The Digital Age in Classrooms
What will classrooms in the next five years look like? The technology of today will be obsolete in a few years. Students need to learn how to utilize the latest technology to learn and to prepare for their futures. Educators need to focus on the importance of technology in school.
Technology in Education
The importance of technology in schools is so evident in the 21st Century. Students who are not computer savvy will struggle in their future professions, as most jobs require some type of computer work.
In the “Overview of Technology and Education Reform” on the Ed.gov website, researchers reported that “to be effective, technology and teachers must work together to provide challenging learning opportunities.” Technology can become the catalyst for change to help students to use higher order thinking skills.
Some are describing teachers as “digital immigrants” while their students are “digital natives.” The reason being, teachers (the immigrants) need to learn the technological environment that the kids (digital natives) already “live in” and use to acquire knowledge on a daily basis. For an intriguing video clip which exemplifies the concept of digital immigrants and natives check out this slide show on teaching and learning with digital natives by, Steve C. Yuen, Ph.D. Further reading about digital natives is provided below.
No Child Left Behind Title 11-D-1&2
Sufficient support must be available to bring about change with technology. In the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Title II-D-1&2 – Enhancing Education Through Technology, there were provisions for technology to enhance learning because the current job market needs skilled workers in technology.
Teacher preparation in technology and access to technology for students in poverty continually lags behind. Funds have been set aside for Educational Technology State Grants Program so that states can award low poverty schools money. Teachers who are not adequately trained in technology may not use the technology properly or may not use it at all.
800px-Overtons Computer Lab: WikiMedia Commons
Problems with Currently Technology Use in the Classroom
Gilbert Valdez, Ph.D. writes in the article “Technology: A Catalyst for Teaching and Learning in the Classroom,” which is on the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory website that students who do not have access to technology are at a disadvantage. Access to the Internet seems to be available to both poor and wealthy school districts. However, the children from poverty do not have much access to technology outside of school.
In addition, teachers need to have adequate training to teach students to use technology