that we have at SQU. We
can find the materials and do quizzes online. Also, technology could be used in
classroom where the teacher asks them to design something but still it's
student-directed because they do it by their own. Students also can do their
assignments or projects and search for the information they need through
technology.
Moreover, Donely (2012) said, " Social networking
is a great example of technology that can help— or hinder — education,
depending on how it is used and integrated into teaching plans". Yes,
social networking like face book or Twitter may distract students if they are
used in classroom or they may be used as a tool of bulling. However, we can get
benefits from them at the same time. For example, in our class, we could
successfully use Whatsapp for discussing an educational topic. Also, students
can share their ideas which is another way of collaborating work. There are
many other benefits of using technology in education. First, students
usually learn more in less time and like the class when they have
computer-based instruction, as James Kulik (Wikipedia) has found. Second,
technology makes the learning process easier. For instance, the teacher can
summarize a lesson through mapping i.e. "Concept maps are graphic tools
for organizing and illustrating knowledge. They show relationships between
different concepts", as we have taken this definition last semester. The following pictures show examples of mapping
Moreover, as we mentioned in our tech-class
that technology enhances student's motivation. From my experience in teaching
practice, I saw that my students enjoyed the lesson when I used OHP, so how will they feel if we use other technologies! For example, I may create a webQuest for them and assess them through it. I and my friend have already created a WebQuest. Click here to see it.
Although technology
has all these benefits, it can be a challenge in classroom as we have
discussed in technology class. How is that?
#The teacher might not know how to use it, so every time the teacher uses
technology he\she bring a technician with him\her. Of course this will consume
time.
# Also, sometimes the schools don't have technology. For instance, the
school that I went to this semester has neither OHP nor proxima. The Ministry
of Education should provide these devices at schools because teachers need
them, hopefully they will do soon.
#There is no time to use technology because teachers are forced to finish
the curriculum.
Here
are some suggestions to be able to use technology properly at classrooms
in the future:
#
The government should provide different technological devices in all the
schools of the Sultanate.
#
There should be technician specialist in each school so that if any of the
devices doesn't work, he repairs it immediately.
#
Teachers should have a workshop on the use of technology.
#
Students should be taught about danger use of technology such as bulling.
References
Donley, M.
2012.Technology's influence on Education. The Tech Issue: 15. Retrieved
14,May,2013, from: http://source.southuniversity.edu/
technologys-influence-on-education-76874.aspx
Smalodino. S, Lowther. D and Russell. J
(2012). Instructional Technology and Media for Learning. (10th ed.). USA: Pearson.
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