technology

How should you integrate technology into the classroomThe topic in essence is: How should you integrate technology into the classroom? (NOT whether) Now when answering this question you should be taking the good points from each side of the argument. So you should be looking at both teacher and student approaches to using technology. Here are the two sides :1) technology should be integrated into teaching/learning to support more traditional teaching/learning (i.e. teacher-centered instruction) 2) technology should be used to support student-centered approaches and revolutionary change in education.1. Give it a title use your imagination(i.e: heavens crashing)2. open with a quote from poetry or a novel or a song (NOT from education), a video-clip, a comic-strip, etc that will connect to what you are going to say 3.write at least 250 (not including the quote)4. Use the following resources to support what your are saying: (do not use other resources as our teacher told us to use the following resources) -http://ethosworld.com/library/John-Taylor-Gatto-THE-EXHAUSTED-SCHOOL-How-Did-We-Ever-Come-to-Believe-that-the-State-Should-Tell-Our-Children-What-to-Think.pdf – http://hrast.pef.uni-lj.si/~joze/podiplomci/prs/clanki03/CSILE_Scardamaila.htm -http://www.ux1.eiu.edu/~cftde/3001F03/seely.html -I will also attach a pdf with my order.5. connect your essay to what some of my teammates said about either the teacher-centered side or student-cantered side.. . (So you want to say at some point that your agree with something she said and add on to that point)1. Connect to what Valerie’s has to say about why we should be using technology in a teacher-cantered view. So you have to relate to one of her points. For example you could say, I agree when Valerie say’s that…As different types of technology continue to come to life, their importance and role in a classroom become increasingly important. As Celeste mentioned, technology comes as a shining light in the garden, the garden being the classroom and its students. Technology brings forward new methods of teaching and learning, which can absolutely be beneficial for both teachers and students. Whether it is to increase communication methods with students, or present material in an interactive manner, technology becomes a strong resource for teachers.Teacher-centered technology can assist teachers in many ways, for instance: organization, planning lessons, distributing materials, keeping track of students’ progress, etc. Technology in the classroom allows for increased opportunities to build on existing knowledge using a wide range of resources through the Internet, as argued by Celeste. Moreover, by researching various platforms of information, teachers provide their students with the occasion to acquire multiple levels of comprehension, as stated Dr. Bures.Brown (2002) explains that technology is a way of enhancing creativity and multiple intelligences. Teachers should integrate technology in the classroom not only as a research tool, but also as a medium to explore different genres of lessons and for students to investigate their interests within the lesson further. Letting technology act as an agent of creativity provides teachers with the chance to teach their lessons with more depth and interesting manner. Incorporating technology in the classroom would also permit teachers to process multiple things at once; using different programs or software to multitask (Brown, 2002).Scardamalia (1994) states that computer technologies act as a support system for teachers. Indeed, various technological platforms can act as supporting elements to teachers’ lessons. A support system with such a wide range of functions and utilities can really benefit a classroom, which is why technology should be incorporated into the every day class materials.2.Connect to Jessy-Anne’s point of view on student-centered approach. For example you could, I agree with Jessy-anne when she say’s ……):t is true that technology does become a huge resource for teachers. Although, the use of technology in the classroom should not be limited to being a tool for teachers. There is so much that the students can do with technology, that by limiting its use to the teacher’s benefit, students lose opportunities to create and hands on experiences.As Valerie says, teachers should integrate technology in the classroom to explore different types of lessons for the multiple intelligences, I do believe it is important, but the use of technology should definitely not stop there. It is a wonderful chance we have to live in a time where we have access to infinite possibilities, might as well use it.In one of her articles, Noddings (2013) says that ‘Educators cannot teach creativity.’ Of course technology acts like an agent of creativity by changing the interactions in a lesson and helps the kids focus, but the creativity of the student is really developing while the create things, not when information is simply given. Hands on activities and student centered teaching will help gain that whole new perspective on learning and development of creativity, to a point that teachers can’t teach them.The constructivist point of view (Robylyer,M.D. + Schwier,R.A (2003) Integrating Educational Technology into teaching. Canadian Edition. p.3) helps us understand how learning is constructed knowledge, compared to transmitted knowledge. By going for a student- center approach, students learn in a deeper and meaningful way how to construct their knowledge. It is giving the students a chance to achieve their full potential and grow into a well developed, creative and meaningful human being. Teachers should only serve as a guide and facilitators. They should be students assistant and not the director of their mind.Students should be able to be the captain of their mind and not learn to let others tell them what or how to think. They have to develop an own sense of knowledge, and this is where technology can play a significant role into its construction.Therefore the teacher has to accept that in order to achieve one’s deeper learning, they have to take a step back and let them figure it out instead of giving it straight up.Using technology as a support system is not enough.3.Connect to Jessy-Anne’s point of view on student-centered approach. For example you could, I agree with Jessy-anne when she say’s ……): Here is what she wrote about student-centered:‘The magic happens outside your comfort zone”. -UnknownThis is a saying/image that has followed me throughout projects I’ve worked on in the past, and i do strongly believe in this statement due to making that magic happen on my own. We can’t be doing the same thing over and over and expect to evolve. There is so much to learn in this world from ourselves and from others, that it is crucial to step out of our ‘comfort zone’ to experience something magical.We tend to forget, but the kids we will be teaching are born in the years 2005 and up. We have to teach them to their reality, and not ours. We have to prepare them to their world, and not ours. This is why sometimes, in the teaching life, as well as the everyday life, it is good to take a step back and look at things from a different perspective and ask yourself, ”what new thing(s) can I do to benefit the students?” ”How will that bring me out of my comfort zone?” When you have those answers, you make an action plan and follow it even if it triggers an uncomfortable feeling. It will go away with time, and beautiful things will happen.As Celeste clearly stated in her move 5, position 1: ”technology is becoming a part of a learning process”, I do agree, but is it normal that in 2016, technology is becoming part? Shouldn’t it BE already a part of the learning process? Technology is everywhere nowadays. Students today are born and raised with technology everywhere. It is a huge blessing we are to be born with all those tools to help us learn, might as well use them right.The thing is, it can be hard for teachers to grasps that idea, because it is tempting to teach the way we were taught. It is natural for the human being to feel comfortable in its old ways, and it does take effort to change them. Once we’ve realized that the only thing that is holding us back is our old ways, this is where it can get interesting and this realization can motivate you to change your ways. Getting out of your comfort zone really is a solution for the John Dewey statement that Valerie pointed out in her last move, “If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow.’This is why teachers should take a new look at technology and get out of their comfort zone and have fun with it. By bringing integrating technology into a student-centered learning, it gives the students space for investigation, hands on and experience things on their own. It can be very challenging for a teacher who has been doing the same thing for years, but as teachers, and lifelong learners, it can be very interesting to let it go and see where that can lead. Teachers need to let alone the idea of traditional teacher transmitted knowledge and trust that the students can construct their knowledge and this, in a much more meaningful way, bringing a deeper understanding of concepts in the end.Integrating technology in the classroom can be scary for teachers. It can bring a feeling of an unstructured and unsystematic classroom.(Robylyer,M.D. + Schwier,R.A (2003) Integrating Educational Technology into teaching. Canadian Edition. p.3)Meaningful learning happens when the students are engaged. Using technology to support the teacher-directed method is a cover to say we ‘use’ technology, but by doing so, the students are missing out on all the opportunities the students have to construct their knowledge with all the tools available.Again, trying new things and getting out of that comfort zone can bring a whole new world for the teacher, and more important, the students. We shouldn’t ease ourselves into the adaptation of integrating technology in the classroom. We must make a drastic jump in it, and work the very best we can to catch up and deliver adequate student-centered teaching to our students of the future.