Running Head: EDUC 631 FINAL EXAM PAPER

EDUC 631 Final Exam Paper Lotsie Dallas Wooten Liberty University July 6, 2012

EDUC 631 FINAL EXAM PAPER EDUC 631 Final Exam Paper

The public education system is facing the perfect storm. It is not perfect in the sense that it is a nice storm, however; it is a storm where bad public perception, a depressed economy, and online disruptive technology leave many to wonder if our current public education system will survive. There are a good majority of Americans who believe that too many tax dollars are being spent on a failing public education system and that online technology creates better choices for their children. Online learning is not a new phenomenon, however; it is gaining momentum for K-12 students. Learning online is a disruptive technology that has influenced public education in ways that are positive and negative.

As a Christian Technology Director for a public school system, this author is specifically interested in the factors that make students succeed in the classroom and in life. Christian educators must remember that their main purpose is to always be obedient to Christ as His foot soldier, in thoughts and actions, as they servant-lead students through their educational career (Stowell,1996). Is technology the most important factor in assuring student success? The answer is no. The teacher is still the most important factor in the classroom for student success. Technology is a tool and when used correctly, it can help engage, encourage, and help students actively learn or construct knowledge that will enable them to learn skills that are necessary in the 21st century.

Is online learning the wave of the future for our students? Is technology the magic bullet that will engage students to learn? It is this authors opinion that one of the reasons why parents

are finding online learning more attractive is because of the lack of engagement that their students have in a traditional classroom setting. The primary instructional strategy in the

EDUC 631 FINAL EXAM PAPER

classroom is still direct-instruction. Direct instruction does little to motivate students to learn or apply 21st century skills. Because classrooms are not integrating different instructional strategies, technology integration occurring in the classroom leads to technology substitution not integration. An Example of substitution technology is the document camera, which replaces the overhead projector. The document camera functions exactly like the overhead projector without any change to pedagogical or learning strategies. True technology integration can only happen in conjunction with either a change in pedagogy or the learning process.

Successful technology substitution or integration achieves technology transparency in the classroom and supports the instructional and curricular goals of the classroom. Technology can and should be used to support the integration of new constructive instructional strategies that promote student-centered learning. Technology integrators should focus on teaching the integration of student-centered instructional strategies such as project-based learning and the flipped classroom and use technology as the tool to get us there. Furthermore, technology integration should follow the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework if it is to be successful.

EDUC 631 FINAL EXAM PAPER Reference Stowell, J.M. (1996). Following christ . Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.