Assignment 2

Technology in Today’s Education

LeTray T. Womble

The University of Alabama

CAT 200

Michelle A Hale

September 3, 2013

There are several definitions of educational technology and this definition has changed with time.  Through my experiences in formal education or personal edification, educational technology is the continuous advancement of education as a result of improving the current way of learning or solving problems in any form of education through the use of several types of media such as a projector, computer, books, whiteboard, social media, video chat, letters, computer based learning, simulation training, DVD etc. 

I remember reading To Kill a Mockingbird in 10^th grade and shortly after, watching the movie in class.  My reading skills were great but my imagination wasn’t the best.  I am a visual learner so it was very difficult to enjoy the story and empathize with Boo Radley until we had the pleasure of watching the movie.  Reading is the foundational building block to a great education but technology enhances the educational environment for those students that have different learning styles. 

Technology in the classroom has dramatically changed the way educators teach their curriculum and how students learn.  Today the role of educational technology, as it relates to teaching, can be categorized as more of a facilitation role.  Teachers do more guiding than directing or instructing due to technological advancements that have been incorporated into the classroom.  For example, an accounting teacher may explain the concepts of a balance sheet but the student can create a balance sheet in Microsoft Excel and also learn practical application that can be applied in the real world.  This provides more opportunities for students to play an active role in determining the outcome and knowledge gained from the curriculum of the class.

There are several factors that may encourage and discourage the use of technology in the classroom.  Some factors that may encourage the use of technology in the classroom is a student’s desire or curiosity to learn a new technology being introduced into the classroom such as the use of Google Glass which is being used in Penn High School in South Bend, Indiana.  Penn High School teacher, Grant Carlile stated  “I would be able to do attendance, augment presentations with notes and give them grades on Glass,” (Gonzalez, 2013).  Many students become intrigued with new technology, which encourages its use.  There are also times when the use of technology can be discouraged which could be for several reasons but the main reason is lack of technological literacy.  Students become ashamed or embarrassed of lacking the skills or knowledge to use certain technology and lose interest very quickly.  

References

Gonzalez, Gabby (2013, July 21). New Technology From Google Finds its Way to Michiana Classroom. News Center 16. Retrieved from www.wndu.com