Amanda Newcomb

Technology in the Classroom

EDUG 514

Vanguard University

April 13, 2017

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 How can I use technology to effectively support my curriculum development and teaching?

Technology has revolutionized the way our society runs in many ways. People can now

communicate with others with ease and in lightning-speed fashion. Never before has there been

such free access to information. Our students, for the most part, now grow up using technology

and it is part of their everyday lives. Technology has now become a vital tool that can be used to

engage our students, as well as provide access to information and ideas that might not have

previously been possible.

One way that technology can be used in the classroom is as a means to communicate with

students, their families, and other teachers. Effective communication is essential in creating and

maintaining learning environments in which the students and everyone involved feel respected

and valued. Teachers can email with their students and the students families and provide

personalized feedback and support. Using an online gradebook is another way to provide instant

feedback because the students can access their grades and missing assignments remotely, without

having to go out of their way. Technology presents an opportunity to teach about online safety

and etiquette, as well as other technological skills that they will need later on in life. (California

Commission on Teacher Credentialing [CTC], 2016. TPE 1.2, 1.4, 1.7, 1.8, 2.5, 2.6, 3.2, 3.3)

Technology is a wonderful tool for teachers, as well as students because it provides

another way to make learning more meaningful. Using the internet, teachers can provide realia

and other resources to help the students to contextualize what they are learning. Because most of

the students already have experience with technology, this can help to engage the students in a

way that other learning activities might not achieve. Technology can be very interactive,

allowing the students to engage more closely with the material. David Ausubel said, "The

facilitation of learning is the only proper end of teaching" (Ausubel, 1968, p. 24). Technology

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can be used as an effective way to facilitate learning in a variety of contents and contexts.

Students can use technology to make meaning personalized to their own experiences. This does

not eradicate the need for teachers; it just gives us more tools to help our students succeed.

(California Commission on Teacher Credentialing [CTC], 2016. TPE 1.1,1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 2.2, 2.3,

2.5, 2.6, 3.2-3.8, 4.3-4.8, 5.4)

In addition to engaging students more deeply, technology can help the students to make

meaning out of their learning. According to Burden and Byrd, Cross-disciplinary skills (e.g.

communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and the use of technology) can be found

throughout the teaching standards because of their importance for learners, (Burden & Byrd,

2016, p 65). Technology is a skill that has relevance across disciplines and has many

applications. Many jobs in todays world revolve around technology. Teachers can use this to

their advantage and help the students to understand the value of what they are learning by using

technology to apply it to real-life contexts. For example, in an English Language Arts class, I

could design a unit in which the ongoing project is for the students to do a research project in the

form of a blog. Not only would students be learning valuable skills such as research, citing

sources, and writing argumentatively or persuasively, the knowledge that they have a real

audience outside of their teacher would give them a real-life context for their work. Technology

has the power to reach many people, helping students to realize the impact that their work can

have on the world. (California Commission on Teacher Credentialing [CTC], 2016. TPE 1.1, 1.3,

1.4, 1.5, 2.2-2.6, 3.2-3.8, 4.3-4.8, 5.4)

When designing curriculums, it is important to consider how ones teaching can be

enhanced through the use of technology. Whether the technology is minimal and serves to

provide a means of communication, or if it is the focal point of the unit, it can help the students

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to engage more deeply and understand the relevance of their learning. The role of technology

should be to facilitate learning so that students can more deeply understand and apply their

knowledge.

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 References
Ausubel, David (1968). Educational Psychology. The Role of and Scope of Educational

Psychology.

Burden, P.R., & Byrd, D.M. (2016). Methods for Effective Teaching: Meeting the Needs of All

Students (7th ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

California Commission on Teaching Credentialing (CTC). (2016). California Teaching

Performance Expectations.