Running Head: Technology In The Classroom: Why We Use It, And How To Use It 1

Technology in the Classroom: Why We Use It, And How To Use It Effectively

Or

Critical Pedagogy Related To Technology: The Questions Modern

Educators Must Ask, And Answer, In Order To Better Serve Our Students

David J. Szumlanski
University of Kansas, Spring B 2016
Professor: Dr. Jane McManus

Technology in the Classroom: Why We Use It, And How To Use It Effectively

The Issue:
One doesnt need piles of research to know that there exists in todays schools a
push for technology in classrooms, though mounds of research exist, as you will shortly
see (Scherer, M., 2011). One only needs go into any modern classroom and note the
differences and additions of technology over the past decade, a trend that is likely to
continue. For better or worse, technology is a field that has made its presence known in
every facet of daily life. From WiFi connections in many schools and additional
computers in classrooms, to the fact that modern refrigerators and water heaters can
hook up to the internet, we need not go far to see the influences of technology upon our
daily lives.
And yet, even as technology becomes more abundant, income inequality
continues to provide challenges to many areas of the United States, and schools,
teachers, and students therein. That is to say that while various mandates exist for
schools to integrate technology, several problems persist in terms of the integration of
technology in the classroom and the availability of said technology, usage trends even
when technology is available, and the view of technology as a tool to enhance the
curriculum while remaining apart from the curriculum itself.

Personal Beliefs and Attitudes, and the Ideologies That Influenced Them:
Looking back at the educational climate of the 1980s and 90s, it wasnt bad, but
certainly it wasnt as fast paced as today. The research done for classes was still
performed by sifting through the Dewey Decimal System in the 80s, and by the 90s
students were expected to type up papers even if they had never had a computer class.

Technology in the Classroom: Why We Use It, And How To Use It Effectively

Times changed quickly, and students either responded to those changes or floundered.
This should give us pause as we look at our current demands for technology in the
classroom, particularly in regard to the implications for our students (exacerbated by the
fact that technology seems to change much more rapidly now than it did last century). If
we are to utilize technology in the classroom in a manner that grants access to a free
and appropriate public education, careful consideration must be given to its use. Many
aspects of life are more interesting, easier, and require less time than those same tasks
did twenty years ago because of technology. That is to say, because I had consistent
access to technology. Even this Masters Program itself, which I value wholeheartedly,
wouldnt be possible (at least not my enrollment at the University of Kansas) if not for
improvements in technology, and the willingness of educational institutions and their
professors (and curriculum developers and staff and the list goes on) to embrace the
possibilities that didnt exist when I was in grade school.

Personal Stance:
So the times are changing, as they have been since the dawn of time. I have
been successful in adapting to new technology so far, and am committed to continued
successful adaptation thus pertaining. The value of technology in education far
outweighs its cost, and the benefits of technologically integrated education far outweigh
the potential disadvantages. And yet, one must recognize that success in this regard is
not by pure luck; several factors were present in this adaptation. As teachers, it is our
responsibility to prepare our students to be successful, too. We must think critically, as
we challenge our students to do, about the ways we use (or fail to use) technology in

Technology in the Classroom: Why We Use It, And How To Use It Effectively

the school and classroom, and how those uses and disuses can be aimed to optimally
teach students.
Teachers are charged with the responsibility to optimally teach students
regardless of their subject. That is to say that we balance teaching the things we
believe ought be known, and teaching the how to think and independent problemsolving skills that we believe are required in life. We balance our need to inspire
students in various fields against the fact that we cannot predict what the future holds
for our students, collectively or individually. What is sure is this: a teachers plate is a
full plate; one that faces ongoing demands regarding how we can fit more upon it. That
is a separate issue for critical pedagogy, and though it must be tackled I find myself
without the expertise and theoretical knowledge to tackle that topic in a paper such as
this one. Though it is a separate issue, it is included here to say that teachers must be
highly selective about what we allow to be put on our plate, and the ways to use the
abundance of things that do somehow fit.
So technology fits on the plate, but how well and to what end we must analyze.
As of 2008, an NEA policy brief revealed that only 19 states had technology
requirements as part of state licensing requirements for teachers while 48 had
technology standards for students (See citation for NEA Brief, 2008). That means that
current teachers may or may not require additional training in order to utilize available
technology effectively. At the same time, that same report acknowledged that in at least
one state, only 10 percent of classrooms have five or more computers. Currently in
Florida, high stakes testing is completed in part on computer, though a technology class
is not required for students as part of the curriculum. At the same time, the NEA brief

Technology in the Classroom: Why We Use It, And How To Use It Effectively

found that most teachers support the use of technology in the classroom to enhance
learning, and the vast majority also believe their students enjoy learning more with
technology.

Technology and Diversity:

So, teachers have not consistently prepared to meet the growing demand for
technology they face in education, and yet most teachers feel that technology enhances
learning. How is this possible? I think it would be hard to make the case that most
schools are doing an adequate job at providing the needed professional development
opportunities in this regard (The school at which I formerly taught for 7 years offered a
smattering of voluntary trainings, and the bulk of tech-related PD was geared toward the
attendance and grading programs for teacher use only. Currently, the county where I
teach selects one volunteer as a technology coach, designed to help that volunteer
provide extra PD opportunities to teachers and to help when the technology specialist is
buried in responsibilities that prevent him or her from assisting teachers.). The answer
is that our students, brought up around technology, enter into our classrooms with more
knowledge than we may recognize. The fundamental flaw with this design is that
students living in poverty may not have access to this technology. Thus, as we see in
the case of vocabulary knowledge, these students enter into the school system with an
additional disadvantage in relation to their wealthier peers. It may be more difficult for
students who lack access to technology at home to make sense of the technology used
in classrooms, may take more time to become proficient with computers, and may take
more time to help identify ways in which technology can be better used in schools, at

Technology in the Classroom: Why We Use It, And How To Use It Effectively

least in academic language. That is to say that if schools do not address the potential
pitfalls of technology use, they may see the existing achievement gap grow even wider
between those living in poverty and those operating at or above the poverty line.

Potential Solutions:
If one theory exists that holds both context and promise for this issue, it is that of
Critical Pedagogy. As educators, we must reconcile theory and practice regarding
technology in schools. Thus far, this paper has only highlighted the uses, not the
theoretical basis for technology, in schools. Because it is a mandate and already part of
the system, technology can be viewed as politically motivated in school, even more so
because schools operate under the umbrella of local, state, and national government. It
is intellectual in that its aim so far has been to increase student achievement, or at least
student interest (Pinar, W., 1978; 2013). Because of the obvious benefits of technology
for most students, we must re-assess the very role of technology in schools. Paulo
Freire noted that dialogue is necessary in education in order to truly learn (Freire, P.,
1968; 1970; 2013). He advocated that students should be a part of this dialogue; an
equal contributor to teachers in terms of the content chosen as part of the curriculum
and exploration of it. This, along with the fact that students who have access to
technology at home willingly embrace it and benefit from its use in schools, opens up an
important possibility. As we explore the benefits and disadvantages of technology in
schools, we illuminate another fact. There is a value associated with properly using
technology, whether measured abstractly or concretely. This is another facet of Critical
Pedagogy, already exemplified in by our consideration. That is to say that teachers

Technology in the Classroom: Why We Use It, And How To Use It Effectively

ought not consider technology to be a tool to enhance the curriculum. Rather, they
ought consider it to be an essential part of the curriculum itself.
According to Freires view, students ought have a say in the use of technology in
regard to what is explored and how, and teachers could easily embrace their equal
partnership in learning to compliment their professional development needs. Even at
the Doris Sanders Learning Center, a school for students receiving special education
services for significant intellectual, developmental, and behavioral disabilities, students
can readily tell a teacher various things. It is important to note that Freire stated that
praxis is both reflection and action. Some students at our school speak very clearly with
their actions. If they dont like a lesson, even if its being taught on the smartboard,
some students will even walk up and turn the computer off.
William Pinar explained that there exists a sort of competition between various
philosophies and theoretical views of curriculum, and states that educators (and those
in various fields in society) need not be afraid to explore those other than our own
(Pinar, W., 1978; 2013). How long can we ignore the problems with technology in our
schools before we realize that those who mandated their use arent going to swoop in to
our rescue? Like the wait to fail method of some schools who dont embrace
screening measures, the status quo makes it all to easy to wait until the problem is too
real to ignore. That time is now. Even if teachers dont have the ability to guide their
students through the labyrinth of technology that exists already, we cannot deny its
benefits to those accustomed to it, and the unfair disadvantages of those who are not.
Whereas the previous paragraph was geared toward the teacher student
relationship, Freires model also highlights the opportunity for dialog to occur in another

Technology in the Classroom: Why We Use It, And How To Use It Effectively

way: student to student. That is to say that the very reason technology might not be fair
for those students from lower income families is also its solution. By allowing students
to have more say in what and how they want to explore technology, they have the
opportunity to share their expertise with teachers and fellow students alike. Freires
model allows room, too, for the Universal Design for Learning (see citation for the
Center for the Universal Design for Learning - Research), which would allow students to
select between various learning and assessment modalities.

In Retrospect:
Though I have already made some recommendations regarding this issue in
paragraphs above, allow me to summarize. Technology ought be considered a part of
the curriculum, not a tool that enhances the curriculum. This is aligned with the fact that
technology is already value-laden (it benefits most students and can benefit all
students). It is both political and intellectual in nature in that schools have government
mandates to utilize it from assistive technology (see citation for Georgia Project for
Assistive Technology) to its increased use in classrooms for students of every ability
level. It is recommended that teachers at least explore the benefits of, if not completely
embrace, the Critical Pedagogy view as it relates to this issue. Therein lie the answers
to the questions we must find and help our students answer regarding how best to
utilize technology, how to link it to real-world problems and their potential solutions, and
even how to narrow the achievement gap that exists between students from families of
varying income levels.

Technology in the Classroom: Why We Use It, And How To Use It Effectively

I suppose one could consider me a critical pedagogue in that I embrace the

notion of increased technology in thought and action, even as I attempt to recognize
and address the issues that can arise from it. I want to make it clear that while I think it
is important for educators to address the needs of students and teachers related to
technology as part of the curriculum, I dont propose that we allow it to supplant
traditional methods either. National Public Radio recently ran a story on research that
found that college students who take notes by hand were more successful on
assessments, even when both groups had the opportunity to review notes thoroughly
before hand (Mueller, Pam A., & Oppenheimer, Daniel M., 2014). There is power in the
hand, and we must continue to explore the human potential not merely in intellectual
terms, but in physical terms as well, as they are as fully integrated as the word and
action in the eyes of Freire.

Technology in the Classroom: Why We Use It, And How To Use It Effectively

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References

Center for the Universal Design for Learning Research, accessed on April 18, 2016 at
http://www.udlcenter.org/research
Freire, Paulo, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, In David J. Flinders & Stephen J. Thornton
(eds.), The Curriculum Studies Reader (4th edition), Routledge (2013).
Georgia Project for Assistive Technology Legal Mandates for Assistive Technology,
accessed on April 18, 2016 at http://www.gpat.org/Georgia-Project-for-AssistiveTechnology/Pages/Legal-Mandates-for-Assistive-Technology.aspx
Mueller, Pam A., & Oppenheimer, Daniel M. (2014). The Pen Is Mightier Than the
Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand Over Laptop Note Taking. Association for
Psychological Science, accessed April 18, 2016 at
https://sites.udel.edu/victorp/files/2010/11/Psychological-Science-2014-Mueller0956797614524581-1u0h0yu.pdf
Pinar, William F., The Reconceptualization of Curriculum Studies, In David J. Flinders &
Stephen J. Thornton (eds.), The Curriculum Studies Reader (4th edition),
Routledge (2013).
Scherer, Marge, (2011). Transforming Education with Technology: A Conversation with
Karen Cator. Educational Leadership, 68(5), 16-21.
Technology in Schools: The Ongoing Challenge of Access, Adequacy, and Equity. A
Brief by the National Educators Association, 2008. Accessed on April 18, 2016
at http://www-infocris.isea.org/assets/docs/PB19_Technology08.pdf