CHOSEN TOPIC:

EFFECTS OF TECHNOLOGY TO STUDENTS

Technology is becoming a bigger and bigger part of the world today.

Technology has evolved and become more central to teaching and learning.
Integrating technology into the curriculum is a priority in schools. When
teachers first began to use computers in a classroom setting, schools
evaluate whether the use of educational technology had a significant and
consistent impact on student achievement. When people hear the word
technology, computers are the first thing people think. However, there are
many different types of technology other than computers that can be used to
improve student learning. There are different kinds of content and serve
different purposes in the classroom. Such examples as word processing
programs that encourage communication and writing skills; spreadsheet
software promotes mathematics; database software promotes organizational
skills; modeling software enhances the application of science skills (Using
Technology to Improve Achievement, 1999). It is without question that the
introduction of a new medium of instruction like technology would have an
enormous impact on the traditional classroom.

Technology should be integrated as a tool to promote and extend student

learning on a daily basis. Technology use allows students to create, problem
solve, research, collaborate, and interact globally. Students that use
technology as a tool and or a support for communicating with others are in
an active role rather than the passive role of recipient of information by a
teacher or reading textbooks. Students have the ability to learn and express
themselves in their individual learning style too.

When technology is introduced into a classroom, things change. Instruction

through computers give students more control over their learning
environments and access to a wider range of materials to use in the learning
process. For example, students are too confused or embarrassed to ask
questions because they dont want to show their ignorance but with
individualized computer instruction, students can always immediately
request help if something is unclear. Computers in classroom help to make it
more interactive. They are extremely effective with the struggling learners
because they have unlimited patience. The computer can also be used to
educate the smarter students who easily get bored in a traditional classroom
since they reach their goal faster. With computers, students that finish a unit
can go to the next one immediately. For these bright students, the
challenges that computers can offer encourage self-directed learning. Also,
the use of technology fosters collaboration among student.
The teachers role changes as well. Teachers often find themselves acting
more as coaches and less as lecturers. Teachers play the role of facilitator,
setting project goals and spend more time individualizing their instruction. As
a result, students are given much more individual attention due to the nature
of some technologies.

There are many research studies validating the benefits of technology in the
classrooms. Classrooms with the use of technology have students with
positive attitudes, and a greater inclination to learn, and an increase in
student achievement too. Many different types of technology and interactive
learning process can be used to support and enhance learning:

Basic Skills Instruction

Computer assisted instruction to drill

Multi-media software teach to a variety of learning styles
Videodiscs strengthen basic skills
Video and audio technologies bring material to life
Distance learning at least as effective as traditional methods of
instruction
All forms develop new skills related to use of technology itself,
necessary in workplace
Advanced Skills Instruction

Interactive educational technologies, including:

Computer-generated simulations
Videodiscs
Internet
CD-ROM
Students learn to: organize complex information, recognize patterns,
draw inferences, communicate findings
Learn better organizational and problem-solving skills
Assessment of Student Progress

More comprehensive with multimedia

Assessments which require students active participation
Electronic portfolios
Student Motivation

They like it better

Increased family involvement
Improved teachers skills
 Improved School Administration and Management
When students see their teacher incorporating new technology and trying
new things, they become more engaged in the process. Technology allows
students to see the whole world as a resource with themselves being in
charge of their destiny. It also benefits students because they have choices
and opportunities to explore and share information to a greater extent than
available in a traditional classroom.

In conclusion, technology is a versatile and valuable tool for teaching and

learning and becoming a way of life. Technology in the classroom is both
beneficial to students and teachers. It creates new ways of obtaining and
presenting information and gives students new ways of analyzing and
understanding the world around them.

References:

DAngelo, J. M., & Woosley, S. A. (2007). Technology in the classroom: friend

or foe | Education | Find Articles at BNET. Reference Publications. Retrieved
February 22, 2011,
from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3673/is_4_127/ai_n29358572/
Department of Education 1995 forum: Technologys Impact on Learning,
Retrieved on May 8, 2011 from http://www.nsba.org/sbot/toolkit/tiol.html
North Central Regional Education Laboratory. (1999). Critical Issue: Using
Technology to Improve Student Achievement. Retrieved on May 07, 2011
from http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te800.html
Technology In the Classroom. (n.d.). . Retrieved March 1, 2011,
from http://www.teach-nology.com/tutorials/techinclass/print.htm