Welcome to my EDTECH 541 Project Site. This site is a collection of my work for EDTECH 541. You can read my reflections about my learning on my course blog. Click the more tab above for additional navigation options.
Vision Statement
Technology is a part of our lives. We welcome technology in our homes, cars, places of employment, retail stores, restaurants, our pockets, wrists, backpacks, purses, briefcases, and even in our bodies. It is a natural extension to make technology a part of our schools as well. The same technology that aids humanity and connects our planet with access to a constantly growing collection of information, can, and should be used to create instruction that capitalizes on opportunities to educate our children in a captivating and productive manner.
The U.S. Department of Education expressed a similar position in the 2010 National Education Technology Plan Executive Summary:
“…technology is at the core of virtually every aspect of our daily lives and work, and we must leverage it to provide engaging and powerful learning experiences and content, as well as resources and assessments that measure student achievement in more complete, authentic, and meaningful ways. Technology-based learning and assessment systems will be pivotal in improving student learning and generating data that can be used to continuously improve the education system at all levels (p.7)”.
Technology as an Empowering Tool
Technology can empower students and teachers in three fundamental ways. First, technology can empower students by captivating student interest with student-centered instruction. Second, technology can assist teachers and students with differentiated instruction that enables teachers to facilitate instruction in a manner that is tailored to meet each individual student’s needs. Third, technology helps prepare today’s students for a world that expects them to be digitally proficient when they finish school (Roblyer & Doering, 2013).
Technology and 21st Century Skills
Technology is also a vital component in the mastery of 21st Century skills. Roblyer and Doering (2013) point out that “technologies such as word processing, spreadsheets, simulations, multimedia, and the Internet have become increasingly essential in analyzing and producing information in school settings and on the job. Students who use these tools in school have a head start on what they do in the workplace” (p.26).
Technology can Level the Playing Field
Increasing access to technology can also help students who may not have access to technology at home. In an article written in 2005, Wenlingsky highlights evidenced based information to support the use of computers in the classroom. He suggests that using technology to perform everyday tasks can lead to increased achievement in other areas as well but that using technology to develop higher order thinking skills has a positive impact on standardized math test scores (p. 30).
This effect can be magnified when applied to students from lower socioeconomic populations. In 2012 Fairlee published the results of a study that was the first to investigate the impact that increased access to computers has on minority populations via a free computer distribution program (p. 663). The study found that the increased access to a computer increased achievement in both white and nonwhite groups, but the increases in achievement were substantially higher for the non-white students than for white students. He suggests that the fundamental reason that the distribution program disproportionately benefited students from non-white populations was because students from these populations tended to lack consistent access to technology due to a lower socioeconomic status than their white counterparts (Fairlee, 2012).
This is all consistent with the U.S. Department of Education’s Technology Plan of 2010. Which describes the current plan as follows:
“the model of learning described in this plan calls for engaging and empowering learning experiences for all learners. The model asks that we focus what and how we teach to match what people need to know, how they learn, where and when they will learn, and who needs to learn. It brings state-of-the art technology into learning to enable, motivate, and inspire all students, regardless of background, languages, or disabilities, to achieve. It leverages the power of technology to provide personalized learning and to enable continuous and lifelong learning (p.8).”
The benefits that technology can have on the educational system stated above should be embraced, leveraged, and used to enhance learning opportunities for students and usher in a new era of education that is symbiotic with existence of technology.
References
Fairlie, R. (2012). Academic achievement, technology and race: Experimental evidence. Economics of Education Review, 31(5), 663–679. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2012.04.003
Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2013). Integrating educational technology into teaching. (6th ed. ed., pp. 25-26). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc.
United States. U.S.Department of Educatio, Office of Education Technology. Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology. Washington, D.C.: , 2010. Web. <http://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/netp2010-execsumm.pdf>.
Wenglinsky, H. (2005). Technology and achievement the bottom line. Educational Leadership, 6(4), 29-32. Retrieved from http://imoberg.com/files/Technology_and_Achievement_--_The_Bottom_Line_Wenglinsky_H._.pdf
Technology is a part of our lives. We welcome technology in our homes, cars, places of employment, retail stores, restaurants, our pockets, wrists, backpacks, purses, briefcases, and even in our bodies. It is a natural extension to make technology a part of our schools as well. The same technology that aids humanity and connects our planet with access to a constantly growing collection of information, can, and should be used to create instruction that capitalizes on opportunities to educate our children in a captivating and productive manner.
The U.S. Department of Education expressed a similar position in the 2010 National Education Technology Plan Executive Summary:
“…technology is at the core of virtually every aspect of our daily lives and work, and we must leverage it to provide engaging and powerful learning experiences and content, as well as resources and assessments that measure student achievement in more complete, authentic, and meaningful ways. Technology-based learning and assessment systems will be pivotal in improving student learning and generating data that can be used to continuously improve the education system at all levels (p.7)”.
Technology as an Empowering Tool
Technology can empower students and teachers in three fundamental ways. First, technology can empower students by captivating student interest with student-centered instruction. Second, technology can assist teachers and students with differentiated instruction that enables teachers to facilitate instruction in a manner that is tailored to meet each individual student’s needs. Third, technology helps prepare today’s students for a world that expects them to be digitally proficient when they finish school (Roblyer & Doering, 2013).
Technology and 21st Century Skills
Technology is also a vital component in the mastery of 21st Century skills. Roblyer and Doering (2013) point out that “technologies such as word processing, spreadsheets, simulations, multimedia, and the Internet have become increasingly essential in analyzing and producing information in school settings and on the job. Students who use these tools in school have a head start on what they do in the workplace” (p.26).
Technology can Level the Playing Field
Increasing access to technology can also help students who may not have access to technology at home. In an article written in 2005, Wenlingsky highlights evidenced based information to support the use of computers in the classroom. He suggests that using technology to perform everyday tasks can lead to increased achievement in other areas as well but that using technology to develop higher order thinking skills has a positive impact on standardized math test scores (p. 30).
This effect can be magnified when applied to students from lower socioeconomic populations. In 2012 Fairlee published the results of a study that was the first to investigate the impact that increased access to computers has on minority populations via a free computer distribution program (p. 663). The study found that the increased access to a computer increased achievement in both white and nonwhite groups, but the increases in achievement were substantially higher for the non-white students than for white students. He suggests that the fundamental reason that the distribution program disproportionately benefited students from non-white populations was because students from these populations tended to lack consistent access to technology due to a lower socioeconomic status than their white counterparts (Fairlee, 2012).
This is all consistent with the U.S. Department of Education’s Technology Plan of 2010. Which describes the current plan as follows:
“the model of learning described in this plan calls for engaging and empowering learning experiences for all learners. The model asks that we focus what and how we teach to match what people need to know, how they learn, where and when they will learn, and who needs to learn. It brings state-of-the art technology into learning to enable, motivate, and inspire all students, regardless of background, languages, or disabilities, to achieve. It leverages the power of technology to provide personalized learning and to enable continuous and lifelong learning (p.8).”
The benefits that technology can have on the educational system stated above should be embraced, leveraged, and used to enhance learning opportunities for students and usher in a new era of education that is symbiotic with existence of technology.
References
Fairlie, R. (2012). Academic achievement, technology and race: Experimental evidence. Economics of Education Review, 31(5), 663–679. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2012.04.003
Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2013). Integrating educational technology into teaching. (6th ed. ed., pp. 25-26). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc.
United States. U.S.Department of Educatio, Office of Education Technology. Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology. Washington, D.C.: , 2010. Web. <http://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/netp2010-execsumm.pdf>.
Wenglinsky, H. (2005). Technology and achievement the bottom line. Educational Leadership, 6(4), 29-32. Retrieved from http://imoberg.com/files/Technology_and_Achievement_--_The_Bottom_Line_Wenglinsky_H._.pdf