Assignment #1

I would define educational technology as any technology used in and for the aid of learning in the classroom. At my high school we were constantly faced with and encouraged to use technology with the majority of our assignments. Our teachers would use it to teach us the material and we would use it to comprehend it further. Though technology can be helpful there are still factors that also discourage its use in the classroom. Throughout this paper I will explore educational technology and how it expands the learning environment.


Like I stated before my high school was very technologically advanced. I believe one of the most beneficial types of technology we used was the smart boards. I got the chance to use them in all of my MATH classes and the boards definitely made learning in those classes easier. When the teacher was able to get up on the board and interact with the PowerPoint, we were able to visualize the problems easier. The smart boards made it twice as beneficial when we, as students, were able to interact with the board as well. It helped me learn what I was doing wrong and chances are if one of us was doing it wrong then someone else in the class got results out of it as well. The integration of smart boards into the classroom was a major advantage for both students and teachers. I believe technology should be integrated into the classroom in ways like this. Smart boards are helpful in the classroom, but not overpowering at the same time. Students like to have technology as their aid, but if you overwhelm them with it they can feel helpless. As a student I always feel like there is another program or gadget my teachers are making me learn, and in k-12 schools this will get very hard. Educational technology needs to be taken in in small doses.

Technology plays a different role with teachers than it does students. Both use technology in the classroom in different ways. For teachers technology is a way to communicate with their students. When teachers use technology in the classroom whether it’s a poster or a PowerPoint, they are inspiring their students to learn and be creative. Also when teachers are using technology in the classroom they are promoting and modeling digital citizenship and responsibility that teaches their students about copyrights, online safety, and so much more. A couple of the other things teachers do as described by the NEST standards are Design and develop digital-age learning experiences and assessments, model digital-age work and learning, and engage in professional growth and leadership. For students technology in the classroom is used a little differently. Each day students use it to have creativity and innovation. This can be through generating new ideas or identifying trends and forecasting possibilities. Students also use technology to research and gather information. They can do this with planning strategies and analyzing information. Students use critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making to make informed decisions using digital tools. Described in their NEST standards students use communication and collaboration, digital citizenship, and technology operations and concepts. So as you can see students and teacher both use technology in the classroom in different ways.

There are many factors that encourage and discourage the use of educational technology in the classroom. Factors that encourage technology in the classroom are that children these days are so much more technologically advanced that we as teachers have to catch up. By using technology we can optimize how much these kids are learning. Teachers have to adapt their teaching styles to create the best learning environment for these students. The disadvantage of having technology in the classroom is that, like I said before, it can get distracting and overwhelming. Yes most kids these days are more technology savvy than teachers are, but the more teachers are getting prepared the more they surpass the student. If the students have to learn how to use all this new technology as well as the material for the class, school can get quite impossible. So in the end educational technology has its advantages and disadvantages.

In classrooms today the use of educational technology is inevitable. This technology helps aid students in their learning in more ways than one. At the same time the use of technology needs to be limited so as to not overwhelm teachers and students alike. Today the implementation of educational technology has changed learning for the better.