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Technology for innovation in education

Name Withheld for Grading Period

Dr. Alison Binger

University of the People M.Ed.

March 17, 2021

Technology for innovation in education

Today’s times are marked by fast change. Across the globe, there has been an outstanding

exhibit of human mobilization, international collaboration, and technological revolution that is

innovating every aspect of society. Yet, education remains, in most cases, unchanged from its

basic structure of the 1980s. In A New Essential Curriculum for a New Time (2010), Jacob

ponders whether students feel like time travelers as they walk through the school doors every

morning and are transported to a past time, only to then end the school day and return to the 21st

century. The time-traveling analogy reveals the outdated nature of school systems due to a lack

of innovation and authentic learning in school. Here, innovation in education through authentic

learning experiences, particularly through the use of technology, will be explored, showcasing

best practices and how teachers can become agents of positive change efforts in school.

Authentic learning is meant to provide a bridge between what students are taught in

school and real-world concepts, issues, and applications. Authentic learning can successfully

prepare a student for their post-school lives as their education becomes rooted in the real world

and seizes to be abstract (ACEL, 2016). Unfortunately, many education institutions, and

consequently their students, lack authentic learning given the misalignment of content and skill

taught in school versus those that are applied in the real world.

One concrete example of misalignment in school and society is the use of technology

within the school setting. Technology is revolutionizing every area of society, from industries to

social media, yet it has yet to take a center stage within education. Under the SAMR model

(Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition) for technology to be aiding

innovation in the class, it must be used under the modification and redefinition categories. This

implies that technology no longer just augments or substitutes learning but it redefines learning

(Burbules, Fan, and Repp, 2020). Unfortunately, most classrooms continue to be limited in the

use of tech, by only incorporating computers, electronic textbooks, or search engines as a way to

complement learning.

To catch up with the times, the educational system must transition from a passive

integration of technology to an active one, incorporating state-of-the-art technologies such as app

design, coding, and artificial intelligence into the classroom (Burbules, Fan, and Reep, 2020).

For this integration to be successful teachers must not only be adept to change but also highly

trained. Reforming the professional development model applied in the school to implement tech

training for all teachers is a key aspect of innovation of education. Additionally, collaboration

amongst teachers to navigate the teaching of new concepts and new skills related to technology

would suggest teachers are prepared and embracing a curriculum change. Adopting technology

as a cornerstone in each class would be tremendously beneficial for each student as it will

develop real-world competencies that are of high demand and that are integral for today’s

globally connected world.

In my class, like in many other classes, technology has taken a consistent but passive

role. The use of technological platforms such as Microsoft Office, google suites, and search

engines, help students learn but are not stimulating new tech learning. To become an agent of

change in my school I must embrace novel technologies and incorporate them into my

curriculum. A great way of doing this is by substituting usual platforms, such as google sites,
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that students use to showcase products with platforms that students have not been exposed to but

are key in today’s world, for example, apps. Using student-friendly software, such as MIT app

inventor, students can learn to develop apps while at the same time explore classroom content.

Integrating technology as a foundation in my classroom would affect how I work and how I

teach since it would require a lot of preparation on my part. Yet the benefit that it would provide

my students would be enormous since my classroom would become an accurate representation of

what they will be exposed to in their post-school lives.

During the COVID 19 pandemic the world has faced over the last year, technology has

proven to be an unstoppable force that can bring together people from opposite ends of the world

and that will play a crucial role in the years to come. Because of this, technology is key when it

comes to education innovation and should be used for the redefinition of what learning looks

like. Technology skills should be comparable to reading and writing skills as their applicability

in society is ever-growing. To become agents of change, teachers must fearlessly and

determinately incorporate novel technologies in their classrooms and thus better align students'

education to the realities.

References:

ACEL. (2016). Authentic learning: what, why and how?

http://www.acel.org.au/acel/ACEL_docs/Publications/e-Teaching/2016/e-

Teaching_2016_10.pdf

Burbules, N.C, Fan, G., & Repp, P. (2020). Five trends of education and technology in a

sustainable future. Geography and Sustainability, 1(2), 93-97.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geosus.2020.05.001

Jacobs, H.H. (2010). A New Essential Curriculum for a New Time. Curriculum 21: Essential

Education For A Changing

World. http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/109008/chapters/A-New-Essential-

Curriculum-for-a-New-Time.aspx

Juvonen, J., Le, V., Kaganoff, T., Augustine, C., & Constant, L. (2004). Whole-School Reform

Models. In Focus on the Wonder Years: Challenges Facing the American Middle School

(pp. 98-111). Santa Monica, CA; Arlington, VA; Pittsburgh, PA: RAND

Corporation. https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/2004/RAND_M

G139.sum.pdf