TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION

Running head: TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION















Technology in Education: Its Impact and Integration

Mary Jones

Northern Arizona University

Abstract

We have reached a height in history where technology encompasses every walk of life.  In a world where online banking, message boards, web cams, and instant messaging take preeminence, education is the next sector that will have to adapt to the technology age that has been laid before us.  Education is one of the most important sectors of society.  It produces the next leaders of our society, those who will innovate products that will keep our economy stable, and teachers who will continue to carry the lamp of learning.  Along with all the positive aspects of technology, there have also been many negative ones.  One of the most consequential negative aspects of technology is identity theft.  This document will explicate how technology has transformed the platform of education and illustrate how it can be incorporated into instruction to enhance learning, highlighting the pros and cons of its presence in society.





















TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION: ITS IMPACT AND INTEGRATION

The demand for technology is so immense; legislation, organizations, and standards have been fashioned to implement technology in education. Even Congress knew in the 1980s that standardized testing did not necessarily assess what a student learned.  In 1987, the Congress of the United States “ . . . opined that traditional standardized test scores are not synonymous with educational achievement” ( Kumar, Helgeson, & White,1994, p. 6).  In David H. Jonassen’s (2006) “Modeling with Techniology: Mindtools for Conceptual Change,” he discusses how mind tools can be used to augment students’ critical thinking and use technology as an individual and a group to fabricate understanding in various subjects.  Many teachers teach for the standardized test but not for the content a student needs to fully comprehend the subject.  Technology has perpetually shaped and challenged the education system from its complex structures to the financial encumber of purchasing software that changes every time a technological innovation is introduced to the world.  This document will introduce foundations of technology in education, the contemporary usage of technology in the classroom, technology’s impact on society, and the advantages and disadvantages of using technology in the classroom.

Social, Historical, and Educational Foundations of Technology

Margeret Read once said, “ We are at the point where we must educate our children in what no one knew yesterday, and prepare our schools for what no one knows yet.”  When one thinks of this quote and applies it to today’s dilemma in education, it is no secret that proper technology integration is the dilemma.  We now live in a society that utilizes computer technology and allows it to “reinvent the ways we create, find, exchange, and even think about information”(Pierson, 2001,p.413).  According to Aldulkafi Albirini (2007, p.227), “. . . the current era is marked by a shift from the emphasis on producing and controlling material goods to controlling information.”  We as a realm and as humanity have invited technology into our lives, never looking back.  In a sense, it would be quite impracticable to revert back to a world where computers are not present because of our reliance on technology.  If one were to ask a student how his/her life would be without a computer, he/she could effortlessly explicate how difficult it would be to complete homework assignments, do research, download research articles, or even email a cousin in Japan.  Many students today honestly couldn’t imagine the world without computers.  The same opinion applies to teachers as well.  Teachers went from using chalkboards to smart boards, from VCRs to DVD players, and filmstrips to using Microsoft PowerPoint to instruct content to their students, not convey.  It is evident that technological innovations have created a new way of instruction.  According to Philip Abrami (2001), the government has ‘established committees, task forces, and dedicated substantial research funds to identifying and promoting ways to deliver or enhance instruction with the use of technology” (p.117).

To understand why the government would put forth the effort to use education in today’s schools, one must understand the historical, social, and educational foundations of technology in the education sector.  According to Albirini (2007), education first came into American education by the inventions of IBM , which was based on the belief that “. . . a machine could be programmed to handle almost any problem demanded of it” (p.229).  According to Tooms,  Acoumb, and McGlothlin (2004), educational technology emerged in four phases. The first phase occurred in the 1960s, which consisted of mainframe computers, which were used for fast computations doing administrative tasks.  The second phase in the 1970s consisted of administrators, students, and teachers having computer admittance through personal computers.  During the 1990s,the Internet allowed school personnel to correspond in a more effective manner.  Finally phase four is what we as educators and students see constantly changing, wireless technology.  In contrast, Patrick Lewis (2001) states that “ the call for IT in schools is a result of IT industries' planned and unplanned technological obsolescence and the perception by parents that people must be well trained and skillful to survive in the global economy” (p.47).  A question of thought would be, what really spawned the integration of technology in schools?  Could the school system have survived without integrating technology in the curriculum?  Is there any evidence that technology enhances learning in school?  What ways is technology integrated in the school curriculum, effectively?

TECHNOLOGY USAGE IN EDUCATION

Daniel Churchill (2006) stated, “ . . . they [teachers] might also need to transform their private theories that could impede effective technology integration and lead them to continue with outdated educational practices” (p. 559).  Whether teachers want to or not, the new age of technology has prevailed in the school system.  Microsoft, Adobe, and Google are a few ways in which students and teachers utilize the Internet and process documents.  Many may think that using the aforementioned tools is integrating technology into the curriculum, but that is not true.  According to Pierson (2001), technology integration is based on computers lead to more student-centered learning, computers used as a function instead of application, and complexed project-based activities in classrooms. A student using PowerPoint to do a presentation on cows is not integrating technology, but a simulation program showing how cows make milk would be more likely to enhance learning than a slide with too many words and not enough pictures.  According to Pierson (2001), “school districts often bow to social pressure to fund technology without having a thoughtful plan for implementation”( p. 413).  Some school districts fail to prepare their teachers properly for technology integration and this creates a false usage of technology in its most mediocre form.  Some findings suggest that teachers, who utilize technology effectively in the classroom, spent more time with using the computer, had wonderful training, and extensive teaching experience (Pierson 2001).

According to Abrami (2001), there are a numerous ways that technology can be used with the focus on the student, based on the constructivist approach.  Abrami (2001) notes that technology can be used as a tool for manipulation and graphical display, a general numerical spreadsheet, a “digital workbench,” a gateway for communication, a facilitator for group collaboration, and a tool for symbolic manipulation.  According to Taralynn Hartsell (2006), educators should understand that all students do not learn in the same manner.  In agreement with Hartsell is Moreno, Gonzalez, Castilla, Gonzalez, and Sigut (2007) who stated, “The learning environments must be flexible and are categorized by the fact that the same knowledge can be represented in different ways (p.894).  One way to make sure technology is integrated in education effectively is to use each of these learning theories in instruction.  From the behaviorist perspective, instructional material in technology includes drills-and-skills, tutorials, and educational games.  Some skill-and-drill software used in education is Jurassic Spelling and Animated Multiplication and Division. Some tutorial software used is Grammar Rock Schoolhouse. An educational game used is Solvers: Outnumbered, which is used for students to learn math concepts (Hartsell, 2006).  The next learning theory, cognitive, technology integration can be used from software programs that include concept maps, simulation, and problem solving.  Oregon Trail is a good example of simulation software.  ZAP is problem-solving software that teaches physical science. Seeing Reason and Inspiration are two concept mapping software that allow students to draw relationships between various components of a particular topic (Hartsell, 2006).  Finally the applications of constructivism include multimedia, hypermedia, and group activities.  Some software programs allow students to create multimedia presentations such as Hyperstudio and Toolbook. Teachers can enhance their students’ problem-solving skills by assigning a problem with no further instruction. The students can then collaborate and use various technology tools such as Microsoft Office to demonstrate their learning Hartsell (2006).  One factor that plays an important role on how school districts integrate technology in the classroom is dependent upon funding and many other factors. 

TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY

One important threat that has come with the Information Age is identity theft. Once your identity is stolen, your life can be forever changed.  The podcast, “Security Breaches and Identity Theft (Bayne, 2007) discusses how identity theft can be avoided, its prevalence, and legislation that may affect how it is detected and structured.    Identity theft just doesn’t happen in the public sector. It also happens in the private sector.  There are government and military breaches of security by very experienced hackers. The main focus of this podcasts was towards the public sector that involves individuals and school systems.  According to Michael Atleson, 95% of Americans still use weak passwords to access their information on the Internet.  According to Lizz Gasster, there are bills (S238 and HR948) in the federal government that are being discussed regarding the usage of social security numbers.  These bills would require that everyone would adhere to the FTC regulations and policies on the usage of social security numbers.  Many school districts use social security numbers to identify students, their records, and verification.  Teachers’ social security numbers are located on their paychecks. 

.  Speakers Michael Alteson and Lizz Gasster discuss the infrastructure and policies that underline the identity theft phenomenon that has swept America.  Most students and many adults use the Internet for socialization, communication, and entertainment purposes.  Due to the excessive usage of the Internet in America, especially in school districts, there is a great possibility that educators, administrators, staff, and students can become victims of identity theft.  Alteson and Gasster both discuss how individual steps can be taken to prevent identity theft and be protected against hackers and theft ring members.  Because society wants convenience and speed, more services will be done on the Internet, and unless proper security and policies are enforced, and proper training to prevent identity theft is not obtained, many students, teachers, and administrators will be the victims of identity theft. 

As a society, we have allowed for our personal information to be accessible via satellite and waves of information highways.  Some students may go to the school library to do research, and during their time “not on task,” provide information via the Internet that is private. The speakers during this podcast propose that individuals and schools do not provide the proper software programs for protection.  Neither is there proper training on what to do and not what to do on the Internet for teachers to teach to their students.  There are virus programs that are “silently” mapping individuals “footprints” while they are on the Internet. Depending on what information you enter while you are in a session on the Internet, there are many individuals who are waiting to get your usernames, passwords, social security numbers, etc.  School districts have numerous passwords and social security numbers on file, electronically, of course.  Someone can remotely get access to the server and get access to all of this information.  Even if the school is ordering supplies via the Internet, the school’s banking information can easily be obtained.  The Internet and technological innovations have many advantages in the education sector, but identity theft is a disadvantage that could cause a lifetime of damage for a moment of convenience. 



Conclusion

Technology from its beginning has shaped our world.  We are now able to communicate with someone in another time zone with no long distance charges.  Parents can check their student’s grades and even receive automated calls when their child doesn’t show up for class. Students can view multimedia presentations through software programs or through the Internet.  Purchasing a set of encyclopedias is not necessary unless they are for decoration.  Online encyclopedias, databases, and journals allow students to conduct research at the click of a button.  Teachers can use projectors to view DVDs and Powerpoint presentations during instruction.    It has allowed teachers to share information more efficiently and effectively, if used properly. 

Most of the aforementioned discusses technology usage to assist in education presentation but not in instruction.  Is technology being integrated into education properly?  Has society created a world of computer savvy students who still lack a proper education?  Teachers should be trained on how to integrate technology in education, not how to create a Microsoft Word document.  Computer literacy can be taught but technology integration has to be learned.  Teachers must understand that being behind in technology usage is minor when a student lacks problem-solving skills, cognitive development, and critical thinking due to a lack of effective learning.

Identity theft is a growing white-collar crime in America.  Many students, teachers, and school districts utilize private information like social security numbers and birth dates regularly.  Some prevention to identity theft includes software programs, a stronger password, and legislation that will eventually be passed to discontinue the usage of social security numbers.  .

         Laws and school districts should enforce technology integration workshops not once but occasionally throughout the academic school year.  One workshop will not teach an educator how to integrate technology in the classroom.  Technology is always changing and students learning abilities vary.  A teacher must utilize his/her models, material, and methods to effectively teach students.  Computers may be needed in every classroom for every student.  Three computers will not accommodate twenty-four students. Weekly assignments on the computer may be needed to have a constant integration with technology.  Students may need to reflect on their learning with computers so that if any necessary changes should be made, it can be done immediately, not taking time away from instruction.  A teacher should not be allowed to begin teaching until he/she has passed a test that demonstrates a teacher’s knowledge on how to use technology to enhance learning along with the various tests that are administered for teacher certification.  Districts should be given deadlines to make sure all of their teachers have completed a graded course in integrating technology during instruction.  Once individuals see technology as a tool instead of a toy, learning can effectively be achieved by integrating technology into the curriculum.

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