Benefits of Technology Integration
Benefits of Technology Integration in Education
Abstract
With a great deal of investment being put into outfitting schools with technology, the question of whether or not it is worth the investment is a valid one. This essay describes the benefits of utilizing technology in education by examining research from around the world which demonstrates that there is ample evidence for supporting the usage of technology in educational environments. Recommendations for further research are made at the conclusion.
Anthony Saba
Boise State University
EdTech 501
July 26, 2009
Benefits to the Integration Technology in K-12 Education
The benefits of technology in education have been lauded for many years, from Thomas Edison’s 1910 proclamation that film would transform education, making books obsolete (Israel, 1998, p. 442) to the most recent phenomenon of using the Internet for instructional purposes. Large sums of money have been spent over the years on the researching and investment of new technologies for education, such as the 170 million dollars spent in the 1950’s on testing the use of television for educational purposes by the Ford Foundation, to the more recent investments in computer and networking infrastructure in schools which saw forty billion dollars spent in the decade leading up to 2003 alone. With so much promised and invested, the question begs as to what the benefits of using technology in education are, if indeed, they exist at all. This paper addresses that question by describing several of the benefits that technology brings to education including improvement in student achievement on tests, the benefits for students who have special needs and who are at-risk, improved attitudes towards learning, individualized learning, and the role of technology in acting as a catalyst for change in school pedagogy.
Technology Improves Student Achievement on Tests
There is mounting evidence that
Abstract
With a great deal of investment being put into outfitting schools with technology, the question of whether or not it is worth the investment is a valid one. This essay describes the benefits of utilizing technology in education by examining research from around the world which demonstrates that there is ample evidence for supporting the usage of technology in educational environments. Recommendations for further research are made at the conclusion.
Anthony Saba
Boise State University
EdTech 501
July 26, 2009
Benefits to the Integration Technology in K-12 Education
The benefits of technology in education have been lauded for many years, from Thomas Edison’s 1910 proclamation that film would transform education, making books obsolete (Israel, 1998, p. 442) to the most recent phenomenon of using the Internet for instructional purposes. Large sums of money have been spent over the years on the researching and investment of new technologies for education, such as the 170 million dollars spent in the 1950’s on testing the use of television for educational purposes by the Ford Foundation, to the more recent investments in computer and networking infrastructure in schools which saw forty billion dollars spent in the decade leading up to 2003 alone. With so much promised and invested, the question begs as to what the benefits of using technology in education are, if indeed, they exist at all. This paper addresses that question by describing several of the benefits that technology brings to education including improvement in student achievement on tests, the benefits for students who have special needs and who are at-risk, improved attitudes towards learning, individualized learning, and the role of technology in acting as a catalyst for change in school pedagogy.
Technology Improves Student Achievement on Tests
There is mounting evidence that
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