Importance of Technology in the Classroom

What a contrast in opinions and attitudes towards the use of technology! As I began reading the Reigeluth article, I must say, I had a very positive response. I found myself highlighting, and making many notes in the margins of points I liked and agreed with.

As a kindergarten teacher, I whole heartedly agree that it is extremely important to meet the needs of each student. Reigeluth states, “Different children learn at different rates and have different learning needs, we can no longer to afford to hold time constant and allow achievement to vary.” This statement struck home to me. Kids learn differently. They come to school with different experiences, with different attitudes and with different needs. These needs must be addressed for students to be successful. It can no longer be assumed that one lesson fits all. Differentiation is paramount, in terms of both difficulty of material, and how the material is being presented.

Reigeluth continues on to discuss assessments. He believes that the form of assessments should shift to become more of a checklist, an “inventory of attainments” as he calls it. As a student meets that standard, he or she can check it off. This is where my experiences as a kindergarten teacher may separate me from other teachers. I could see this working in my classroom. My goals are such that I could see a system of “knows it” or “does not’t know it yet” working for my students. I also do not care if they learn their letters before learning their numbers as long as they know them all by the end of the year. For my kindergartners, I find myself presenting material in many different ways, over and over again, to ensure that it makes sense for all of my students in every context.

In contrast, while reading the Postman article, I found myself not making many notes or agreeing at all. His pessimistic view of technology, and really, the future of education as a whole, was disheartening to me. He states that technology is only useful if there is a direct problem that is being addressed or solved. In the case of education, Postman believes that technology is not helpful in addressing the purpose of school, which are “social and moral nature and have nothing to do with dazzling new technologies.” He warns that “school is to teach children how to behave in groups.”

I do not believe that integrating technology into the classroom disregards establishing teamwork, communication or cooperation. In fact, Reigeluth says it best when he says “Technology is important, but it would be a mistake to look only to technology. Fellow learners can be powerful agents of learning. It is often said that the best way to learn something is to teach it. Peer-assisted learning and collaborative learning can take many forms, but they all facilitate the social construction of knowledge.”

In short, how I view education is child-centered learning and inquiry based methods where each student has the opportunity to learn for his or her peers. Is there a place for technology in my classroom? Absolutely. Does that mean that my students sit in front of a screen all day long? No way. There is a balance. In my classroom technology fills in where experience cannot. I cannot feasibly take my students to the ocean to learn about ocean animals, but I can have an expert show (and tell them) on a video, so that they can have that experience. Although this does not replace actual inquiry, it supplements my students’ learning in meaningful ways.