Breaking the Technology Barrier: Using Technology in Education

Running Head: Breaking the Technology Barrierwebsites, PowerPoint, and interactive games. A
Breaking the Technology Barrier: Using Technologyway for students to interact using this technology
in Educationis through games created by teachers and used in
Patrick Wellertthe PowerPoint lesson. Games such as Hollywood
ETC 558Squares, Jeopardy, and Who Wants to be a
Northern Arizona UniversityMillionaire are created using slides and links to
Abstractanswer the questions. Teachers may use a blank
It has long been difficult for teachers totemplate and fill them with different answers for
effectively communicate the objectives and goalsthe students to use as a review. Teachers may
in a fun and exciting way that reaches theeven let the students create their own review
students. In the changing times teachers need tousing the blank templates. This activity can also be
find ways to include students into the lesson usingused in a small group or team setting.
the technology made available to them. It has longAdvantages to the Students
been believed that teachers need to get overLearning sciences research tells us that students
their fear and use technology openly withlearn much better “by doing” rather
students in order to meet their educational needs.than “by listening.” This means that
By including students into the lessons teachers willpassive learning – the traditional lecture
experience a more positive classroom experience.– is being replaced in our classrooms by
Breaking the Technology Barrier: Using Technologymore active learning activities that emphasize
in Educationstudent problem solving, discussion, presentation
Technology and education have always seemedand other “authentic”
to go together. In order to prepare students forlearning-by-doing-activities. (Day, 2004). By
the workplace or college they need to be able toincluding students into the lesson it opens up a
be exposed to it. Teachers in the classroom userealm of possibilities because students can retain
technology believing that the students are gainingroughly only 10% of what they write down.
valuable information and retaining the conceptsTeacher Apprehension
taught but in reality the students need to beSo why are teachers not using technology that
involved in the lesson and actively participating inengages and interacts more frequently with
activities that include technology. Studentstudents? There are many reasons why teachers
engagement is critical to student motivation duringfeel apprehensive or uncomfortable using an
the learning process. The more students areinteractive whiteboard, proxima and PowerPoint.
motivated to learn, the more likely it is that theyThe first of which could be the length of time
will be successful in their efforts. (Beeland, 2002).from their college prep program until now.
Uses of TechnologyTeachers often get exposed to and learn new
There are numerous uses of technologies thattechnologies in their teacher prep courses. Some
are available to teachers to include students intomight not have been prepared enough upon
the classroom’s lesson. These includeentering the workforce. Although the availability of
Interactive Whiteboards, Proximas, PowerPointtechnology in American schools has increased (US
games, interactive DVDs, Ventrilo chat software,Department of Education, 2000), information
Myspace, Blackboard, and scavenger hunts. Toreleased by The National Education Association
put the uses of technology into an effective(2004) indicates that less than 35% of public
practice, teachers need to help students setschool teachers feel they are "well
achievable goals; encourage students to assessprepared" or "very well
themselves and their peers; help them to workprepared" to use this technology effectively.
co-operatively in groups and ensure that theyThe second reason is blockage from the
know how to exploit all the available resources forschool’s control or security system.
learning (Hall, 2006). The following are how someTeachers claim that the firewalls and filtering
technology is used to help students learn.systems create blockage in their attempts to
Interactive Whiteboardseducate and communicate with others with
There are two different types of whiteboards.technology (Murray, 2004). The teachers and
The first is a virtual version of a dry erase board.other users can become frustrated when they do
It allows students to see what the instructor ornot understand why a certain item like a website
other students write or draw using a special pen.used for a scavenger hunt or a hyperlink in a
The second functions similar to a normalPowerPoint are not available.
whiteboard but also contains a projector screen,The inconsistency from school to school is
an electronic copy board or as a computeranother reason. At one site there may be access
projector screen on which the computer imageto all different types of technology while at
can be controlled by touching or writing on theanother the absence is very evident. The general
surface of the panel instead of using a mouse orpublic perception is that our schools are using
keyboard. They function by connecting atechnology and managing our resources in that
projector to the whiteboard panel with the use ofarea well. In several surveys done some schools
a computer and software. It is important to knowdo show nearly 100 percent use of technology
the different functions in order to determinewhile in others the use of technology is
which whiteboard is right for the educator. Bynonexistent (Starr, 2003).
knowing the difference you can also learn theSummary
terminology and understand the basic functions ofThe research has shown that there are proven
each.benefits to using technology in the classroom. The
Proximas and PowerPointability to integrate technology into the classroom
PowerPoint is a software program that is beingcan add valuable information and ideas to our
used in the classroom as a tool to incorporatestudents.
learning activities into the curriculum. PowerPointBy facilitating Proximas, PowerPoint, and
enables teachers and students to actively createinteractive whiteboards our teachers will be able
presentations with graphics, charts, diagrams, andto reach a broader audience of learners.
pictures in their slideshows to help make oftenReferences
complicated ideas and lessons more manageableBeeland, W.D. (2002). Student engagement, visual
and understandable. It is a way for students tolearning and technology: can interactivewhiteboards
engage in research, and present information tohelp? Retrieved May 31, 2008, from
their peers. When students are actively learning,Day, J. (2004). Enhancing the classroom learning
taking an active role in the learning process, theyexperience with web lectures. Retrieved May 31,
seem to understand the information better, and2008 from
enjoy the lesson. The use of a game also allowedHall, B. (2008, March 4). Explorations in learning.
Jones and Mungai to directly address the learningMessage posted to Student Centered Learning,
style needs of the visual (58%) and tactile learnerarchived at
(22%), which represents eighty-percent of thoseJones, D. C. & Mungai, D. (2003).
involved in the content related courses. WhenTechnology-enabled teaching for maximum
constructed with different learning styles in mind,learning.
games can often accelerate the learning processInternational Journal of Learning, (10), 3491-3501.
(Jones & Mungai, 2003). By itself PowerPointMurray, C. (2004). Teachers: Limited time, access
is not a cure-all remedy, but rather a tool thatcut school tech use [Electronic version] e School
needs to be understood and used properly for itnews, 1-5
to be effective as an active learning tool. It alsoNational Education Association. (2004): Technology
has shown that students that did use PowerPointin Schools. Retrieved May 31, 2008 from
as a learning tool were more engaged in theRowcliffe, S. (2003) Using PowerPoint effectively
discussions (Rowcliffe, 2003). This will encouragein science education: lessonsfrom research and
teachers to use PowerPoint as a way to involveguidance for the classroom. School Science
students into a lesson by stimulating discussion.Review 84 (309).
For PowerPoint to take place in a classroom anStarr, L. (2003). Encouraging teacher technology
Interactive Whiteboard or a Proxima is needed. Ause [Electronic Version] Education World, pg 1
Proxima displays a computer screen onto aUS Department of Education. (2000). Internet
screen much like a projector at a movie theater.access in public schools. Washington, DC: National
The user is able to display items such asCenter for Education Statistic.