Importance of Technology in the Classroom

Importance of Technology in the Classroom

Introduction

If students, parents, and even teachers are convinced of the importance of technology in the classroom, what obstacles are standing in the way of implementing them?

The National PBS survey found that 63% of educators say that the cost of technology is too high to successfully implement technology in the classroom. However, there are still cost-effective solutions that can help educators get the technology they need and deserve in their classroom.

Importance of Technology in the Classroom

1. Instructors Can Personalize the Education Experience

A PBS teacher survey found that teachers like and support technology in the classroom. Tools like websites, apps, learning games, e-books, and virtual tutoring help the student learn at their own pace. Digital materials can support classroom learning topics, and introduce different teaching methods for each student’s unique learning needs.

2. Instant Access to Knowledge

When mobile technology is readily available and performing correctly in the classroom, students are able to access the most up-to-date information quicker and easier than ever before.

The Internet gives students instant access to answers beyond what’s in their textbooks. In fact, today’s kids are already familiar with “Googling-it” to find answers to questions. The gift of the internet to the classroom gives teachers the chance to give their students a holistic view of any given subject while still giving students the guidance to find the right sources. In-classroom internet research gives teachers the opportunity to teach their students how to assess the quality of the information they find online while removing the one-sided restrictions of a textbook.

3. Student Preference

A study by Educause found that K-12 and college students prefer to have technology integrated into their curriculum. Computers, tablets, smartphones, and the internet are the same tools that they use at home. Students are already comfortable using these tools to connect with other students, their instructors, and their institution. In fact, the Educause survey found that 54% of students would typically use at least two devices simultaneously for school work.

Technology helps students be more responsible. Owning your own device or borrowing the school's devices gives students the opportunity to improve their decision making skills as well as taking ownership of a valuable (and often times expensive) device. Again, this needs to be complemented by proper digital citizenship training to see the best results.

4. Student Workplace Readiness

One of the greatest benefits for technology in the classroom is student workplace readiness. Mobility is currently the next great movement in the workplace, and students who use technology in the classroom today will be more adapted to using it in the future. The importance of technology in the classroom goes even beyond simple digital literacy: it promotes workplace soft skills like critical thinking, independent research, and cross-technology proficiency.

If used correctly, mobile devices and the applications they support, will help prepare students for their future careers.

5. Trend toward Blended Learning Environment

The Educause survey found that 75% of students currently have experience with blended online/on premise learning. Integrating technology into the classroom is an effective way to connect with students of all learning styles. This offers several benefits, including a cost reduction for some schools. Blended learning programs often use e-textbooks to allow their students to have unlimited access to their learning material. Blended environments also support online submission of electronic documents, cutting school costs on paper and other materials. Cost-benefits aside, students say that they enjoy the benefits of blending both online and in-class learning styles.

6. Teacher Support

The traditional passive learning model is broken. With technology in the classroom the teacher becomes the encourager, adviser, and coach.

A 2013 PBS Learning media study found that 74% of teachers agree that technology enables them to reinforce their lessons. Curriculum, learning trends, and student engagement can rise or fall on the basis of teacher support. Technology in the classroom would never flourish without the support of instructors, and an overwhelming percentage of teachers are eager to use even more technology in the classrooms. Huffington post found that, “78 percent of Kindergarten through Middle School teachers agree that technology has had a positive impact on their classroom — and that’s just the start.”

7. Proven Student Engagement

Integrating technology in education helps students stay engaged. Most students today have been using mobile devices like tablets and smartphones to play and learn since they could crawl. So it only seems logical to align today's classrooms with the way that your students want and are used to learning.

An article by the National Math and Science Initiative shows that blended learning styles keep students focused longer and makes them more excited to learn more, especially for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) subjects.

Technology transforms the learning experience. Students have access to an incredible amount of new opportunities. From learning how to code to learning how to better collaborate across teams and with their instructors--technology empowers students to be more creative and be more connected. New tech has super-charged how we learn today.

8. Tools are improving at an Alarming Rate

Technology toys, like interactive whiteboards, tablets, learning apps and websites, are always improving. Even the ways students access and interact with information is always improving. Developers are conscious of the benefits of technology in the classroom, and a lot of money is being spent on developing mobile apps and e-Learning courses with proven results. Also, social tools in Web 2.0 provide a learning opportunity for students to learn about internet safety while staying engaged with their educators.

Combining new tech like VR (Virtual reality) with traditional classroom instruction is one example of how the introduction of new technology can enhance the learning experience and create new opportunities.

9. Website Creation and Access are Cost-Effective

According to a PBS survey, websites are the most commonly used tech resources in the classroom with 56% of educators citing the use of a website. Some teachers even say that they create websites of their own to bolster their in-classroom lesson plans. The cost to develop and maintain a website are significantly less the investment in additional textbooks and workbooks. (Web sites are also easier to update than a printed textbook).

10. The Teaching Industry is Ready for Emerging Technology

Teachers the foot soldiers of education, and they’re ready to implement technology in the classroom through was many ways as possible. Unlike in previous decades, modern teachers recognize the critical importance technology plays in teaching tomorrow’s leaders. If a school district decides to implement or encourage technology, they probably won’t experience much (if any) backlash from educators.

Using technology in the classroom gives teachers and other faculty members the opportunity to develop their student's digital citizenship skills. It's one thing to use mobile devices, it's a completely other thing to know how to use them correctly and responsibly.

References:

https://centretechnologies.com/importance-of-technology-in-the-classroom/

https://www.securedgenetworks.com/blog/10-reasons-today-s-students-need-technology-in-the-classroom