It is no secret that we live in a technology based day and age. Our lives revolve around our phones, we have refrigerators that purchase groceries when they run low, and we don’t need key locks on our doors as computers can now unlock our front door. But that doesn’t mean all technology is bad or taking away from our experiences. The capabilities of phones today would blow any flip phone of the past out of the water, as we are able to do research and provide information in the blink of an eye. And now schools are seeing the benefits of increased technology.
From the use of IPads to Google Chromebooks to Smart Boards in the classroom some schools and students do not need textbooks. This is a huge impact on the idea of traditional schools and moving forward. Students learn differently today which means teachers must learn how to teach untraditionally. Lesson plans now involve a steady and consistent use of technology in the classroom with the idea to promote individual learning and independent research. While some experienced teachers may be stuck in their ways or habits, it is crucial to adapt to the changing environment know associated with all schools.
The ability to apply technology to the classroom improves the classrooms learning, this can be done by implementing technology into lesson plans and assignments that encourage students. Students today are more inclined to use their electronic devices when they are bored or looking for fun. Making assignments fun and educational puts each student in a position where they are comfortable and can learn more, according to Ellen M. Granberg of Vanderbilt University:
“I find if you just send them home to do it on their own, they run into real problems. When they follow me, typing in on their own computers, that facilitates their learning.”
Students who use technology in the classroom can prepare themselves for a job in that area in the future. In a way classroom technology is on the job training, making and creating individuals who are ready quicker. While the classroom has evolved with technology so has many jobs, jobs today which never had a digital component now contain specific instructions and guidelines in order to be successful.
Even without technology we know that each person has their own mechanisms which make up who they are and how they function. Students in the classroom have the ability to learn at a speed that is comfortable to them. In the past if a teacher were to go over an assignment in class the class had to keep up and follow along. A student that is not on the same level as everyone else is now at a disadvantage. With technology students can accomplish their assignments now without feeling left out or behind. Teachers may also walk around the room and help students who appear to have difficulty or need to ask a question.
As educators it is our due diligence to research a variety of technology that can be useful to our students. Not just for their current state, but in order to create a life long learner who is eager to improve.
“It is important that the customization of technology in a digital age is also adapted to our learners’ needs. These students must be taught in the way they learn by using the 21st-century skills they already possess (Tadeja, 2010). Twenty-first century teaching involves a balance of the objectives of the teacher with the needs and input of the students.”
Working together teachers and students can accomplish many great feats, the new goal for learning no longer involves just students but the teachers and educators can also learn just as much if not more.
Sheninger, E. (2014). Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for changing times. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin
Garland, V & Tadeja, C. (2013). Educational Leadership and Technology. New York, NY: Routledge
Granberg, E (2000) How Technology Enhances Teaching and Learning, Retreived July 15th, 2018 from