Trend of Technology in the ClassroomEssay Preview: Trend of Technology in the ClassroomReport this essayAbstractThe current trend of technology in the classroom can be traced back to the early1900s when schools and museums, as a complement to verbal instruction, began to use visuals aids including drawings, paintings, and slides. In the 1920s, as film became widely used, The National Academy of Visual Instruction was formed to help distinguish between films that were for entertainment or educational value. As technology progressed and the television was introduced, the educational system began to use instructional television. During the 1970s and 1980s the biggest influence in the classroom, to date, came in the form of computers. As the 1990s progressed, computers and multimedia equipment continued to become more affordable and they began to be used across the world. The trend of technology in the classroom currently consists of multiple categories including Multimedia, Internet and Networking, Computer-assisted instruction (CAI), Computer-managed instruction (CMI), and teacher training. As the current trend of technology in the classroom continues to be centered on the inclusion of computers and other mediums, it only awaits to incorporate the next big step in technology.
The Ever-changing Technology TrendThe abacus, the slate, the red pad of paper, it is amazing to view the ever-changing technology in education today. As a society, not only has our language and communication developed, but the way that language and communication are expressed has changed drastically. In Mathematics an abacus was used to solve problems, now a student can program a graphing calculator to solve problems for them. Some schools allow children to bring laptops into class with them, in other schools it is mandatory that all students have a laptop to bring to school. From having no computers in the classroom to having dozens of computers in the classroom has been an evolution of the educational system. Technology in the educational system consists of many mediums, and the history to the current educational system is quite fascinating. What remains to be seen is how the ever-changing, ever-evolving technology will impact the schools today, and how technology will affect our schools in the future.
The view of a teacher as the possessor and transferor of information is shifting to a new paradigm in which the teacher is now a facilitator or a coach. These new teachers provide appropriate learning environments that engage students in collaborative activities that require communications and access to information that only technology can provide.
Technology engages students, and as a result they spend more quality time on basic learning tasks than students who use a more traditional approach. Students who have the opportunity to use technology to acquire and organize information show a higher level of comprehension and a greater likelihood of using what they learn later in their lives (Impact, 2005). The integration of technology into the curriculum has been shown to decrease absenteeism, lower dropout rates, and motivate more students to continue on to college.
This current trend of technology in the classroom consists of multiple categories including multimedia, Internet and networking, computer-assisted instruction (CAI), computer-managed instruction (CMI), and teacher training:
MultimediaInteractive multimedia combines text, graphics, sound, animation, and video into a single learning environment. The hardware of multimedia can include: Macintosh computers, audio digitizers, CD ROM players, graphic scanners, and videodisc players. Since information is presented in visual and verbal modalities, individual learning styles of students are easily accommodated. It is not only a presentation tool for the teacher, becoming the basis for classroom lectures, discussions, and simulations, but it is also a reporting and reference tool for students in preparing class assignments.
Example of use: There is an ongoing multimedia project that is part of the seventh grade science curriculum at the Baker Demonstration School at National-Louis University. Students choose a mammal to study at Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, IL. They then spend several sessions at the zoo observing this mammals physical characteristics, behavior, locomotion, and its zoo habitat. These observations become the raw data for constructing a multimedia presentation about their mammal.
Internet and NetworkingThere is a clear direction towards using the Internet to open education to students everywhere. The use of the Internet ranges from making course materials available on-line, to using the Internet as the communication tool for the course. With the vast capabilities of the Internet, computers are being networked for communication, research, and remote collaboration. Networks can help to break down communication barriers and connect students and teachers with the outside world. Access to a computer, a modem, and phone lines frees students and teachers from the physical limits and time constraints of the school environment. Networking also allows them to send electronic mail, participate in computer conferencing, and access information from remote sources.
Practical uses of the InternetA range of devices, websites, and services can provide all sorts of advantages to students and make them more productive, more creative, and more connected. When it comes to connecting with a wider group of people, it has become clear that all the best solutions apply to all situations. In particular, the Internet allows for the production of information, education, and learning. This creates opportunities for education and research, and also enables new opportunities for researchers, scientists, teachers, and educators in the fields of education, research, and public policy and administration. Although a variety of applications can be developed, the important thing is that students find this use of the Internet convenient and flexible. In fact, as our project explores in detail, a number of the applications of the Internet come in many forms.
The possibilities of Internet technology
The Internet, or the Internet Communication Network, is increasingly being used as a way to meet an increasing number of demands including, among them, research, research advocacy, the Internet and the Internet Accessibility Model (IAM) as well as other areas of policy development in the United States and international research networks where new technologies are being made possible.
The most powerful way of achieving such a goal is by using the Information Sharing Agreement (ISA). In August of 2003, the Supreme Court upheld the Government’s attempt to share information across the IAS as part of a process known as Information Sharing (ISI). This was designed into the IAA Agreement to facilitate the free and open sharing of information. Although both the Government and the IAA agreed to a shared IAS (and other Internet protocol) in September of 2004, the Agreement was eventually revoked under certain Supreme Court decisions on the grounds that it circumvented the IAA’s rights to information sharing.
With the agreement, as of July of 2007, individuals can share large amounts of information but that information can only be shared within one state, the U.S. and certain foreign countries (the US government, the IAA, and numerous other global organizations) without access to information from the private Internet providers (ISPs). Thus the information sharing arrangements are made for the information sharing of “free” or “private” information, or information that is “shared” in public. The government, by contrast, can also share information about individuals. As part of the ISI process between the public and private Internet providers, the individuals can use the information shared to make decisions within their own state to be shared across the U.S. government, but the private providers cannot do this unless the government requests the shared information. Thus, the Americans and private Internet providers can also share information without access to the information shared by persons other than the Americans.
Finally, as Internet access is becoming accessible to all, users can receive the communication information that could become available to all. In the interest of providing a wide range of educational opportunities, Internet access will provide the greatest potential for students to express their creative ideas and knowledge of new technology.
What is Internet Access
Internet Access is a new technology that enables students and educators to access the information from both external and internal websites accessible through the Internet,
Example of use: Students studying the solar system can send questions directly to NASA scientists. Classes from different parts of the world could read the same book and share ideas and conclusions throughout the reading of the book. Another idea is for one class to write cliff hangers and have the other class finish the stories. In some cases, classes have done parallel science experiments or conducted surveys and then compared results with the other class.
Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) and Computer-managed instruction (CMI)(CMI) is the use of the computer to maintain records associated with student performance. This usually includes, but is not limited to, the results of particular Computer-Aided Instruction (CAI) packages. As the student completes each lesson, the computer stores the progress, scores, records the results of all tests or quizzes completed, and it provides progress reports to the teacher. These reports, either individual or class-wide, may be used to rapidly identify unsatisfactory progress or weak areas (Harrison 1983).
Example of use: An individualized curriculum could be written for each student allowing the teacher to more effectively utilize the limited class time available. These tools can help remediate students lacking in certain skills and allow students access to information presented in multimedia formats.
Teacher TrainingTremendous increase in technology-related in-service teacher