Using Technology to Help the Teaching and Learning Process

Incorporating technology into a classroom is not something a teacher does on a whim. A teacher must commit to using technology to enhance learning from day one, and systematically make decisions that support the goal of educating students with the aid of technology. In today’s society, technology is a constant, in-your-face reality. Teachers should not try to fight technology because it is firmly entrenched in our daily lives, and is growing rapidly. In many instances, students are equally technologically literate as teachers. This is not a slight directed at teachers; rather, students are simply gaining more and more experience with technology as newer and more complex technology develops.
In light of the current explosion of technology, teachers should have no trouble incorporating new ideas or products with curriculum. For example, most educational software produced coincides with specific educational standards. Teachers can purchase this software, or often free demos can be downloaded from the internet. Another way teachers can include technology in the classroom is to use things like digital cameras and camcorders to make videos and presentations. These presentations can be harnessed in many different ways—to grab students’ attention before embarking into a unit, to pique curiosity about a certain topic, to emphasize specific important points, or to encourage students to conduct further research on their own at the conclusion of a lesson.
One important aspect that many teachers neglect is that students need to gain necessary basic skills dealing with technology. As mentioned earlier, technology is virtually everywhere, and it is growing rapidly. Thus, students need to gain meaningful experience interacting with technology. This was certainly my experience this past semester in Instructional Technology. My skills with technolgy bloomed so that I am better equipped to aid my future students. Some examples of how to employ technolgy include: Teachers can take the class to the computer lab periodically so each student can use his or her own computer. Projects can easily be designed to include technology, which often makes the projects more exciting for both the students and the teacher. When teachers apply technology in the classroom setting, both the students and the teacher benefit.