Running head: POSITION PAPER

Daniel Marruffo
05/18/2016
EDCI 413/516
Position Paper
La Sierra University

Running head: POSITION PAPER

Technology has become and will continue to develop into one of the most
fundamental aspects of society today. Technology has made its way into almost every part
of our lives. It is present in the work place, in our homes, in the sophistication of todays
cars, as well as in todays classroom. Technology is not a fad that will slowly fade away.
In fact, technology is continually improving and become more cutting-edge. The general
population seems to not only embrace it, but seem to eagerly expect and await the next
state of the art technological invention that can be introduced into our lives. This tech
environment inevitably has an impact on teachers and their students. Therefore teachers
must be aware of the importance of the implementation of technology in their curriculum.
Current societal trends point to the fact that the future work force of this country will be
required to navigate comfortably through technological work setting. Therefore,
educators must work diligently to not only help students become competent in the use of
technology but also equip them to apply it to their everyday life.
As a future teacher, I hope to integrate technology as much as possible in the
classroom so that students will become comfortable using it in the educational setting. I
believe that technology can be a critically important tool that will help students develop
skills that will enable them to use technology effectively as they conduct research,
discover their world beyond our borders and create and innovate in ways that help them
think critically. Although here are many positive aspects to the use of technology in the
classroom, methods of integration may be challenging mainly because students come to
the classroom with varied levels of exposure to technology. Some may find it a bit
intimidating, while others are comfortable and can easily thrive in a tech environment.
Noel Bitner and Joe Bitner, (2002) suggest eight keys to successful integration of

Running head: POSITION PAPER

technology in the classroom that can be useful as educators introduce technology as part
of the curriculum. These eight keys are fear of change, training in basics, personal use,
teaching models, learning based, climate, motivation and finally support. Being aware of
appropriate technology integration is key to the success of technology in the classroom.
Another important factor is to be aware of my own personal shortcomings in the area of
technology that may impact my ability to implement technology effectively in the
classroom. Because I strongly believe technology will continue to play a major role, I
want to be diligent and ensure that I stay on the cutting edge of what technology has to
offer. I want to make sure that I peruse continued education and remain curious about the
latest creative and innovative educational applications.
I believe that the next generation of teachers that are stepping into the classrooms
will come with a greater comfort level when it comes to technology. However, teachers
need to work together and support each other so that all classrooms are equally effective
in the area of technology. I look forward to the technological opportunities that will
continue to be available to me in the future as an educator to make learning fun and
interactive.
When technology is used appropriately, teachers can do on-the-spot summative
assessment with a group quiz where students can answer questions using their phones on
the applications like Kahoot. This form of assessment can prove to be engaging for the
students as they can compete against each other. A form of formative assessment can be
the use of the application comic life where students can ultimately create individual
comics, which include information about topics taught in class. They can then use the
information to present to the entire class.. These are only a few examples that underscore

Running head: POSITION PAPER

that using technologies does not only engage and promote creativity, but can also
improve efficiency within in the classroom. This use of technology does not only
encourage augmentation but also modification of tasks within the classroom.
For the successful integration of technology in my own classroom, I must be
objective and look past the methods used when I was a student and be open to innovative
forms of reaching students academically. New approaches and methods can effectively
and positively impact learning. As described by Brunner (1992), how can we expect
teachers to create learning environments that differ radically from the ones in which they
were educated in (p. 5)? I plan to look outside of my own bubble to new uses of
technologies which will help me continually learn to be a more effective teacher.
Although the integration of technology may be significant in the overall academic
success of a child, planning and the application of a framework in the use of technology
is just as important. Although technology may be present within the classroom it may not
be used effectively. The focus must be on effective utilization, otherwise we simply rely
on the product to sustain it, and this is an impossible expectation. The teachers
involvement and investment is critical. In my classroom, I would tend to focus on making
sure intentional time is spent on helping students feel comfortable using technology
before I focus on the application of technology to help them learn. This can be
accomplished by ensuring that kids have fun and enjoy navigating through devices and
applications that will ultimate be the medium for learning.
As a teacher I would encourage students to bring their own devices and have them
continuously and actively engaged in class material through their devices. However
before any type of technology can be used in the classroom, I believe it is also important

Running head: POSITION PAPER

to teach children about safety and proper use of technology. Requiring students go
through tech orientation before they can use it in the classroom will help them gain a
greater understanding and deeper perspective on the positive and negative effects
technology can have in their own life and on the world around them. Through the
development of digital competence, students do not only learn more efficiently and
effectively, but they can also learn about responsibility as they use technology inside and
outside of the classroom.
Overall, I believe it is fundamental to focus the use of technology around six
major methods of experience when using technology in the classroom as mentioned by
Rasinen (2003). Rasinen said, The prominent methods focus on experiences for
students that engage them in panning, analyzing, inventing, innovating, making and
evaluating (p. 45). As a future educator, I hope to push or encourage students to become
innovators and critical thinkers as part of their own learning experience. However, for
this to be accomplished, I need to understand that learning as stated by Romrell (2014),
must be personalized, situated and connected (p. 12). By becoming supportive and
empowering figures in the lives of students, educators can guide their class to success in
their future through the proper use and implementation of technology.

Running head: POSITION PAPER

6
References

Bitner, N., & Bitner, J. (2002). Integrating technology into the classroom: Eight keys to
success. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 10(1), 95-100.
Rasinen, A. (2003). An analysis of the technology education curriculum of six countries.
Journal of Technology Education, 15(1), 31-47.
Brunner, C. (2002). Integrating Technology into the Curriculum: Teaching the Teachers.
Center for Technology in Education, 1-9
Romrell, D., Kidder, L. C., & Wood, E. (2014). The SAMR model as a framework for
evaluating mLearning. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 18(2), n2.