Educational Technology
Dylan Mellenthin
Collin Hull
English 2010
4 December 2013
EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY
Schools today are becoming more and more advanced by using technology to teach
their students. The devices and programs are continually updating in class rooms each year
creating different learning experiences for students. I’ve personally witnessed teachers go from
overhead projectors to new ceiling projectors that run information through their
laptops.Regardless of our age we’ve all watched the evolution of technology and it continues to
change our lives.
Early in the 1990s, the Campus Computing Project reported that 10% of courses use
email as a communication tool. A decade later nearly 80% of courses use email, 58% use
internet resources, and 46% have web components (qtd. in Finnegan 143). In 2003 in the
United States, 56% of colleges and universities report offering fully online courses(qtd. in
Finnegan 143).How much funding goes into exploring new devices to help students? Do we
need to focus more on these innovations of education? Catherine L. Finnegan with the Board of
Regents of the University of Georgia explored this topic in her article “Technology:
Revolutionizing or Transforming College?”
As I spent the year identifying scholars who are currently writing in this field, I
realized that while a great deal is being written on the subject, very little is
generalizable. Often those experimenting are interested in addressing a need for
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a particular course or program. Other scholars thinking more broadly about
technology and its impact may be discussing theories that may not have been
fully tested at campuses with different constituents and missions. (Finnegan 144)
This report is going to explore educational technologies development for better or for
worse.Some argue that the advancements in technology could also create more distractions for
students while others say it opens up new doors for them. We will explore whether teachers
even need the help of technology to teach their students. The subject of educational
technology has a vast amount of information that can be explored.
IS THERE A NEED TO EXPLORE NEW TECHNOLOGY?
Technology is continually evolving at a rapid rate in this day and age. Everyone wants
the latest and greatest upgrades to keep up with the world.Smart phones are the best example
for this since there is a better, faster, or more powerful one coming out each year. The demand
for convenience in everyday life will always be unrelenting, and technology helps feed that
need. I’ve been allowed to use my smart phone in some of my classes to access information
requested from the teacher.
Figure 1: Some schools stay very current with the best
computers available to the world. Children respond
very well to education integrated in and taught with the
use of computers.
Educational Technology
In his article “Critical Issues in Advancing the Special education Technology Evidence Base” Dave
L. Edyburn a Professor at University of Wisconsin mentions this exact scenario involving
engaged learning and mobile devices.
Recognizing that students live in a digital world, schools will require them to
bringtheir own mobile devices to school to use in ways that foster meaningful
engaged learning that positively impacts students achievement. This could
accelerate the digital divide and/or further ostracize students with disabilities
who may be unable to use mainstream technologies. (Edyburn 18)
The tools we have in class rooms now are becoming more and more advanced as well as
expensive. A smart phone costs up to $600.00 brand new and laptops can be even more.
Teacher would not be able to incorporate smart phones into their lesson unless all students
were well equipped.
DO TEACHERS NEED NEW TECHNOLOGY?
Different classes have always depended on how a teacher decides to teach their class.
Throughout my years in school I’ve been taught by many different teachers with all types of
teaching methods. Some work better for me. Some work better for others. It can be hard to
determine whether your class would absorb more information through lecture, power point, or
a video. Some could argue that technology is still changing, but it’s being used for the same
operations just with more ease. Teachers use to have stacks of clear sheets for their lessons
demonstrated on the overhead projector as seen in Figure 2. Catherine Finnegan who is a
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member of the board of regents for the
University System of Georgia had this to say
“In considering this state of the literature, I
was struck by the idea that the use of
technology in higher education has not been
Figure 2: Overhead Projector
The information being presented usually stays the same for
classes. The equipment can differ between different schools
depending on their funding.
revolutionary, as early visionaries predicted,
but perhaps it has been
transformational.”(Finnegan 144)
If you look at the tools available in classes today there really isn’t much of a difference in
the way classes are being taught. Now they have the same information transferred on to their
laptop which plugs into the ceiling projector. Technology today has definitely transformed if it’s
compared to the earlier machines and devices. In the article “Looking Beyond Learning: Notes
Towards the Critical Study of Educational Technology” Selwyn from the University of London
talks about educational technologies progress. He talks about how hours of research is going
into finding innovations of technology. There is still so much that can be improved on in order
to assist students in school. On the other hand he believes that there are still so many core
areas of education that have gone unnoticed by this area of research. (Selwyn 66) What else
could we explore to help students improve their learning? There are several ways educational
technology can be applied to assist students with their learning. It seems that those unexplored
areas would be the most difficult to change or improve.
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WHAT CAN TECHNOLOGY DO FOR STUDENTS?
Some may argue that these new tools that teachers use in their class can be beneficial
such as being able to email information to students. This makes access to information or
contacting a professor very convenient for the students. In an interview Steve Jobs talks about
the technological advancements that have truly amazed him personally. He describes new
software called “itunes U” that several universities are using to upload lectures given by
professors. This information can be accessed by students that need to review and study more in
depth what their professor talked about (Jobs Web). This kind of technology changes colleges
and they way students learn.
The innovation and applications of technology can be unintended in some cases, but
when you have a student with a disability it doesn’t just make learning easier, it makes learning
possible. This is where great ideas could possibly change the lives of people that are unable to
keep up with the regular flow of a classroom. Leigh-Anne Tompkins is a great example. She was
born with cerebral palsy which limits her movement and confines her to a wheelchair. She
overcame her disability and graduated from Magna Cum Larde in Fine Arts. She now has her
own design company called Graphics Afoot Studio Design(Tompkins). Using a track ball mouse
she navigates the design programs with her foot and types with her head stylist.These special
accommodations are possible because of the advancements in technology.
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EDUCATION AND TECHONOLGY COMBINED
Technology can be applied to education in so many ways with both beneficial and
negative effects. It can create new opportunities as well as new distractions in the classroom. It
could be really amazing to explore this information, and the history of teaching devices. I’ve
only scratched the surface of this subject but that has opened up new doors to areas unknown.
These views intrigue me to dig deeper for a better understanding of this futuristic exploration
into education. It raises more questions like “What new inventions are they working on
currently?” and “How much will the education system change and how fast?”.Technology is a
vast subject that spreads into many different fields of life and never stops evolving.
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Works Cited
Edyburn, Dave. "Critical Issues in Advancing the Special Education Technology
EvidenceBase." Exceptional Children (2013): 7-24.Academic Search Premier. Web. 24 Sep
2013.
Finnegan, Catherine. "Technology:Revolutionizing or Transforming College." Innovative Higher
Education (2006): 143-145. Academic Search Premier. Web. 24 Sep 2013.
Jobs, Steve. Interview by Walt Mossberg. . 07 Oct 2011. Print.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hN_-qs2x4Bo
Selwyn, N. "Looking beyond learning: notes towards the critical study of educational
technology." Journal of Computer Assisted Learning (2010): 65-73. Academic Search
Premier. Web. 24 Sep 2013.
Tompkins, Leigh-Anne, perf. We Can Because We Think We Can. AssistiveWare, 2007. Web. 29
Sep 2013.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IjfwCpcD3mk
Figure 1:Lepi, Katie. 10 EdTech Inventions You Probably Don’t Know Yet. 2012. Photograph.
EdudemicWeb. 24 Sep 2013. <http://www.edudemic.com/10-edtech-inventions-youprobably-dont-know-yet/>.
Figure 2:Maughan, Jennifer. Who Invented the Overhead Projector. 2013. Photograph.
Life123Web. 24 Sep 2013. <http://www.life123.com/technology/homeelectronics/projectors/who-invented-the-overhead-projector.shtml>.
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