The Effects of Integrating Technology in Curriculum Planning
INTRODUCTION
Technology today has an impact on every aspect of modern life. Computers control our telephone routing and the engines in our cars. Washing machines can decide when our dishes and clothes are clean. In my opinion, it is time to more fully integrate technology into the educational settings since skillful use of technology supports the development of process skills such as, higher order skills, adaptability, and collaboration that are essential to success in our rapidly changing information age. I believe in Dewey’s words that if we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow (Dewey, 1916). Technology allows us to better serve the diverse learning styles of our students and educate them for a wider range of intelligence. Everybody has different learning styles for meaningful learning but teachers cannot represent all the styles in a traditional classroom environment. However, with the flexibility and help of the technologies, we can design learning environments in which students can manage and construct their own representations of knowledge in their minds.
What does the integration of technology in curriculum planning exactly mean?
On researching on this topic, I came up with the following questions in this regard. Is it being able to create a spreadsheet that calculates student marks? How about typing a handout and printing it out for students? Is it having students line up at a computer to complete several levels of a drill and practice software program?
I remember in 2002, the assistant superintendent of my School District set a goal: to ensure all students and staff are proficient in the use of technology acquire and manage information, communication, time, and task. With the NCLB Act mandating technology literacy by the time students reach the eighth grade; many districts started pursuing a similar objective. To prepare for meeting this mandate, my district worked diligently to
Technology today has an impact on every aspect of modern life. Computers control our telephone routing and the engines in our cars. Washing machines can decide when our dishes and clothes are clean. In my opinion, it is time to more fully integrate technology into the educational settings since skillful use of technology supports the development of process skills such as, higher order skills, adaptability, and collaboration that are essential to success in our rapidly changing information age. I believe in Dewey’s words that if we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow (Dewey, 1916). Technology allows us to better serve the diverse learning styles of our students and educate them for a wider range of intelligence. Everybody has different learning styles for meaningful learning but teachers cannot represent all the styles in a traditional classroom environment. However, with the flexibility and help of the technologies, we can design learning environments in which students can manage and construct their own representations of knowledge in their minds.
What does the integration of technology in curriculum planning exactly mean?
On researching on this topic, I came up with the following questions in this regard. Is it being able to create a spreadsheet that calculates student marks? How about typing a handout and printing it out for students? Is it having students line up at a computer to complete several levels of a drill and practice software program?
I remember in 2002, the assistant superintendent of my School District set a goal: to ensure all students and staff are proficient in the use of technology acquire and manage information, communication, time, and task. With the NCLB Act mandating technology literacy by the time students reach the eighth grade; many districts started pursuing a similar objective. To prepare for meeting this mandate, my district worked diligently to
References: Cradler, J.D. (2002). Comprehensive Study of Educational Technology Programs in California Authorized From 1984-1992 November 21, 2005 from http://www.ilt.columbia.edu/publications/dewey.html Geisert Paul G International Society for Technology in Education (2010). The Practical (and Fun) Guide to Assistive Technology in Public Schools Sunal, C. S., Smith, C., Sunal, D., & Britt, J. (1998). Using the internet to create meaningful instruction Wepner, Shelley B., Valmont, William J., & Thurlow, Richard (2000). Linking Literacy and Technology A Guide for K-8 Classrooms