Using Technology to Facilitate K-12 Instruction

Using Technology to Facilitate K- 12 Instruction

The integration of technology throughout all grade levels and across all curriculums has been a big push across the United States in all school districts. According to Edutopia Staff, technology touches almost every part of our lives, communities and home, but most schools lag behind when it comes to integrating technology into classroom learning (Edutopia, 2010, ¶ 1). Technology can provide a wealth of learning and abilities to communicate once it has been established in a school setting. Technology provided administrators, parents, teachers and students with resources that were not so easily accessible before and allows for better communication between everyone. In addition, technology has allowed teachers to differentiate instructions for each child by providing different tool, resources and equipment to help the students expand in their learning. Finally, technology has allowed students in all grade level interact with each other, whether they are in the same neighborhood or across the world.

Before e-mail, blogs, newsletters or other forms of communication through technology, administrators, parents, teachers and students were only able to communicate through writing, personal letters, meeting face to face and through telephone calls. Nowadays each teacher has their own personal websites, where they are able to communicate with administrators, parents, other teachers and students. These types of websites provide parents with a biography of the teacher and the teacher’s e-mail address. In addition, these websites might have links to homework assignments, tutorials, information about what the students are studying, examples of students’ work and for administrators a link to teachers’ lesson plans. However, according to Learn NC website, it is important to remember to obtain parental permission before posting any type of student work and pictures of students (Learn NC, n.d., ¶ 9). Furthermore, Learn NC suggest that even when it becomes difficult to maintain the constant communication between teacher and parents/guardians, it would benefit the teacher greatly to maintain a website where the line of communication can be updated daily, especially if it is imbedded in the classroom’s daily routine (Learn NC, n.d., ¶ 10).

Beside establishing better communication between administrators, parents, teachers, and students, new technology has provide students with resources that were not so easily obtain before. Students are able to read books in different languages, watching videos on different topics and even look at animals interacting in their natural habitat or in a zoo. According to the Center for Implementing Technology in Education, resource websites like Apple Podcasts, National Geographic webcams and Discovery Education United Streaming have provided students with the ability to view subject areas that were only available in books, but are now available through videos (Center for Implementing Technology in Education, 2007). In addition, to providing different resources, technology also allows teachers to differentiate instruction for each student. When teachers differentiate instruction, the teachers are trying to meet each student’s need by focusing on different learning style. The Apple website gives teachers websites that address each of the different learning styles. This website provides teachers with an overview of each learning style and website links that will encourage students to learn through their particular learning style (The Apple, n.d.). The authors of this article, also state that the multiple intelligences can be met and enhanced through the use of technology. However it does take a little creativity and planning by the teacher (The Apple, p. 3).

Finally, new technology tools such as webcams, projectors, and companies like Cisco have made it possible for students to communicate with other around the world. Students are able to study different cultures, showcase their learning and do some collaborative learning with other students that could be in their same school district or are located in a different country. Students are able to take virtual field trips to places that they might never have gone to, if it was not because of technology. Students can explore and discover new things around their community and world by using websites like Google Map or Cable in the Classroom. Through all of these expansion and exploration in their learning students are able to achieve a better quality of learning. These students will be able to have a better success rate compare to those who do not integrate their learning with technology.

References

Center for Implementing Technology in Education. (2007). Differentiating Instruction Using Technology [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://www.cited.org/library/site/media/Differentiated%20

Instruction%20Using%20Technology%20UPDATE12%205%2007.pdf

Edutopia (2008). Why Integrate Technology into the Curriculum?: The reasons are many. Retrieved June 9, 2010, from http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-introduction

Learn NC (n.d.). Using a classroom webpage to communicate with parents. Retrieved June 9, 2010, from http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/689

The Apple (n.d.). Using Technology to Differentiate Instruction. Retrieved June 9, 2010, from http://theapple.monster.com/benefits/articles/8484-using-technology-to-differentiate-instruction?page=1