Technology+in+Education


 * Summary of White Pages -Technology in Education **

Preparing students for lifelong learning requires new approaches to education that incorporate technologies in students’ everyday lives. While the importance o﻿f reading, writing, and arithmetic still exist, educators need to look at these and other subjects in new innovative ways. By using readily accessible technologies to engage and inspire students, they take a more active role in learning.

As the technology for business and personal use evolves, so do the tools available to teachers to engage students in learning. By looking at changes in technology as an opportunity to advance student learning, particularly when a technology is already widely and readily adopted by students, educators can better engage students and give them a strong foundation for continued learning. Technology offers educators the opportunity to revisit old challenges with new tools. Instead of simply viewing technology as a skill set that students need to learn, it can be used to transform curriculum, providing students with learning that is more relevant and customized to their individual learning styles.

A large part of what is driving the need for new types of skills is an enormous shift in how people access information and how they communicate. With the introduction of the internet, information has gone from scarce to being at our fingertips, and it can be accessed using many different devices such as computers, PDA’s, and phones. New ways of communication are everywhere, from blogs and social networks to web conferences that connect anyone, anywhere, anytime. Many students participate in the publishing process by writing, sharing their stories, videos, music, and opinions, all with the intent of expressing their creativity and exchanging information. New forms of media, such as blogging, instant messaging, and social networking are redefining what it means to be connected, shaping the way people interact, how they make and maintain friends, network with colleagues, and live their lives.

 “Today’s students are the most wired generation yet. According to eMarketer, 95% of U.S. college students will use the Internet at least once a month. Their time spent online is measured in hours per day—not per week. On many campuses, more than 80% of students use social networking sites on a regular basis.”

The key to engaging the digital generation is for educators to apply the right technology at the right time and for the right application. By using technology teachers can present lessons in ways that best fit the learning styles of their students. The use of audio, video, and text can be used in tandem to reinforce concepts and enable students to engage the same ideas in multiple ways. In doing so, this means that educators must view technology not as “the enemy” but as an essential tool to motivate and engage students. By using technology to engage students, teachers can overcome problems with “emotional truancy,” where students show up for class but tune out the lesson.

====Since teachers generally are not digitally savvy, the key to success isn’t to simply add technology to the classroom. Instead, the focus needs to be on enabling teachers to integrate the technology into their curriculum, so they are comfortable letting their students use them. “Adobe believes that both K-12 and higher education will evolve along four paths to help ensure that current and future generations are engaged in the classroom and have developed the proper skills to succeed in the global economy. ====

==== • Customized: Educational institutions will need to offer personalized instruction to accommodate different learning styles and tailor courses and services to meet the individual needs of students, faculty, and staff. ====

• Collaborative: The level of collaboration between students and faculty will continue to grow, and faculty will increasingly become facilitators who help co-create knowledge. Students and faculty will work in face-to-face and virtual teams worldwide to tackle complex and sophisticated projects, and bring together different perspectives and skills.

====• Creative: By integrating the technology that students use, admire, and aspire to, education institutions will appeal to digital natives, driving innovation and enthusiasm and setting students on a path to success. ====

• Distributed: Students will increasingly be attending institutions virtually, making knowledge more accessible and available to a greater number of people.”

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