PowerPoint Project

ALAMIN|1

ALAMIN

1

October 14, 2018 INSTRUCTOR: PROFESSOR DEYMOND HOYTE

Technology is one of the largest changes that has ever happened in education. Over the years, teachers, parents, law makers and students have pondered about the benefits and consequences of having technology in schools. However, education in today’s society relies heavily on technology. According to Albert Einstein, “We are living in the world where technology almost surpassed humanity.” Technology has grown to play an integral role in our everyday lives, and although there are people out there with little to no access to a technological device, it is however, still universally accessible.

In education today, technology is generously relied upon, one way or another to complete most activities. Working at a school, I got a first-hand view of how technology plays a very important role in the daily operations of the school. For example, I complete the daily attendance for my school and the process involves teachers using a specific website (PowerSchool), to log in and mark the student’s attendance for each period. Once they’ve completed and submitted their attendance, I have to edit it by marking those students who were tardy to school/class, and those who have turned in an excuse note for being absent/tardy. All of this has to be entered from a technological device, whether it be a desktop computer, a laptop, tablet, iPad, etc. Now, there are times when technology fails and this creates havoc and frustration for us and sometimes results in missed deadlines for submitting a final report.

Technology, I must agree is a huge benefit in education, although there are some downfalls. It creates new learning experiences and opportunities for all parties involved, and it has been proven to be extremely successful in facilitating distance learning via online classes, which is quite beneficial to those who have time constraints, which prevents them from participating in face-to-face classes, and need the flexibility of working on their own schedule.

I think having technology in education is a benefit as it allows learners to participate more through the use of online quizzes or polling during lectures. Gone are the days of spending time writing on a chalkboard, waiting for the information to be copied by the students, then have limited time to discuss the materials in depth. Nowadays, teachers post work on a specific website (Canvas, Edmodo, Blackboard,etc.), then the students log on, find the assignment for that particular class, complete and submit the work on that same platform, which then saves a lot of time versus copying the work from the board to their notebooks.

This also benefits the teachers because it gives them the opportunity to see what has been submitted and they can easily grade the document from that same platform, or even add/send a comment to the student if there is something that needs to be adjusted. Parents benefit from this as well because some platform provides parental access where the parents can view up-to-date information on their child’s academic report and performance. For example, they are given a unique login code for each student and able to view that child’s attendance, grades for each subject, and some even allows them to communicate directly with the teachers.

Another great benefit of having technology in education is the use of hard copy textbooks, due to eBooks being available online. Having technology in the classrooms also helps to make learning fun and engaging, through the use of competitive online classroom games, videos, simulations that enhance understanding and giving them rewards for participation and comprehension. It also plays a big role in speeding up time-consuming tasks, grading assignments, communication between staff, colleagues, students and parents. It provides the latest information instantly and allows those in the classroom to access them readily and quicker than browsing through an actual book.

Some of the benefits for parents having technology in education are:

· Mobile Phones: It helps us to communicate with each other more conveniently (especially parents and their children)

· It allows them to keep track of student’s academic progress, attendance and behavior.

· Reduces the cost of purchasing textbooks (most texts are available online or they can purchase a digital copy.

· Parents can provide assistance to their children who are studying away from home by providing online money transfers or comforting them by video calls.

The impact that technology has had on today’s colleges has been quite vital. This widespread adoption of technology has fully modified, however, lecturers teach and students learn. Educators are learning to teach with rising technologies (tablets, iPads, Smart Boards, digital cameras, computers), whereas students are using technology to advance their learning experience. By society embracing technology within education, we are setting our students up for a successful future outside the classroom.

IS TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION A BENEFIT OR DEBASEMENT

IS HAVING TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION A BENEFIT OR DEBASEMENT?