Week 2 AS17 FIL 120 TTL2 Topic 2
Week 2 AS17 FIL 120 TTL2 Topic 2
Objectives:
In the path to personalizing learning, technology empowers students by giving them ownership of
how they learn, making education relevant to their digital lives and preparing them for their futures.
With technology and access to resources beyond classroom walls, students are inspired to become
problem-solvers, critical thinkers, collaborators, and creators. Where technology has been successfully
integrated into classrooms, students develop a lifelong love of learning.
Educators are always striving to personalize learning for students. Technology can help them reach
new levels with access to real-time student data, longitudinal information, content, apps, and more.
Technology can help educators create blended learning environments and leverage digital tools for
formative and summative assessments, bringing new models for learning and teaching to classrooms.
Technology in education and the right devices in students’ hands helps prepare them with the
career and technical skills they need to be successful today and in tomorrow’s workforce. Specific skills
in coding, programming, physical computing, and computational thinking have become common
requirements in the workforce. Through making, students can gain these skills and hone their problem-
solving and critical thinking skills for the 21st century. Learning by doing with maker mindsets and
environments can be very engaging when designed and integrated with the right technology.
Use of Technology in Teaching and Learning
Educational technology is a field of study that investigates the process of analyzing, designing,
developing, implementing, and evaluating the instructional environment and learning materials in order
to improve teaching and learning. It is important to keep in mind that the purpose of educational
technology (also referred to as instructional technology) is to improve education. We must define the
goals and needs of education first and then we use all our knowledge, including technology, to design
the most effective learning environment for students.
Instructional technology can also be seen as a process of solving educational problems and
concerns, which might include motivation, discipline, the drop-out rate, school violence, basic skills,
critical thinking, and the whole list of educational concerns. First, the problem is identified, an analysis of
the factors of the problem is made, and possible solutions to the problem are presented. Then, the
student population and the curriculum are analyzed. The next step is to select the most appropriate
instructional strategies for the particular situation. Next, instructional materials and resources are
selected that are suitable for the curriculum and the mode of instruction chosen. Finally, the program is
implemented, evaluated, and revised as needed in order to meet the stated goals for school
improvement.
The learning materials today have greatly expanded because of the various technological advances.
Instructional materials include more conventional materials, such as the blackboard, overhead
projectors, televisions, VCRs, overhead projectors, and slide projectors, as well as newer materials, such
as the computer, various software applications, LCD projectors, camcorders, digital cameras, scanners,
the Internet, satellite, interactive TV, audio and video conferencing, artificial intelligence, and so on.
Teachers in the public schools and faculty at universities need to understand what types of materials
are available, how to use them, why they should be used, when they should be used, and how to
integrate them into the teaching/learning environment in order to meet the ultimate goal of improving
education. Teachers also need to seriously consider how these newer materials can affect what and how
we learn and teach.
The issue of what these materials are and how to use them is a first step. But we must quickly begin
to discuss how these materials should be used and how they affect the curriculum and instruction in our
schools. Technology can be used to perpetuate a teacher-led, knowledge-based learning approach or it
can be used to help us implement a student-centered, constructivist, and progressive approach. We
need to help teachers to understand the bigger picture of how technology can revolutionize education.
Just teaching teachers how to use the technology will lead to enhancing a knowledge-level educational
system. Teaching them the real potentials of technology will lead to promoting higher-level thinking,
independent learning, and life-long learning.
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