Technology and School

Technology has become very essential to the educational process and therefore must be taught and utilized in each discipline in which students are taught. This is necessary so that all American students can compete with the global society. These international connections are important for the future of the world for trade, communications, health, science, political, and humanitarian inter-exchanges and advancements. Furthermore, American students must be equipped with technical skill-sets because they are needed in order for them to not only compete in this world, but to maneuver throughout life.
Learning through technology should begin with the very young; preschoolers can obtain technology skills by way of learning pre requisite skills for reading, writing, and math. These classes use a host of software which makes learning fun while students engage and acquire essential foundational skills. From letter- sound associations to quantitative and other math concepts, children at this stage are exposed and learn about the new wave of the future.
Elementary school students are using technology outside of the classroom, so it behooves teachers to use online textbooks for math and science assignments. English teachers demonstrate how websites can be utilized for gathering data for research papers and other assignments. For instance, using websites like Noodle Tools to gather research for papers is done efficiently and made more manageable for teachers and students alike. Student are engaged in an academic process that is beneficial to them and will help with their future studies long after high school. Communicating with the international school community when researching other cultures can be incorporated in a social studies class; it is a means to connect students with the global society. Using Smart Boards for teaching lessons about American History, writing reports and essays and then sharing them with other American students in other classrooms gives students great exposure to the depths of technology while learning. Students in a language arts class can develop their creativity by story- telling using clip art and other applications that are pertinent. In science classes technology can be used by Skyping to explore a meteorologist at work from a local science museum or television station. The possibilities are endless for students to learn, engage, and prepare for the future by combining technology with instruction.
Finally, high school students have not lost their inquisitive nature for learning more about technology. By using and incorporating technology in classes can only build onto their current knowledge. Teacher can captivate and engage these older students by being innovative. Moreover, this type of instruction helps these young adults make the connections of school, knowledge, and career acquisition. For instance, in a business class, students would learn about budgets and financial planning. They would then in turn learn to create a financial budget using an excel program on a tablet- graphing the information they can see a concrete plan. Another example would be to assign students to develop and present a power point on the food chain of carnivores of the northwest region of America in a Science class they have just studied.
Finally, these technology integrated lessons not only engage and educate students, they empower them and raise their confidence and insight. By meeting the common standards of the curriculum, these important skills enable students to compete in the world on a more leveled field.