Technology implemented in classrooms. (Week 3)

       This week in class, we studied the foundations for effective technology integration. I thought to myself, “Is it necessary to integrate technology into our education?”. Giving it a long thought, it may not be necessary but it can enhance the learning experience in classrooms. When it comes to technology integration, there has been controversial debates that has arose. In my opinion, incorporating technology in studies is a good way to encourage students to participate more in classrooms because they’re understanding of the topic may widen. For instance, a student might raise his/her hand and say, “I know exactly what you mean! I remember that YouTube video that was shown last week in class.”. Integrating technology in classes is an interesting technique to catch students’ attention. Word processing, using power points and e-books are varying tools that students would enjoy using as it is different from traditional methods, like writing. There are even online games that are educational. According to Staff Writers (2012), 70% of teachers said using educational video games increases student engagement.

Other than that, technology integration in classrooms helps students learn life skills. They learn how to create presentations, differentiate reliable from unreliable sources on the Internet, write emails and many more. These are all vital skills that students can learn in the classroom and master it before heading out to the working world. 

There are two perspectives on effective instruction, one; directed instruction where teachers transmit a pre-defined set of information to students through teacher-organised systems. Directed instruction is based on objectivism, meaning learning is just transmitted knowledge. Teaching should be directed, systematic and structured. Two; inquiry-based instruction where learners generate their own knowledge through experiences. This view is usually based on contructivism which allows students to show what they have learned in different ways, not just in written tests. Constructivist models were shaped by constructivist theories like scaffolding, social learning, discovery learning and multiple intelligence theories.

        Both views on effective instruction have their importance in educating. It is important to hold onto and learn from both views to form a new and powerful approach to solving some of the major problems of the educational system. It is vital that, as a future educator, to use both directed and inquiry-based models as they each carry out different roles in educating. Directed models include integration to support efficient and self-paced learning while constructivist strategies include integration to foster creative problem solving and metacognition, also integration to allow for multiple and distributed intelligences. Hence, future educators should hold onto both teaching strategies.

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