Introduction
Technology is a ubiquitous part of children's lives. It is transparent. Most homes have connected computers or Internet-enabled devices. As prices of technology drop, computers and digital devices may replace television as we know it. When pioneering educational technology advocate Jan Hawkins wrote an essay for Edutopia in 1997, "The World at Your Fingertips: Education Technology Opens Doors," about how technology brings the tools of empowerment into the hands and minds of those who use them, she couldn't have known her words would be even more relevant today.
Now, walk into a classroom. Are there computers and if so, how are they being used? Are they being used at all? Technology has revolutionized the way we think, work, and play. Technology, when integrated into the curriculum, revolutionizes the learning process. More and more studies show that technology integration in the curriculum improves students' learning processes and outcomes. Teachers who recognize computers as problem-solving tools change the way they teach. They move from a behavioral approach to a more constructivist approach. Technology and interactive multimedia are more conducive to project-based learning. Students are engaged in their learning using these powerful tools, and can become creators and critics instead of just consumers.
Task
Present a report or presentation with the integration of any kind of technology.
Process
Technology ushers in fundamental structural changes that can be integral to achieving significant improvements in productivity. Used to support both teaching and learning, technology infuses classrooms with digital learning tools, such as computers and hand held devices; expands course offerings, experiences, and learning materials; supports learning 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; builds 21st century skills; increases student engagement and motivation; and accelerates learning. Technology also has the power to transform teaching by ushering in a new model of connected teaching. This model links teachers to their students and to professional content, resources, and systems to help them improve their own instruction and personalize learning.
Online learning opportunities and the use of open educational resources and other technologies can increase educational productivity by accelerating the rate of learning; reducing costs associated with instructional materials or program delivery; and better utilizing teacher time.
Evaluation
Steps to Evaluate the Value of Educational Technology
Guidebooks
Student Assessment
Web Site Evaluation
Educational technology can be a powerful tool in improving learning outcomes of students. It can help educators widen the horizons of students and allow them to explore the boundaries of their freedom. It can add value to each teacher's lesson and give greater depth to each school's curriculum. However, in order to utilize educational technology to its maximum potential, educators must take steps to evaluate the value of educational technology in their schools. Below is a step-by-step guideline by which schools can evaluate the value of educational technology as used in their institutions of learning.
Setting Goals
The first thing educators must do is set goals for each program. What do you intend to achieve by making use of a certain technology? Do you plan to increase the literacy rates of your students or are you aiming for greater inter-class participation? Are you making use of this technology to reach a wider number of students or are you aiming for specific, targeted approach to groups of students? Once you decide what your goal as an educator is, you begin to formulate specific targets by which you will measure the effectiveness of the technology being implemented. You develop and identify metrics which will be pertinent in evaluating the effectiveness of certain technologies. You set a number of criteria and standards by which you will grade the performance of your students.
Prepare to contrast information from before and after the use of technology
You must have a baseline by which you can compare your results. Establishing a baseline from which you can gauge whether there was improvement or not is important. The baseline can be a mean average or a specific number. It all depends on the type of data you will be comparing. If the data is more subjective than objective, find a way to make the data objective. For example, if you are trying to compare student behaviors before and after, it might be better to target observable and quantifiable student behaviors, such as number of times they miss school, or number of organizations they have joined.
Collect and Analyze the Data
Once you've set your goals and developed your rubrics, you must begin collecting data for future analysis. It is important that you try to be as empirical in your data collection as possible. Use surveys, test questions, student grades, and classroom observation to build up your case. Meticulous data collection and reporting is important. You cannot proceed with an accurate analysis if your date is incomplete or incorrect. Set a time limit for your data collection. Once the time limit is up, collate all data and start analyzing.
Data analysis must include not only the interpretation of numerical factors but also the interpretation of behavioral factors. It must present all data collected and observed in numerical form to allow for scoring.
Using rubrics, give a score for each goals you set
After completing data analysis, give a score for each goal set using the rubrics you developed. Was there a 90% success rate using this certain technology in achieving this goal? Did more students obtain higher grades as a result? If your goal was to increase the number of graduates from your school in passing board exams, were you able to achieve it? If your goal involved changing behaviors, how successful were you when compared to the baseline you recorded from before the implementation of the technology? There must always be a score attached to each goal. When you have finished, present your findings and recommendations to the school board in a final report. Then publish these findings for peer-review.
Conclusion
The timing has never been better for using technology to enable and improve learning at all levels, in all places, and for people of all backgrounds. From the modernization of E-rate to the proliferation and adoption of openly licensed educational resources, the key pieces necessary to realize best the transformations made possible by technology in education are in place.
Educators, policymakers, administrators, and teacher preparation and professional development programs now should embed these tools and resources into their practices. Working in collaboration with families, researchers, cultural institutions, and all other stakeholders, these groups can eliminate inefficiencies, reach beyond the walls of traditional classrooms, and form strong partnerships to support everywhere, all-the-time learning.
Although the presence of technology does not ensure equity and accessibility in learning, it has the power to lower barriers to both in ways previously impossible. No matter their perceived abilities or geographic locations, all learners can access resources, experiences, planning tools, and information that can set them on a path to acquiring expertise unimaginable a generation ago.
All of this can work to augment the knowledge, skills, and competencies of educators. Tools and data systems can be integrated seamlessly to provide information on student learning progress beyond the static and dated scores of traditional assessments. Learning dashboards and collaboration and communication tools can help connect teachers and families with instantaneous ease. This all is made more likely with the guidance of strong vision and leadership at all levels from teacher-leaders to school, district, and state administrators. For these roles, too, technology allows greater communication, resource sharing, and improved practice so that the vision is owned by all and dedicated to helping every individual in the system improve learning for students.
It is a time of great possibility and progress for the use of technology to support learning.
Challenges Remain
For all the possibilities of technology-enabled learning, it also creates challenges we will face as we embrace the change necessary to realize its potential. With the proliferation of devices and applications, we should build all educators’ understanding of and ability to serve as stewards of student data so that only those with lawful access to the data can access it. We also need to find new and creative ways to solve the problem of connectivity in learners’ homes so that the learning made possible in connected schools does not end when students leave for the day.
As we bridge the digital divide in schools and homes across the country, we also should build educator capacity to ask students to take part in new and transformational learning experiences with technology. This will require more than sharing tips in the faculty lounge or after-school professional development for educators. It also will require systemic change on the part of teacher preparation providers so their faculty and programming reflect more closely the standards and settings for which they are preparing teacher candidates.
These partnerships between teacher preparation programs and school districts are emblematic of the types of partnerships we will need to build across all education groups if we hope to increase the use of technology in learning from an add-on to an integral and foundational component of our education system.
Credits
Teacher Page
With the proper utilizing of technology and being explorative and innovative with it, it is assured that you can learn and teach effectively your students as teachers and you can learn a lot as a learner.