Running Head: EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY !

Educational Technology

Jenna Fromme

Western Oregon University

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Introduction

Everything changes, that is a natural part of life. So, it should be no surprise that

education and learning are changing too. With the growth and development of technology and

online capabilities, education is becoming more personal, more engaging and more accessible.

As a former first grade classroom teacher and a current fifth grade teacher I have seen the

benefits of incorporating technology into my students learning. The programs my students use

are ones that allow for practice of a skill currently being taught in class or skills that are meant to

challenge the student who has already grasped the basic steps of a concept and is ready for more

difficult material. However, there are those that believe the changes technology has on education

are not positive changes, but changes that are negatively impacting learners.

Views on Educational Technology

Those that have a dystopian view on educational technology such as Selwyn (2016)

believes that, ...educational technology has tended to be associated with a set of universalized

problems to diminished learning and general disengagement from education (p.543). Yes,

educational technology has a set of universalized problems, like just about everything else out

there. However the opposite is true, learning has not diminished at all nor is there a

disengagement from education. The environment for learning and engagement has changed. If

you peer into a classroom where students have access to personalized online learning

communities, like Google Classroom, you will see that student collaboration, engagement and

learning is taking place in a digital environment rather than the classroom environment. This

environment is created and maintained to engage the student at their level of mastery and their

interest. These online learning environment give students the opportunity to share what they are
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doing with fellow students and to get feedback on their work or ideas. This online environment

also allows students to collaborate on one document (with the use of multiple devices). Students

are able to do their share of a collaborative assignment in a timely manner because they are not

having to wait for the paper to be available for them to write on. In addition, the use of

technology allows the teacher to see what students have done within group projects and can then

hold students accountable for their work.

In another book by Selwyn (2014), Distrusting Educational Technology, he discusses

the global marketplace and the large profit made from the sale of technology to educational

consumers (pg. 2). If aware of the educational field, it is known that ample funds are set aside

and invested into making learning relevant, fun and engaging for students. Learning is more

likely to take place when students are engaged with the material, they are enjoying the learning

process and the topic is relevant to their interests outside of school. Many schools invest in

updating their basal programs that promise to keep student engagement with the vibrant pictures

and up-to-date topics. The sale of technology to educational consumers does not differ from the

many basal programs that schools invest their money in. Both technology and basal programs are

sold to the same educational consumers. If anything by investing in technology educators are

able to keep up with the growing trends within education, because so much is available for

teachers and students online. The cost to access the updated online resources is significantly less

than updating a basal program for an entire school. Plus, there is not as much waste when

switching to a new online resource.

Along with the high cost and the worry of diminished learning associated with

educational technology there are those that wonder why we are replacing teachers and tutors with
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artificial intelligence. These individuals puzzle over the need to encourage and support students

with a program that decides what students should see and do with the click of a next button,

instead of with the communication and support of a teacher (Wiley, 2015). As a grade school

teacher, the use of artificial intelligence has brought new opportunity to the classroom. The

artificial intelligence being referred to are computer programs that give learners instant feedback

on whether the answer they submitted is correct or not. ...people learn best from their

experiences when they get immediate feedback during those experiences so that they can

recognize and assess their errors and see where their expectations have failed (Gee, 2008, p.21).

These artificial intelligence programs give students immediate feedback telling them if they

solved the problem correctly, made the correct choice, etc. The student can then see if they did

not get the correct answer, what the correct response should have been and then why that was the

correct response. From there the educational program then decides what students should do next

based on how the previous question was answered. These interactive artificial intelligence

programs are viewed as supplemental material to what is being taught in class. For example, if

students are working on fractions in math, the teacher can assign them activities, on the online

program, that have to do with fractions. By no means is the website teaching the students about

fractions, it is only giving them pre-made problems in the form of games to practice this skill. To

add to this, students can work at their own pace. The teacher can assign students different levels

of problems, so that all students are being challenged. By using these online resources teachers

are able to work with small groups and really focus on where students are struggling. Again,

artificial intelligence is a great way to integrate related material into lessons. Since there are so

many interactive resources for students to practice skills (fractions, in this case), giving students
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choice and say in what program they work on is powerful and students are more likely to engage

with the material and enjoy it.

Many of the educational programs used for students are game based. These game

based programs allow for students to learn in an informal relaxed educational setting. In Gees

(2008) Learning and Games, he argues that good game design in essence is good learning, since

good games encompass learning and problem-solving experiences. Games scaffold skills

throughout the levels, starting off easy and progressively getting more difficult. The educational

learning process is no different. Basic skills are taught and the teacher then scaffolds from that

base skill, progressively making the questions and problems more complex. Having a variety of

problem solving skills are another key point teachers try to pass onto their students. Using games

allows students to practice problem solving skills by having them interpret their errors, rethink

about what they already know (about the level) and reflect on what they can do differently to

master the level or game. These are key problem solving tools for students to know. As a learner

it is important to understand the errors that were made, so reflection and learning can take place.

As the debate between technology, education and adolescents continues, so does the

growth of schools who believe technology is a powerful learning tool and the schools that

believe technology is hindering brain development. Waldorf schools have been around since the

early 1900s, but with the growth of technology has come the growth and popularity of these

schools. The Waldorf schools believe that technology is hindering brain development and

inhibit creative thinking, movement, human interaction and attention spans (Richtel, 2011, p.

1). The schools also believe that students should not use technology for educational purposes

until students are at an appropriate academic age when technology is needed for academics.
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Waldorf education insists that students need to learn by using play-based methods. Play-based

methods are great for using and building creative thinking, gaining spatial awareness, working

on social skills and fine and gross motor skills. Some of these skills can be practiced and applied

to working with technology. For instance, in an learning management system (LMS)

environment or online classrooms, students may have to communicate or collaborate with one

another or the instructor, this is a great way for students to practice their social and

communication skills. In addition, many programs are game based and create interactive

experiences which allow students to work on their problem-solving and creative thinking skills.

Though there are some that have a dystopian view on educational technology and the

negative effects it has on the educational system, there are many that believe that this

advancement in technology has created new avenues for teaching and learning. Technology

allows for learning to be personalized, for more collaboration among students and teachers and

allows for more informal learning (Childress, 2016). Personalized learning can occur online in

many ways. In an online classroom the teacher can send and assign specific assignments to

students. To practice researching techniques, students can investigate a topic of their interest. In

addition, in game based learning, the teacher can input skills being learned in class or an area a

student needs to practice and the student can log into their account. There are many learning

management systems and online classrooms that allow students to share their work with one

another and collaborate with classmates on an assignment or task. With the growing availability

of these resources to the education community the more teachers will be able to personalize

learning and the more collaborative learning among students that can occur.
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When using technology in the classroom, it is important for teachers to take advantage

of personalized lessons, practice and resources for students. Many websites allow for teachers to

assign specific skill practice to individual students. Strass (2016) reiterates some of Alfie Kohns

words, ...teachers are far more likely to use tech to make their own jobs easier and to

supplement traditional instruction strategies (p.3). Yes, these online resources can be helpful

supplemental material for students. From experience, students work at a different pace and when

giving direct instruction on a topic, math for example, some students understand the concept and

can whip through a problem with ease. Then there are the students who are very methodical and

it takes them a little longer. The student who finishes in a flash now has to wait for their

classmate to complete the problem. Not only is that students time being wasted, but the student

can become bored, check out of the lesson or become a disruption. The methodical student, feels

pressured to move faster, so their classmates are not having to wait for them. Because the student

is being rushed, there is the possibility of mistakes, ending up with the incorrect answer,

becoming frustrated with the skill and checking out. Using technology allows teachers to teach

the basic skill and then allow the student to practice at their own pace, in a fun game like

environment.

Along with the skill based online resources comes LMS environments or online

classroom, theses are another great resource for teachers to make learning personalized. In

Google Classroom, teachers can create different classes (or groups) and assign different

assignments to those classes. Those students who need more of a challenge would get it and

those that struggle in a particular subject can get the support they need. Everyone is on the same

website, so there is no comparison about what others are working on, everyone is working on
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building skills at their level. In addition to students receiving work at their academic level,

Google Classroom allows teachers to share different media with different students. For example,

a student is interested in honeybees, the teacher is able to send videos, articles and images related

to honeybees to that one student. Another bonus having students work on Google Classroom is

that all of their work is stored, so it is easy for students to find and keep track of their work.

Great learning can occur when students are able to collaborate. Collaboration among

students has been part of the learning environment for many decades. With the use of technology

collaborating is made easier for both teachers and students. Google Classroom allows for more

than one student to work on a document at a time. This means that students can complete an

online assignment or project in a more realistic time frame because each student is able to

contribute at the same time. In addition, teachers and fellow students can see how much work

each student has done, thus providing evidence that everyone on the team is carrying their

weight, which is very important when collaborating. Just like teams in a game, people are not

fond of doing all the work while others get a free ride (Gee, 2008, p.33). Collaboration can

also occur when students need help with a writing piece, for example. Using Google Classroom,

students can send their work to the teacher or fellow student and receive comments or editing

advice. Because the work is online, students can have access to their classmates and teachers

after school hours.

Conclusion

We live in an amazing world and it is only natural to have questions about things

around us and information we hear. By having technology available to students in the classroom,

students have access to the world. Students can take digital field trips and travel and see
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images from places around the world that they might not otherwise get to see. Students can video

chat with other students from around the country and world. Students can have their questions

answered, in just a few clicks of the mouse and keys. By using technology in the classroom

students are able to learn the basic skills and practice those skills at their own pace, and help

create a learning environment shaped by their interests and questions.

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References

Childress, M. (2016). Utopian futures for learning technologies. In The Wiley handbook of

learning technology (pp. 557-570). John Wiley & Sons.

Gee, J. P. (2008). Learning and games. In The ecology of games (pp. 21-40).

Gee, J. P. (n.d.). Good video games and good learning.

Richtel, M. (2011, October 22). A Silicon Valley school that doesnt compute. The New York

Times, p. A1. Retrieved March 19, 2017, from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/

technology/at-waldorf-school-in-silicon-valley-technology-can-wait.html

Rowan, C. (n.d.). The impact of technology on the developing child. Retrieved March 19,

2017, from http://www.waldorftoday.com/2014/06/the-impact-of-technology-on-the-

developing-child/

Selwyn, N. (2014). Distrusting educational technology critical questions for changing times.

New York: Routledge.

Selwyn, N. (2016). The dystopian futures. In The Wiley handbook of learning technology (pp.

542-556). John Wiley & Sons.

Strauss, V. (2016, March 13). The overselling of ed tech. The Washington Post. Retrieved

March 13, 2017, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/

2016/03/13/the-overselling-of-ed-tech/?utm_term=.75446cc26a63

Wiley, D. (2015, November 16). The primary problem with educational technology.

Retrieved March 10, 2017, from https://opencontent.org/blog/archives/4064