Technology in the Classroom
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Technology
has become a large part of our current society. The accessibility to the online
world and sharing of knowledge has both positive and negative aspects. Because
of the changes and advancements in technology, technology is a useful tool in
21st century education.
As
a university student, it is convenient to Google or watch a YouTube video to
explain a confusing concept from lecture. I believe that having all of these resources
easily available can greatly enhance student learning as knowledge can be
captured and transferred quickly.
As
discussed in Chapter 1 of Interweaving
Curriculum and Classroom Assessment, technology is a tool to engage and
enhance learning. It also has the ability to personalize learning for each
unique student.
As
a future math teacher, it was interesting to read the article Technology and Mathematics in the Classroom,which discussed the benefits of using interactive white boards in the classroom
while teaching math. This type of technology can provide visualization for math
concepts that allow students to engage in the learning process. For some
students, seeing an equation on paper may not make sense to them. Interactive
white boards can allow teachers to provide more visual methods of explaining
the concepts.When
I was in a grade 10 math classroom during an observation placement last year,
the teacher was using the SMART board to teach a lesson in quadratic graphing.
Students in the class were able to come up to the SMART board and plot their
graphs to visualize the transformations that were occurring. They could then
compare the numerical equation to the graphical representation of several
graphs to explore the properties of quadratic transformations. This
visualization provided an alternative method of teaching the topic of transformations
to these students.
Khan
academy is another great example of how technology can be used in high school
math classrooms. Khan academy offers YouTube videos and practice exercises to students
on a variety of subjects. The video below illustrates how Khan academy is being
used in a math classroom in Oakland, CA.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAvWvP7jvRI
One
of the most important ideas I believe the teacher in the video mentioned was
that technology allows differentiated learning to occur in his classroom. As in
many subjects, some students may struggle with different concepts within the
math curriculum. The way that Khan is implemented in
this classroom allows students to work individually on problems. When they need
extra help, they can ask for a hint or watch an example video. This provides
instant assistance and feedback for the students. The teacher can then monitor
their progress and adjust instruction accordingly. Using Khan academy in the
classroom would benefit both the student who are struggling with math and provide more
challenging questions for students who are excelling. It was interesting to learn
that in this particular class the teacher found students were doing more
practice problems, staying more engaged during class and receiving higher
test scores in comparison to prior traditional teaching methods.
With classes potentially having 30+ students, it would be challenging to
incorporate differentiated learning for each student with a traditional
teaching method. As stated in the article Inclusion in the 21stCentury Classroom: Differentiating with Technology, many of the obstacles of
differentiation can be overcome with the use of technology.
As a future educator I plan to incorporate some forms technology into my
classroom.
Thanks for reading!
Laura :)
Bruce, C. (2012). Harnessing the Learning Potential of
Interactive Whiteboards. Technology in the Mathematics Classroom.
Retrieved September 20, 2015, from
https://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/WW_technology.pdf
Hobgood, B., & Ormsby, L. (n.d.). 7 Inclusion in the
21st-century classroom: Differentiating with technology. Retrieved September
20, 2015, from http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/every-learner/6776
Drake, S. M., Reid, J. L.,
& Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving
Curriculum and Classroom Assessment: Engaging the 21st Century
Learner. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.
