Assignment #1

            Educational technology has recently begun to evolve into something prevalently used in schools around the country. With educational technology becoming more popular, teachers old and new are developing a life-long learning mentality in order to keep up with technology growth. I have experienced educational technology many times throughout my school years and it has become something that I have begun to learn about.

As I student, I have a lot of experience with technology being used in school. I have experienced learning through technology inside the classroom and out. Like most students, I have been through many PowerPoint presentations, but unlike other students, I have been through a Prezi presentation. Prezi is a new technology developed to work as a form of presentation similar to PowerPoint. I think that the Prezi makes listening to lectures more interesting because it is more interactive. I also experienced educational technology when I was a junior in high school and my English class was one of the first classes in the county to try out the new smartboards. These smartboards doubled as a digital dry erase board and a projector screen. The technology of the smartboard allowed us to learn by being able to look at and correct sentences that our teacher projected onto the screen from her computer. Outside of the classroom, I have attended the Mcwane Center multiple times throughout my grade school career. The Mcwane Center is an interactive, hands-on museum for kids. Children, and even parents, learn new things about technology and the world around them. Because of my first hand experience with educational technology, I think that using technology while learning in school was very beneficial for me because I was better able to obtain and maintain the information that I learned.

Educational technology is defined in various ways by various types of people; for instance, our textbook says that technologists define educational technology as “any hardware that is used in the classroom.” I define educational technology similar to “computer-oriented educators;” as the textbook explains they “confine educational technology to computers, computer peripherals, and related software used in teaching and learning.” In addition to computers used in learning, I believe that educational technology is so much more. My definition of it is an expanded and elaborate version of this. I think that educational technology is anything that aids in students learning through new means, that con involve media but is not limited to it. For instance, I think the Mcwane center has a good example of educational technology because they incorporate hands-on activities that allow the students to interact with technology and learn for themselves.

The role of technology in teaching and learning is very similar. The role in teaching is the various ways in which technology can be incorporated into teaching lessons and activities. Some specific ways that educators teach through technology are through computers, posters, smartboards, overhead projectors, and photographs. How these types of technology are used and their effectiveness becomes the role of technology in learning. The role of technology in learning is how the use of technology affects the children after they have learned; do they remember what they were taught because of an effective use of technology or did they have trouble learning anything at all? Children cannot effectively learn if technology is ineffectively used in teaching. It is evident that the role of technology in teaching and the role of technology in learning go hand-in-hand, all affecting what the child receives from the lesson.

The use of technology in the classroom can be a controversial topic but I think that it has both its advantages and disadvantages. Technology is evolving so much everyday that it is becoming one of the most relevant things of this time; therefore, it is advantageous that we begin to introduce education into learning, so that learning stays relevant. Something that can be seen as a disadvantage is thinking about what will happen later in time. Specifically, some people could be concerned about what will happen once technology becomes a part of everything we do; will there be something else that we will have to adapt to help keep children entertained and focused? Even though the advantages and the disadvantages are conflicting, I feel that adopting technology in the classroom is the best choice for the present time.

To conclude, educational technology is taking over our old way of learning and teachers are taking the challenge of learning to adapt to it. I think that educational technology is a good thing for everyone because it allows teachers to learn new things to keep up with the younger generations and it also helps children stay interested in learning.