It is inevitable that technology will invade the classroom but has it increased too much? Depending on whom you ask, the answer will be completely different but let's take a step back and look at the facts.
1) Children spend over 8 hours a day looking at a screen.
2) Over 90% of children use a computer at home for fun.
3) In today's society technology is a huge part of the world. It is used in pretty much all jobs and for social reasons.
The government put aside a certain amount of money for schools to purchase interactive white boards for the classroom. Many teachers have found the use of the IWB a huge help , not just because of the cross-curricular aspects but also because it helps them to be more flexible with their lesson plans. This in turn, helps children’s learning and development. For example if a child creates a new concept or idea then it is simple to insert another page or flip chart to incorporate it into a lesson thus getting the children involved with their own learning. It also has the potential to be able to change variables so that children can see what is happening straightaway and give their own suggestions. This could be useful example in science or maths lesson. This is supported by the Primary national strategy which states ‘place greater emphasis on the use of ICT to support learning and teaching in literacy and
Mathematics’. A key stage one team leader said ‘The board stimulates children’s learning through the use of interactivity. We can access a wide range of resources which would otherwise take us a long time to collect and we can share any work we do which is a great time saver’ (Cogill, et al. 2006, p5) This leads on to how much time the IWB can save. Teachers can have all lesson plans and interactive resources in one place and easily share them with others. They can also be reused without the issue of them getting lost or ruined.
Though it is not just interactive white boards and computers that are meant by the word technology. Devices such as tables, iPads, wii, cameras, notebooks, bee-bots, iPods, mobile phones and even robots are being brought into the classroom to aid learning. In my experience the children are fascinated by using these devices, that originally they may have played with or seen at home, within an educational environment.
In using technology in the classroom, in my opinion, we teach important life skills to the next generation as well as enabling teachers to experiment with different ways of teaching.
I agree with the points you have raised in this entry. I too believe that the technology you mentioned that is now used in the classroom excites and engages the children, however I also would argue that it makes the lessons more interesting for the teacher too, providing them with different stimulus and teaching resources, as well as enabling them to learn how to use such technology alongside the children- extending their own knowledge.
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