TECHNOLOGY In 2010 and Beyond......

TECHNOLOGY In 2010 and Beyond......

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  Today’s data cloudsare swirling violently on the leading edge of a modern-day storm front that is on the verge of exploding around us with cluster bomb-like data grenades bursting their way onto the scene. While many are still reeling from the past decade of exponential information growth, the coming years will see billion and trillion fold increases, the likes of which are destined to overload every system currently on the drawing board. - Thomas Frey TECHNOLOGY In 2010 and Beyond…….
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  Has changed theway we acquire information, organize and retrieve information Is shaping the way we think, work and live K-12 students are developing under a Digital Wave Youth have been completely normalized by Digital Technologies - it is a fully integrated aspect of their lives (Green & Hannon, 2007) Children are establishing a relationship to knowledge gathering which is alien to their parents and teachers.(Green & Hannon, 2007) Today’s youth are much more media-centric than previous generations. In fact, many people believe that the brains of today’s youths have actually become rewired to accommodate the thousands of hours they spend in front of the computer screens. It has also been said that today’s youth actually speak digitally. (Shelley, Cashman, Gunter & Gunter 2008 p. 15) Technology
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  Technology Use inthe Classroom or Not? Teaching in the future will be vastly different to that of today. Teachers today are slowly adapting to new Technologies. Many children attend schools that have Smart Boards. It has proved extremely popular with the students as they enjoy the interactive games while still learning. Computer-based Learning is increasing in the classroom as ‘Hands On’ learning is recognized as a beneficial tool. “Individuals or Learners create their own knowledge of the topics they study rather than receiving that knowledge as transmitted to them.” (Eggen & Kauchak 2001 p. 226) This theory of Learning is known as Constructivism. Teachers are able to change the way they teach and not just use a blackboard. Teachers roles will take on many changes in the future resulting from the many advances in Technology. Teachers will begin to take on roles as mentors and act as facilitators as students follow guidelines but follow their own paths.
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  The classroom environmentoffers other forms of Technology to aid in the Learning of Students. The Smart Board allows teachers to place students into Cognitive Apprenticeships. The Smart Board enables teachers to Model skills, students can then perform tasks on the Smart Board and teachers can ask questions and provide support known as Scaffolding. Students are encouraged by teachers to Verbalize their developing understanding which allows teachers to assess the students’ skill and thinking. With the numerous software available to teachers they can Increase the Complexity of problems and students are able to explore new applications socially to find the answers. THE SMART BOARD
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  SOCIAL IMPACT Thereis a concern that computer based learning can separate and cause people to be alone and physically inactive (Tomorrow’s Teacher, n.d.) in and out of the classroom. Students at school prior to 2010 would come home from school and play games with neighborhood children. The trend starting now and increasing into the future is that they are going on to MSN to chat or playing on Game Consoles. This Social Impact will affect children more and more into the Future. By using Smart Boards or other interactive media in the classroom, teachers can incorporate lessons that will encourage pupils to share ideas and knowledge. The changing technology will not eliminate the social aspect - it will merely change it. (Future look of Education, n.d.)
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  Futurist Thomas Freypoints out that information in the past was in text form in books. We read it, we memorize it, we listened to a lecture on it, we took a test on it and moved onto another topic or another book. Today, our society no longer learns auditorily. We are now visual and spatial learners. (Future look of Education, n.d) Learning may also become separated from the classroom. This would enable the learner a Anytime, anywhere, on demand Learning forum.
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  SUMMARY The primaryreason Teachers do not use Technology in their classrooms is a lack of experience with that Technology (Wenglinsky, 1998; Rosen & Weil, 1995) Wenglinsky found that teachers who had received professional development during the last five years were more likely to use computers in effective ways than those who had not participated in such training (Associated Content, 2007) The above reflects a characteristic of Professionalism - Professional Knowledge. The more knowledgeable you are, the better able you will be to capitalize on its excitement and rewards. (Eggen & Kauchak, 2001 p. 6) It is inevitable that education WILL change in Tomorrow’s World due to the rapid increase in Technological Advancement. This should be something we embrace as Technology is unavoidable and to advance in the future it is to our advantage to always continue to be Learners. Technology will improve teaching and learning and ensure that our students also become well rounded and knowledgeable citizens making positive contributions to Society.(Tomorrow’s Teacher n.d.)
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  REFERENCES Education andthe Future of Technology YouTube “ Did you know?” (n.d.) Retrieved 27th January 2010 from http://www. youtube .com/watch? v=vPO_HGafBsE %feature=related Eggen, P., & Kauchak, D. (2010) Educational Psychology Windows on Classroom Eighth Edition French’s Forest Pearson Future Look of Education (n.d.) Retrieved 8th January 2010 from: http://educationalissues.suite101.com Futurist Speaker Thomas Frey (n.d.) Retrieved 8th January 2010 from: http://davinciinstitute.com Green, H., Hannon, C. ( 2007) Their Space Education for a digital generation Retrieved 8th January 2010 from http://www.demos.co.uk/files/Their%20space%20-%20web.pdf?124093942
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  REFERENCES continuedShelley, GB., Cashman, TJ., Gunter, RE., Gunter, GA. (2008) Teachers Discovering Computers: Integrating Technology in the Classroom Fifth Edition Thompson Course Technology: Boston Tomorrow’s Teacher (n.d) Retrieved 8th January 2010 from http://www.teachers.tv.com Using Technology in Today’s Classroom (2007) Retrieved 8th January 2010 from: http://www.associatedcontent.com