Chapter 1- Educational Technology in Context: The Big Picture

 

In this chapter, the authors explain that integrating technology into teaching is very important. One of the reasons they give is that technology motivates students. I agree with this statement. When I was in methods last semester, I had my class use netbooks. As soon as I told the students we were going to use netbooks, I had their attention. The students enjoyed the activity so much that they asked if they could take home the slip of paper with the web address so that they could do it at home as well. The book says that technology gains their attention, illustrates real-world relevance through highly visual presentations, engages them through production work, connects them with audiences for their writing, and engages learners through real-world situations and collaborations (Roblyer and Doering, 2010, p. 14). I have had the opportunity to see this happen in the classroom that I was placed in. All of these motivators helped students to focus on what I was teaching them which is an important reason to integrate technology into teaching.

In addition, I agree that integrating technology into teaching can make the student and the teacher work more productively. The book says that technology saves time on production tasks, makes grading and tracking student work easier, provides faster access to information sources, and helps save money on consumable materials (Roblyer and Doering, 2010, p. 15). I believe that all of these reasons are important. I used activities online to help the students in my class practice certain skills, but there was no way for me to assess their knowledge. When I become a teacher, I want to use programs that will allow me to track the progress of my students. Also, I really liked that using technology saves money on consumable materials. I spent a lot of time copying things during my methods experience. If I could use technology instead, that would save me time and save the school money. I believe that this is another good reason to integrate technology into teaching.