#3: It's not just technology, but how you use it

We all heard the presentation about how technology used in schools does not necessarily convert to higher student test scores. As the group nicely summed it up, they said, "It's not just technology, but how you use it." This is true, and as future teachers we are the ones responsible for making sure our kids are using the technology for useful, invigorating, educational stuff. We have to create an environment for our students where they can use the technology for meaningful help to better understand lessons and the world around us. Businesses in 2011 and beyond use Google docs, SmartBoard, Excel, i-phone apps, etc. Since we are teaching kids how to be future contributing citizens to our society, we need to equip them with how to use and understand these tools.

Using technology in the classroom has many benefits because the students are playing an active role rather than the passive role of recipient of information transmitted by a teacher or textbook. The student is actively making choices about how to generate, obtain, manipulate, or display information. Lastly, when technology is used effectively in the classroom, the teachers role changes as well. As students work on their technology assigned tasks, the teacher rotates through the room, looking over shoulders, assisting students where needed. This creates good accountability for the room, but also allows for independent, creative thinking.  All in all, I believe if teachers correctly incorporate meaningful technology in the classroom then the benefits will be superior.