Joining the Conversation Step 2

Joshua Antonious

Professor Megan Keaton

ENGL 1103

9 April 2013

Technology and the Adaptation of Teachers

Recently there has been a spate of interest in the topic of technology in schools and how teachers use various technologies to teach. While recent research points out that almost all teachers use technology in instruction, the types of technology vary and more research needs to be done in order to see which technology is most widely used as well as the pros and cons of using it in instruction regarding the student’s ability to learn. Through the various sources such as the Executive Office of the

 President, Council of Economic Advisers and the National Center for Education Statistics we are able to look into the depths of technology in schools and the interaction between student, teacher, and technology.

            Technology is all around us. It is in every aspect of our lives. 96% of all schools had internet capabilities in 2009 (Grey). That number in 2013 is nearly 99%. Students in this day and age are called New Millennium Learners (Pedro). They learn by interaction with technology. This is where we start to see a problem arise between teacher and student. Depending on when the teacher was born the technologies available at the time were far different than that of today’s students. Beverley McIntyre wrote a dissertation on this very topic. In it she looks at three teachers or three different generations and then bore witness to the use of technology in their classes. Her results are very unsurprising to me. She witnessed that even though all three teachers had access to a computer, projector, and smart board, that the teacher from the youngest generation was the one to use every tool afforded to her. The teacher from the middle generation used the projector but not the computer and the teacher from the eldest generation didn’t use any of the technology to its full potential. She used the computer for role and carried on with the lecture using the chalk board. The student’s responses to the three teachers were as follows: the youngest generation teacher had her student’s attention and allowed them to follow along using their own technology, the middle generation teacher had most of the student’s attention and majority was copying down the notes from the board. The eldest generation teacher, unfortunately, had the least focus from students. A few students were writing down what she was saying but a large portion was fast asleep due to the lack of commonality between teacher and student (McIntyre).

            There will always be hesitation from older generations to embrace technology and adapt their methods to accommodate the technology. Professors need to find common ground with their students. For a professor to adapt to using a projection system and a smart board, the students are more likely to adapt and respect the teacher. The fact is of teens ages 12 – 17, 93% use the Internet daily, 55% maintain profiles on social networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace, and 89% report holding virtual conversations which stem from online posts of photos (McIntyre). For a teacher to be able incorporate these technologies within their teaching methods really strikes a chord with students.  Technology friendly schools are becoming more and more prevalent in today’s society. I went to a technology friendly school in which we had etextbooks and they were on tablets. We also would take notes on our tablets, thus lessening the need for paper within our school. We would email our assignments to our teachers or turn them in on a site like Edmodo. The presence of technology was everywhere in school. The teachers adapted and it was an easy transition. The capabilities for learning grew tenfold the first year we became a technology friendly school. Being able to look up something a teacher just referenced in real time or having the capability to go onto Google maps and look at true geography allowed for the students to truly learn on a deeper level.

            With all of the technology comes greatness but also causes some slight problems between teachers and students. This is part of the reason teachers and schools are hesitant to become technology friendly. Unless the technology is provided by the school the school cannot put parameters and restrictions on the technology the students are using. Students have access to thousands of apps and media services. It is important to keep them on task and focused on the task at hand.

            Teachers across the United States are slowly adapting to the use of technology in their teaching methods. 35 percent of teachers reported presentation software (e.g., PowerPoint) as essential (Lanahan).  This number only continues to grow with each passing year. Educational technology holds the promise of substantially improving outcomes for K-12 Students (Executive Office of the President). With technology being used as early as preschool, teachers are going to have to adapt in order to successfully teach this new generation of learners.

            As certain technology like Smart Boards and projection systems become the standard, the prices of these items will decrease drastically allowing every school to be able to have one in each classroom. As teachers get these new technologies they are still hesitant to use them. Why? They aren’t taught how to fully utilize them.  61% of teachers are adequately trained in these new technologies by their schools (Gray). This is a problem that needs to be addressed and now. As technology develops the teachers need to develop with it and they need to be able to fully utilize the technology and keep the students engaged.