The Present and Future Role of Technology in the Classroom
For many people to walk into a classroom today they may not recognize it as it was when they were in school. The classroom has changed as technology has changed. It is not uncommon to see second grade students using the Internet to communicate with students across the country, or to see high school students using PowerPoint to present a research project. Technology has changed the way the classroom looks, how’s it run and what is taught. Technology plays a large role in present classrooms and it will play a larger role in the future.
The current role of technology in our nation’s classrooms usually depends on the teacher. Every school district seems to be allocating resources to “get wired” and improve their existing technology. The Internet, CD-ROM’s, PowerPoint, VCR’s and video recording devices are all common in most schools. Some of the wealthier districts even have individual classrooms wired for Internet access. However, just because the technology is in the buildings doesn’t mean that it is widely used. Many teachers are not trained to use the technology that is available to them. Predictions about how long it will take to train the two million teachers in America often implicitly embrace a top-down model: we must first develop curriculum, get courses approved, hire trainers, etc. If that were so, it would take decades to make discernible progress (Serim & Koch, 1996). The reality is that teachers have to train themselves and many are not willing to do that, don’t have the time, or simply can’t. That may sound depressing, but reality is that many teachers are willing and able. Furthermore, the teachers entering the workplace over the past years all have had technological training.
The technology of the Internet is probably the most widely used by educators today. The Internet is the world’s largest computer network, connecting more than 4 million computers in over 160 countries. More than thirty million people, increasing at a rate of one million per
The current role of technology in our nation’s classrooms usually depends on the teacher. Every school district seems to be allocating resources to “get wired” and improve their existing technology. The Internet, CD-ROM’s, PowerPoint, VCR’s and video recording devices are all common in most schools. Some of the wealthier districts even have individual classrooms wired for Internet access. However, just because the technology is in the buildings doesn’t mean that it is widely used. Many teachers are not trained to use the technology that is available to them. Predictions about how long it will take to train the two million teachers in America often implicitly embrace a top-down model: we must first develop curriculum, get courses approved, hire trainers, etc. If that were so, it would take decades to make discernible progress (Serim & Koch, 1996). The reality is that teachers have to train themselves and many are not willing to do that, don’t have the time, or simply can’t. That may sound depressing, but reality is that many teachers are willing and able. Furthermore, the teachers entering the workplace over the past years all have had technological training.
The technology of the Internet is probably the most widely used by educators today. The Internet is the world’s largest computer network, connecting more than 4 million computers in over 160 countries. More than thirty million people, increasing at a rate of one million per