Daniel Arthur

Ms. Hofmann
English 1102
3/31/14
New Technology in Education
The education system that is in place today has not changed much since my
Grandparents were in school. We are still learning about the same math, same science, and
same history, but the difference between now and then is the technology that we are able to
use. I remember my grandfather one day started to talk to me about coding. I was fascinated
to hear about how he used to have to code because it was so different than today. When he
was explaining it to me it seemed a whole lot more difficult to do simple things like coding a
simple function that did basic math. The technology they used back then doesnt compare to
what we can use in schools today. Now we have these fancy smart boards that the teachers
use, but what about the students? Since I can remember, I have always had to take notes in
class, go home review them, and then do my homework out of the book. Doing the same thing
over and over again gets boring which is why I like being able to come back to my computer, do
my homework, and submit it with a click of a button. We are starting to delve into the new
options we have for the education system, but there is so much more we can do to apply the
new technology that are out there. We need to change the way we teach so we can
incorporate the new technologies, like tablets and smart phones. Students already use these
technologies, so why not have them utilize these tools in the classrooms and not just use them
for such things like Angry Birds.
Lots of people today are trying to find the best possible way to teach the younger
generation. They are trying games, videos, and all sorts of silly little gimmicks to make us want
to learn or at least find it interesting and not be the bane of our existence. What they arent
trying to do is connect with the students at a personal level. They are thinking of how they
would have like to have been taught when they were younger. That is a huge mistake because
technology has changed all of that and the world is moving at a much faster pace now. They
need to think about how we were brought up in this world and what makes us concentrate and
learn today. Out of all my friends mostly all of them agree that most teachers dont know how
to connect to the students and find out what makes them want to learn. This obviously isnt
true for every teacher, but what my friends and I have seen throughout these years is pretty
obvious that most teachers dont know how to connect with the younger generation.
When I look back on how I was raised and what kept me entertained it always comes
back to video games. Growing up my favorite thing to do was playing video games with my
friends. All of my favorite stories came from virtual worlds that I just submersed myself into. I
dont know why but when I played a video game I could recall anything that had to do with that
game. On the other hand, whenever I read a book I would have to go back and look something
up if someone asked a question about it. In the book From Text to Txting, one of the points
that the authors Paul Budra and Clint Burnham bring up is the different worlds that the
teachers and the students grew up in. While I was reading one line really stood out to me,
How do teachers who grew up in a different world engage these students without watering
down pedagogy? This question got me thinking about what technology the teachers and
professors grew up with and how different it is to what their students have today. If the
teachers still go about teaching the way they were taught they would never get the full
attention of the class. Although it would be difficult for the teachers to adapt to a different
style of teaching, if they really want to connect with their students they need to start using
newer technology like tablets or smartphones and make it interesting to us and not just them.
If we were to start to integrate new technologies into education the mindset of the
students and teachers would have to change. When you make such a big change like changing
the educational system so that it uses new technologies its going to be similar to culture shock.
People will have to come to understand how everything will work and how it would be better
for the students. A great example of this, and also one of my favorite sentences I found in
Teaching the Digital Generation would be, when the automobile was first introduced in the
early 1900s, it was called a horseless carriage. People were so used to the now old way of
transportation that they didnt know what to do with this newfangled item. What they didnt
understand was how big of an impact that the now called car would have on this world. Now, if
you own a car you couldnt imagine life without one. So why cant we take a leap of faith and
start using new technologies in education? Maybe this step towards the future will be the next
horseless carriage. We have already incorporated many technologies into education over the
past couple decades but now they have come to be a normal thing in schools. A lot of high
school kids now even have their own lap top, but now its time to start incorporating even
newer technologies into the normal school curriculum.
The most interesting topic that I found while researching in the book Digital Schools was
the concept of personalized learning. The best way to explain this would be a step up from
Moodle. You would sign up for a class and go at your own pace, once you have mastered that
subject you move on. This concept is different from normal school. Normally you would sign up
for classes, go for a fixed amount of time and then you are done. With the concept of
personalized learning you can take as little or as long as you need to learn that subject. This can
be very helpful for both the students that quickly understands the subject or the students who
need to take a longer time to master it. So, if you are good at math and can just blow through
it, you dont have to have the school controlling how fast or how slow you go. This also helps
ensure that the student learns the topic before moving forward, which is a very important part
of learning. Some people might disagree with this idea because of how individualized it is but
Chip Hughes, vice president of the online academy K12, says that an individualized learning
environment is much more appropriate than simply an age group...with 30 other students. I
could see this being a very helpful way of learning. I cannot count the number of times that I
wish I knew what I was doing but couldnt figure it out in the time allotted by the teacher. If I
could take the time to make sure I understood the information before advancing to the next
topic I would have a deeper understanding of what the subject was about and/or a better
understanding of how it worked.
One of the first things that came to my mind when I thought of integrating new
technologies into education was the social aspect of school. One of the biggest things about
school is being able to get out of the house and meet new people while also getting an
education. So the first thing that came to my mind was if these technologies were used they
would start to destroy the social aspect of school. When I was reading Digital Schools the
author was talking about how even though they were going for personalized learning the kids
still got into groups and even collaborated more than they did when they were learning the old
way. So if someone says that using technologies for personalized learning will take away from
the social aspect from school they are not wrong, but they are not completely right. The
students that advanced faster than others actually went back to help those who were
struggling. Technology will not take away the social aspect of school; however, it may actually
boost it. With all of the new interactive aspects of technology kids will be able to stay in touch
easier and share ideas and information faster.
In order for these technologies to be integrated into the education system the model
will have to be adjusted. The biggest change that would have to happen would be the way the
material is projected to the students. If you were to use a tablet or some other sort of
technology for education you wouldnt be able to use the same pedagogy. Although we are so
used to the way we do things now, we are going to have to change, which goes back to the
mindset example. In The Politics of Education and Technology the author quoted another book
which is titled Governing a Technological Society it says curriculum development and design is
now increasingly shaped by the problems technology poses, not with the potential it promises.
This means that the way the material is taught is already changing to compensate for new
technologies, but in a bad way. The curriculum is shaping around the problems that new
technologies make and not around their potential. One example would be computers.
Computers are these great powerful tools that can be used to find any information on the web,
but in high schools teachers have to be very cautious about what the students are looking up
because even if they try they cant block everything on the internet.
There are already some schools that are integrating these new technologies into their
curriculum. One of these schools that I found in the book The Politics of Education and
Technology is called Quest to Learn, a high school for digital kids. This school is in New York
and was opened in 2009. Although it was opened for the purpose to use new technologies for
educating, they still use old technologies and not the ones coming out today. If this is the
hardest we are going to try to integrate new technologies into education then we arent going
to get anywhere. Education is the building block for someones future. Therefore, if we have
the newest and most advanced technologies available that allow teachers to educate students
better, faster, and more adequately, we need to do our best to integrate them into our schools.
If we want to advance our education and keep a step ahead of everyone else we need to
utilize the technologies that are constantly pouring out of the production lines. Since our world
is advancing in its technology every day, we are going to have to change our education system
sooner or later. Why not now? We have so many new technologies that could be used to help
make learning easier, more personalized, and way more fun. What kind of student wouldnt
want that? There are so many possibilities out there that would help everyone that we need to
consider how we want the next generation brought up. Will it be the same way we were raised
or will we take the future in our hands and make it better for them?


Bibliography
Budra, Paul V, and Clint Burnham. From Text to Txting [sic]: New Media in the Classroom.
Bloomington, Ind: Indiana University Press, 2012. Print.
Kelly, Frank S, Ted D. E. McCain, and Ian Jukes. Teaching the Digital Generation: No More
Cookie-Cutter High Schools. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Corwin Press, 2009. Print.
Selwyn, Neil, and Keri Facer. The Politics of Education and Technology: Conflicts, Controversies,
and Connections. , 2013. Print.
Singh R. "Effects OfTechnology OnClassrooms AndStudents." Archived: Effects of Technology on
Classrooms and Students. Office of Educational Research and Improvement, 2008. Web. 23
Mar. 2014.
West, Darrell M. Digital Schools: How Technology Can Transform Education. Washington, D.C:
Brookings Institution Press, 2012. Print.