Effective teaching and technology
What is the relationship between effective teaching and technology in a classroom? Is there a correlation between effective teachers and the amount of technology that they use? Is it necessary to use technology to be an effective teacher.
Technology makes our lives easier. Computers, the internet, calculators, smartphones, iPads, software, apps, smartboards - all examples of tools that could be utilized to make learning easier for students both in a classroom and at home. If learning is easier, then, in my opinion, the teaching must be more effective. If I am able to access all the articles I need to write my research paper through google, then hurray for me! Please do spare me from going to the library, tediously looking up on index cards potential sources, then getting lost in stacks of periodicals searching for articles that I may or may not end up using. Again, technology makes tasks easier; in this case google.scholar makes research paper a lot easier than physically going to the library. Learning is easier with google.scholar because it gives a researcher the ability to find any sort of source that she needs, in seconds, for free, and remotely. In other words, this technology saves a lot of time and energy that can now be focused on learning.
So if technology makes learning easier, it should be implemented at full force in the classroom, right? Well, I think the important thing to remember is that technology is a tool. Tools are often misused for a variety of reasons. Here a few that I could think of:
1) We might not know how to appropriately use the tool. Always read the manual!
2) We might just want to use the tool because it is new. Should we drive the new snowmobile down to get the mail? You betcha!
3) We may use the wrong tool when a more appropriate tool is available (often because of the reason above).
4) We may jump straight to using a tool when there is value in learning how to do a task without the tool (not using calculators in math class, for instance).
We need to keep in mind what it is that we want our students to learn - our objectives, in other words. Then we utilize the technology (tools) that help us get to those objectives effectively. The relationship between effective teaching and technology is knowing how to effectively reach objectives through the tools that are available to the teacher and his students. Some objectives may not need to involve any technology other than pencils and paper. Other objectives may greatly benefit from using technology. Knowing which objectives ought to use technology and which do not is tough to determine. I think keeping in mind the 4 misuses of technology above is a good start in ensuring that the technology I use in the classroom helps to effectively reach objectives.
