Upon reflecting in what I have learned in Week 2, Of all of the week’s reading, the article on the effect of technology in a low socioeconomic area stood out the most to me. I teach in a Title 1 school district and can relate greatly to what the experimenter was trying to do. After this particular study was completed, it was concluded that, “Participants in the technology-enriched classroom appeared to score significantly higher in math than peers in non-technology enriched classrooms.” (Page, 402) That quote should be a wake up alarm to districts around the United States that in fact, funds contributed to technology are in fact not being wasted, but instead being invested to help students achieve success.
While getting technology into the classroom can be a powerful tool, there are still a number of challenges that we face once we do start using technology. According to one of this week’s articles, one of the main problems in teaching in the Digital Age is that of Learner Diversity and High Standards. (Rose & Meyer, 2002) In a way, I can see where the author is coming from. Surely we as educators must do our best to meet the needs of diverse learners, however these are challenges that teachers, administrators and districts will have to tackle regardless if there is technology or not in the classroom.
Meyer, A., & Rose, D. (n.d.). Chapter 1: Teaching Every Student TOC: Information & Ideas. CAST: Center for Applied Special Technology. Retrieved March 11, 2012, from http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/chapter1.cfm
Schacter, J. (1999). The impact of education technology on student achievement: What the research has to say. Santa Monica, CA; Milken Exchange on Education Technology. Retrieved on March 7, 2012, from http://www.mff.org/pubs/ME161.pdf
I agree with your thoughts. There is no denying that the use of technology can enhance learning and raise student achievement.
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