USING TECHNOLOGY TO ENHANCE TEACHER EFFECTIVENESS
Plan and Reflections Yasmeen Bullard
What is educational technology? Educational technology, or Edtech, is any hardware or software that can be used in the advancement of teaching and learning. In 2021, the Edtech industry grew by nearly 21% (Semeshkina, 2022). While the integration of technology has been a much talked about topic in many school districts across the country, the pandemic took a much-debated topic and made it a necessity for many classrooms around the world. https://www.jobhero.com/career-guides/careers/planning/the-future-of-ed-tech
How is it currently being used? Many schools in the United States have minimal usage of technology in most classrooms. Many schools distribute computers to their teaching staff, furnish classrooms with smartboards or overhead projection devices, have district-managed email servers, photo copiers, and printers and a very basic level. However, during the pandemic, there was a mad dash and funds allocated to make sure students had access to devices. With students and teachers in separate locations, schools began to use software companies like Google (Google Classroom) to create virtual learning communities. Prior to the pandemic, one of the meaningful ways technology was used, was through Special Education accommodations. Students could be evaluated for assistive devices that would make learning easier for children with visual, auditory, and physical challenges.
https://www.teachthought.com/technology/examples-of-education-technology/
Why should we invest in technology? As educators, we've come to a consensus that the content we expose students should be developmentally appropriate and prepare students for their futures as productive members of society. What we teach, and how we teach it should reflect the demands of the future job market and capability of the current generation. For example, according the 1960 U.S. Census and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic, 49% of mothers were considered "Homemakers" as an occupation and the most popular job. reported among working people were manufacturing jobs. This was reflected in many schools through the offering of Home Economic and https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/media/video/watch-learn-special-education-vocation Shop classes. To have a curriculum in 2022 that does not prepare students technologically could be considered insufficient, at best, and neglectful, at worst.
Benefits for Students and Benefits for Teachers
Student Benefits: Personalized, adaptive learning Universal Design for Learning: students with varying learning styles will have the opportunity to have the lesson presented in more than one way, engage in more than one way and respond to the learning in a way that fits them best Engagement for all Development of technological skills Access to vast amounts of knowledge and resources Teacher Benefits: Digital management of student work Student data collection and analysis which allows teachers to respond to targeted student needs Engaging lessons Access to vast amounts of professional development opportunities Easier connections to families
https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/media/video/watch-learn-special-education-vocation
The Future of Technology on the Classroom Technology in schools should be driven by technology standards. We have learning standards for everything from math and reading to speaking and listening. The ISTE standards identify key areas that will support student understanding in technology, while also teaching students to discerning of sources and responsible when interacting on the internet. What technology should we be using? All students should have access to devices in school. Those devices should be protected and monitored by software that will make sure that students are safe from strangers, adult content, and malware. The software being used in schools will vary, but on a basic level all students should have access to a digital library to begin with.
Reflections and Recommendations Some of the reasons for promoting technological advancement in pedagogy are obvious. Our students live in a world where technology is relevant to education, the workplace and, essentially, all aspects of life, and we cannot deny the advantages that some of our most vulnerable populations would receive from expanded access. The article “EdTech 2020: 5 classroom technology trends to watch” delves into concrete steps and examples of web resources that will elevate the instructional practice and student discourse. One highlight would be the benefit of expanding infrastructure and adding connectivity on the school bus to combat access inequity and provide students an opportunity to do homework during their commute. The use of video conferencing was mentioned in the article as a way to connect special-needs students in rural areas to specialized instructors and keep homebound students from falling behind. Adaptive Learning, as noted in the article “Personal Learning: Charting Its Past, Present, and—Most Importantly, Its Future”, can be supported through intuitive technology that creates individualized plans for students, which opens the possibility of reviewing the current school structure of grade levels.