Summary of Why We Use Technology in Education

Technological innovations is significant to adapt the educational system when using instructional methods and tools, so owing to these variation educational system can be improve and more modern as worldwide educational system.

• People can reach and make the document, presentation, research, promotion, Web 2.0 tools, social networking, social bookmarking and discussion forums by using technology.

• Technology has made research much easier. Before online Encyclopedias, Google Scholar, JSTOR, and other online research tools were available; students were forced to spend numerous hours in the library. With the new tools, students can conduct research faster in the comfort of their homes. With Google and other search engines, students can find relevant information faster and more efficiently. Also, there is no more need for intensive memorization as information is more readily available.

• People can access pictures and documents from their homes even if they don't have the references in paper format. Presentations, classes, and meetings can be shown/held remotely. Questions can be asked electronically.

• New also technology allows for a faster, more efficient, and more interactive classroom experience. With PowerPoint presentations and projectors, there is no need for blackboards and whiteboards. With clickers, students can take quizzes during the classroom.

The evidence of growing use of communication and information technologies in education is the increasing use of computers and the Internet in the educational platforms especially in terms of distance learning and open learning at the university level.

A Brief History of Technology in Education from AdamBellow on Vimeo.

Effects of Technology in Education

Change in student and teacher roles

When students are using technology as a tool or a support for communicating with others, they are in an active role rather than the passive role of recipient of information transmitted by a teacher, textbook, or broadcast. The student is actively making choices about how to generate, obtain, manipulate, or display information.

The teacher's role changes as well. The teacher is no longer the center of attention as the dispenser of information, but rather plays the role of facilitator, setting project goals and providing guidelines and resources, moving from student to student or group to group, providing suggestions and support for student activity.[1]

Increased Motivation and Self Esteem

Technology improves motivation, attitude, and interest when students use challenging, game-like programs and technology applications designed to develop basic skills and knowledge. Multimedia projects and real world simulations motivate students. Students and teachers reported a positive change in student motivation for class assignments when the use of multimedia was incorporated into classroom instruction.[1]


More Collaboration with Peers

Another effect of technology cited by a great majority of teachers is an increased inclination on the part of students to work cooperatively and to provide peer tutoring.[1]
Research studies show that there are several benefits to having students work in groups, even online.

• Students learn better when they have opportunities for collaboration (Millis, n.d.).

• Students tend to learn more material better and retain the information longer than when the same information is taught in different methods (St. Philip's College, 2005).

• Group members not only learn from their own individual efforts, but they also learn from the perspectives of the other members (Betz, 2005).

Effectiveness of Technology Integration in Education

ICT affects the change in the technologies and their use. Also, there is an upswing in convergence of computer based, multimedia and communications technologies. This leads people to benefit technology in education. This can be taken into consideration as a need for ICT integration, which defines as combination of elements. These elements bases on learning. However, there are some deficiencies of effective integration of technology with education.

Computers are not a luxury item today, so we must use them. But technology cannot just be handed to schools and everything will run by itself. Technology must be integrated into teachers' activities. Furthermore, technology must be user-friendly, less hardware-oriented and more human. [1]

Teachers have a crucial role in the effectiveness of the integration. Teachers need to use some methods to make integration effective. These methods are:

How can technology be used to simultaneously deepen student understanding and accelerate student achievement standards?

Choose one state standard relevant to your teaching and have each student create a problem, which requires the performance of that, standard. Use the web to find the resources to solve the problem.[1]

How can technology assist the unique learner?

Identify software/on-line learning activities, which can be used to accommodate a learner with unique learning capacities.[1]

How can technology help you personalize learning?

Encourage students to use the web as a research tool on a topic of great personal interest. Give parameters for the expected product, but let the student emerge as chief designer.[1]