Evaluating Technology Use in the classroom

 Technology is evolving continuously. How would you explain Technology use in the classroom?

 Should technology be used just because it is there?

 Should..

• Students type on a Word document instead of using pen on paper?
• The teacher use powerpoint presentations using an LCD projector to teach a lesson?
• Students use laptops in class and research their projects with the guidelines given by the teacher?

The question is should we use technology such as computers, laptops, LCD projectors just because they are available in our schools? Does technology replace the lecture form of teaching? How do we use technology effectively in the classrooms? Should technology replace teachers?

Most of the times it is difficult for the teacher to monitor the laptop screens of each student.It is difficult to assess the kind of learning that is taking place. The means of technology used in the classrooms should allow for an intense teaching learning process. Technology should be used to reinforce the lesson rather than replace the teaching process entirely. Technology has pushed reading books to a backseat. Students prefer to browse the internet for information rather than look up an encyclopedia. Reading books are often ebooks than a physical book.

Technology does allow students to create and share their knowledge with an audience they would never would have had access to without technology. It has opened a whole new world (literally) of opportunities and communication.

Technology allows students to be in touch globally, watch and learn about the progress in various walks of life. In the process it has also helped them become very competitive because they become aware of their contribution in today`s global scene.

Use of technology such as data logging devices and the various sensors in science experiments help the students to get very precise data that they could analyze and arrive at near appropriate conclusions.

Virtual happenings and animations help to reinforce concepts well in a class. In science and mathematics involving three dimensions, the computer animations make the understanding absolutely clear. You tube and other videos  make the whole journey of learning very fulfilling. I have used them often in the astronomy class and it was very enriching.

I still remember that I could not imagine how a volume of revolution would look like in calculus until I watched an animation of the same while teaching the topic to my students. Virtual labs should be used in place of physical labs in experiments that involve safety or ethical issues and in labs that require very precise answers.

The technology used should be more interactive. The teacher should be able to walk around the classroom and the learning should be simultaneous than restricted to projections by an LCD projector. The assessment then will be  subjective.

I find technology immensely useful in the science classrooms. However as I have said earlier technology should supplement the learning process but should not replace the communication between the student and the teacher. The learning process should remain human and not be totally mechanized.

Educators should undergo frequent professional development routines and be in sync with the technology developments. It is only then that they will be able to use it effectively in a classroom.