Website Mission
It is the mission of this website to assist in the development of learning environments that promote Career and Technical Education as well as academic excellence. To provide examples of effective 21st century teaching and learning strategies in order to assist in the development of more engaged and motivated classrooms. To provide multimedia Podcasts and articles to facilitate an understanding of how to implement technology and multimedia in classrooms regardless of content area. To encourage independent and personalized learning by teaching students to enjoy the process of learning. To assist teachers in becoming facilitators of learning.
Education Technology and Student Learning
The prospect of leveraging technology for student use can be somewhat daunting for administrators and school district officials, simply because of the seemingly endless options available. School districts want to provide students with access to the latest technology in order to enhance their learning experiences, but also have a responsibility to stay within budget. It is vital for them to invest in educational technologies that will prove to be cost effective for each specific district and still help students become 21st century learners. EmergingEdTech conducted a recent survey of teachers, administrators, technology specialists and others to determine which educational technologies have the most impact on student learning.
The top three educational technologies identified as having the most impact on students were as follows:1. Professional development for teachers
Any school can choose to implement as many forms of technology as the budget will permit. But unless the individuals tasked with carrying out those initiatives in the classroom (i.e., the teachers) are properly trained, the students won’t reap the benefits. Professional development opportunities must be provided so the teachers can learn not only how to use the tools, but also how to use them effectively in their classrooms.
2. Providing every student a computer and Internet access
Although this may seem like an impossible goal, it is the reality of living in a digital age society. For many students, Internet access is not readily available at home, and so school becomes the one place for them to be on an equal playing field with their peers. In addition, access to the Internet allows for the possibility of 24/7 learning opportunities.
3. Mobile technologies
High school teachers can attest to the fact that the majority of their students are bringing their own mobile devices into the classroom. Instead of constantly reminding the students to put those devices away, why not integrate them into the curriculum so that the students can use the technology as they learn?
Other technologies identified in the survey include: computer-based collaborative learning, social networking, flipping the classroom, tablet computers (iPads, etc.), and online self-learning resources (tutorials, etc.). One important note to mention about the responses collected during this survey is that over 70% of the participants taught at the high school level or beyond. This may indicate that educators at these levels are leveraging a wider variety of technologies in the classroom, compared to those teaching at the lower levels.
For more information about this survey, click here.
