Prompt #6: Should Technology be Incorporated into the Classroom?

In recent years technology has become a major part of every day life, it is a form of communication, it is used in businesses, it is used by consumers, and in education among many other daily activities.  Just like everything else in our society, technology is also incorporated into education, it is used in lessons, for homework, research, studying, and it has many other uses as well.  In Heejung's book, "Tables in K-12 Education: Integrated Experiences and Implications" talks all about the benefits and how to properly incorporate technology into the classroom.  Technology in the classroom is a controversial issue, some think technology can be extremely beneficial for students while others are concerned about the costs of technology and the distractions it may cause.  Chapter 5, "Mobile Devices and Classroom Management: Considerations and Applications for Effective Use in an Elementary School Classroom" is about a study done in a fifth grade classroom and it shows the success of iPad's in this particular classroom and how the teacher made these devices beneficial.

Devices such as Apple's iPad can “ be utilized in schools to increase teaching, learning, and ultimately school outcomes”(Heejung 71).  Obviously in order for technology to have a positive impact in classrooms it must be used in the correct way.  The devices have the potential to accomplish great things and can really aid students in learning, but if the teacher does not provide set rules or a system for operating the technology they also have the potential to lead to distractions.  In the study of the fifth grade classroom the iPad's the class was provided with were extremely effective due to the teacher, Ms. G's planning for the arrival of the devices and how she was going to use them within her classroom.

Distractions from the devices were eliminated by having “iPad positions”, when the lesson was being explained the iPads were to remain in “Position I” which was setting the device face down, allowing the teacher to have her students full attention.  Ms. G also assigned a “Tech Squad” each day, which was a group of students in charge of the distribution of iPads and also students who were given knowledge before the lesson on how to work the app for that days lesson, allowing there to be more hands helping the students rather than just the teacher alone.  The point of this study is that technology in the classroom can be good or bad depending on how the teacher goes about using the technology.  Ms. G eliminated the cons of having technology in her fifth grade classroom by being so prepared and the fact that her and her students knew the exact purpose of the iPads.

I think technology is a great thing to incorporate into the classroom because of how much of our society today depends on technology it is important for students to know how to effectively use devices such as iPads, chances are they will need to use these skills for their job some day.  If all teachers could use technology in their classroom similar to how Ms. G did students would become more interactive learners and develop new skills along the way.  Technology is the future of education.

An, Heejung. "Mobile Devices and Classroom Management: Considerations and    Applications for Effective Use in an Elementary School Classroom." Tablets in K-12 Education: Integrated Experiences and Implications. Print.