Technology In Schools BY Desmond Thomas

How many of you like using technology in school?

 75 percent of tomorrow’s jobs will require use of technology.  An example is becoming a teacher.

Thesis  Although technology gives access to information, it can be a distraction.

The teachers that are new to using computers say it takes time and effort to learn about technology Training teachers to use computers can be costly and time-consuming. There are Some teachers that are unwilling to participate in extra training.

 Teachers that use computers to make lessons say it is not easy finding the right material online to make a lesson.  teachers may spend a lot of time planning lessons and they become overwhelmed. Teachers say

THE NUMBER OF SCHOOLS USING LAPTOPS ARE GROWING In Fort Morgan, the Board of Education invested $500,000 in new technology to improve education But spending this much on technology means that they had to make budget cuts on teaching positions

 The board of education also approved the purchasing of 124 smart boards  The cost of buying each smart board was about $1,287 each  So the total amount spent on the smart boards were $159,588 Continued

 A school district in North Carolina placed an order for 131 iPod touches to be used to help kids with their reading and writing.

 Some college professors banned laptops from their classrooms.  The teachers that banned laptops think they are a distraction to their students.

 the students that have laptops usually get distracted by: › Checking s › Surfing the internet › Looking for games › Messaging friends

NO BENEFIT studies showed that technology does not have a significant benefit to students’ grades

Studies Show!  There was a study on Students that spend more time on computers for recreational use.  Those students performed worse than expected on reading and literature.

 Some Teachers think that students who used practicing software to study performed worse on tests than students that were practicing the normal way

Monitoring o There is software to monitor computers. o This software is used to make sure students are doing what they are supposed to do on the computers.

Blocking  There are also programs that block some websites.  But there are ways of getting around these programs.  You can use proxies to get around website blocks  And even though website blocks work for http sites some of these programs do not support https

Technology costs  A school spent $380,000 in a year on technical support.  In 2004 the U.S invested about $66 billion into technology  Public and private sources for educational technology are projected to total $30 billion nationwide this year.

More Costs o Technology also has other costs to owning it to make it even more expensive. o Other than maintenance costs, there is software that is needed for school learning. o Most of schools that had technology spent a majority of their budget on technology maintenance and programs.

Positives

The types of technology we use in schools are: Laptops Desktops smart boards TYPES OF TECHNOLOGY

0 Laptops and desktops can be used for research, making photo stories, word documents, power points, videos and podcasts.

Smart Boards  Smart boards can be used for presentations or bringing out a lesson either with notes or demonstration on the board

 People who graduated from a school using technology are more successful in finding a job afterwards Because of their experience

 Technology can increase parents’ involvement in their children’s schooling.  Teachers posting grades on websites makes it easier for parents to keep track of their children's’ progress.

Technology improves interaction  Technology also showed improved interaction among students and between students and teachers.

Interview agreements  The teacher that I interviewed agreed that the positives of technology outweigh the negatives.

 students usually like the chance to be creative and do things hands on.

 The teacher that I had an interview with said that if He had to choose something to add to technology;  it would be a sound booth for recording podcasts.

video

Additional interview info  The teacher that I interviewed said that he would like it if the people that were wary of technology actually gave it a chance to show it’s potential

More info The teacher that I interviewed also said that there can be difficulties with technology There could be network problems so teachers cannot log on a computer to teach a lesson they were planning before

o Most students prefer typing or reading something on the computer rather than writing or reading on paper. o If you have internet access you can find information that you are looking for at any time. o in some schools if you miss a day you can check the assignment you missed on a website and do the work you missed at home. Learning-disabled students can master complex problem-solving skills as well as nondisabled students with the support of educational technology.

Alternatives O There are alternatives to using programs that you have to pay for. O Instead of using Microsoft programs that you have to pay for to make papers or power points or anything there are free alternatives. O The most popular free programs that you can use for making papers are Google docs and open office O The popular free alternative programs for making power points are either using Prezi or using once again Google docs

WHAT I THINK ABOUT TECHNOLOGY IN SCHOOLS