How Technology Can Change a Student

It can be said that literacy is something that is extremely different than in the past. Much like natural selection, our definition of literacy changes itself to fit the current mould of society; it loses parts when they become outdated and gains new parts when the opportunity arises. This is what makes the subject of literacy, rhetoric and composition such an interesting and multifaceted subject (Bridges, Demchuck and Hay). The addition of new technologies does not stifle our sense of rhetoric, but instead augments it into something new that can help us, as humans, express ourselves using language.

Humans are not complacent. In this way, technology helps students learn transferable skills because it allows them to adjust to a constantly changing world, and gives them the basic skills in order to survive through such changes. Not only that, but the skills learned using word processors and applications, such as having the dictionary on your cellular phone, can help a student excel at any job in their future (Johnston). In the end of a year at a school that applies technology in its classes, there was found to be improved student achievement and a developing problem solving ability (Bridges, Demchuck and Hay). This alone is a solid foundation for my argument of incorporating technology into the classrooms of today.

Not only that, but suite101.com surveyed children in a computer applications class and found out that they believed technology not only enhanced their learning, but increased motivation by making learning easier (Johnston). By engaging students in the learning material, school is not seen as an injustice but as something that is fun, that students are excited about (Johnston). This is not to say that technology should take over a classroom. I believe that a happy medium between new technology, computers and smartboards, and old technologies, textbooks and chalkboards, is necessary to make a successful learning atmosphere in our current society (Samantha).

Where would we be without the wheel now?

People have always treated new technology with the same ferocity, without understand just how this "technology" will affect our livelihood. I strongly suggest that people look at the bigger picture when trying to decide to apply technology in the classroom, rather than taking a narrow and shortsighted point of view.

Application of Technology

Blogs in Education

This website targets professors, teachers, and instructors who wish to incorporate blogs into their classroom. It explains how blogs can be 'learning networks' and provides resources for ease of use and understanding.

Technology Benefits

This website provides a sample curriculum from an actual school district, from Kindergarten to High School.

By looking at these two websites, it is easy to see how easily technology can be incorporated into any teacher's learning plan, and that there are plenty of resources available for those who are feeling lost.

Technology: why, or why not?

This video explores some of the short-sightedness that teachers have towards the use of technology (such as not having the time to learn and that the current curriculum works fine) and how these trepidations need to be set aside in order to allow students to grow and function in today's society. (Surfchick411)



"Life and intelligence must never stagnate; it must re-order, transform and transcend its limits in an unlimited progressive process." (thoughtwaretv)

The ISI Classroom

Every day, more and more light is being shed on the subject of the classroom and its changing role. The definition of good teaching standards augments over time, mostly in association with the different technologies that are being invented. We are at yet another cusp of change, where the old system of teaching is found to be increasingly more ineffective. It is obvious that a more, efficient system is in order, and many think that the Individualizing Student Instruction is the answer (Connor, Morrison and Fishman).

A group of doctoral students and professors from a myriad of universities came together to conduct a study on the current classroom: What are effective teaching roles, what causes variation in the classroom and what qualities are consistent in classrooms and teacher that work at “A” schools. In an incredibly simplified explanation, they observed different classrooms and created a system to convert the behavior of the children into codes to be able to use in comparisons. Using these codes, the team came to the conclusion that there are three characteristics of an effective classroom. They are language, literacy and self regulation (Connor, Morrison and Fishman).

To elaborate, the schools that excelled in the study all had similar traits. They all utilized teachers or instructors who spent large amounts of time working with small groups of students individually, rather than the entire class at the same time (Tinkley). This also helped the students acquire a sense of their own ability to focus on schoolwork without being monitored, also known as self regulation (Connor, Morrison and Fishman). The teachers also focused largely on appealing to the individual skill level that each student was currently at, allowing the course material to grow with them. These schools, directly affected by the small differences in teaching styles, had higher literacy rates than the ones that did not. Inspired by these characteristic and deliberately enhancing them, the group came up with the concept of the ISI classroom, which is meant to create a more tailored, individualized way of teaching and learning.

While all of these characteristics seem to be inherent in the teacher and his/her style of teaching, it becomes very apparent that technologies used inside the class room facilitates the growth and the understanding of the children themselves, without the help of the teacher. For one, when computers are used, the instructor no longer becomes the center of attention (unknown). Now students can investigate topics themselves and let their own desire to learn fuel their research, rather than a “keeper of all knowledge”. This leads me to the fact that with the availability of the internet, 10 out of 17 classrooms noticed a larger level of cited sources, indicating more outside reading. Learning beyond the classroom, knowing where to find information and taking the initiative to read all are signs of a higher level of literacy. With the use of new technologies, students are noticeably better at working together, and even show an elevated frequency of students helping each other in individual tasks (unknown). The use of computers can also assess and create curriculum that match their skill level, which is congruent with the ideals of the ISI classroom.

It is being recognized that the teaching styles of today need to diverge from those of the past, and it is up to you to decide whether the fact that the recent prevalence of technology, and how the new format of teaching seems to encompass it, is mere coincidence or cause-and-effect.

To learn more about this study, click here.

To learn more about how technology effects the classroom, click here or here.

But, what is technology?

Almost everything we utilize in today’s classroom is a result of some innovation of technology. Even antiquated innovations that we scarcely pay any mind to today, such as the time-tested pencil, were once a revolution that humans feared. Today, these new developments manifest themselves in forms of digitization. Mobile computers, cell phones, applications and smartboards are all new and diverse ways to relay information to the student and take the institution of learned to quite new heights.

The computer can be applied to learning in many different ways. Blogs, as a collection of personal thoughts and writing, are a superior way to keep up with current events and express ideas (Admin). Websites can contain not only personal information, but facts about a study or project and can help with a presentation. Smartboards allow for classes to relay and make changes to information in a quick and organized manner. And now, school boards often allot a portion of their budget to a computer lab and subsequent computer classes, recognizing the element that these technologies bring to their schools.

Given that many of these technologies can be fashioned using free domains, bulks of these technologies are used for personal means, but these can easily be translated for application in the classroom. A few, straightforward changes can show students, in a more personalized manner, how the information can be applied to them and their interests as well as providing a more interactive way of learning. Simply altering the color scheme or the layout of the graphics can change a rudimentary website into an asset for higher learning (McCloud, page 87).

Since young adults have always had a fixation with new technologies, the introduction of these facilities into the classroom will all but captivate their minds and facilitate their imaginations and create a less obtrusive learning environment. Technology does have, and always had, a place in our classrooms.

To learn more, visit these websites:

http://www.good.is/post/why-youtube-videos-will-never-replace-teachers
(but simply adds to them!)
http://www.whatdoesblogstandfor.com/
http://www.usnews.com/education/technology-in-the-classroom