Do we really need technology in the classroom?

Technology - it is something that has evolved and now students will never know a world without technology. I look at my own life - how technology has slowly filtered in, something very slowly, little steps by little steps...but I look at the children now and I'm completely fascinated with how they aren't taking little steps in technology, but leaps, giant steps and it encompasses their whole world now. Little two year olds are holding their parents iphones and playing a variety of color recognition games, or counting games to keep themselves occupied while their parent cruises the cereal aisle.

As one of the videos mentioned, people/students can connect in ways that were never imaginable before and you can share those thoughts/ideas/items learned with the entire world. This is something that before the internet was not even conceivable.

I do believe that incorporating technology in the classroom is a good thing. I also appreciated one of the videos that mentioned that students can now learn at their own pace using the tools that are offered through the use of technology. The Common Core Standards mention how the students need to be self-directed learners. They need to be able to have the knowledge to seek out these resources to get them to be this self-directed learner. This would include the teacher, their own peers, printed documents, books, as well as digital reference materials. All of these will equip the students to be ready for life in a society that is wrapped in technology.

Now, the question comes up about a teacher or facilitator that may be reluctant to use/incorporate technology into their teaching/classroom. My first item on the agenda would be ask them WHY they are reluctant. It could very well be that it could be a fear factor with not being as familiar with the digital tool as what the kids are or other teachers around them. I think there may be many school districts that have incorporated laptops, ipads or something else similar for the students to use, however, to due many circumstances, the staff was not properly trained on how to use it or the best ways of incorporating that tool into the classroom for that particular grade level. With the demands placed on teachers, there may be some teachers who lack the extra time that is needed to familiarize themselves with the best methods of instruction using that particular digital too. Without that needed training and a support team that will help them work through the best ways of incorporating it into the classroom, there would be some educators that would push against using it in their classrooms until they feel more comfortable using that particular tool in front of their students.

Overall, technology makes it possible for students to connect instantly with the world in a way that was never before done. There are topics on anything imaginable, which simply fosters the love of learning for students and help them absorb it to the fullest. If it is something that is fun and something that they enjoy learning about, they will want to explore that further. Exploring takes on a whole new meaning when digital media can be used within the classroom to facilitate the learning of all the types of students that are the make-up of any given classroom.