Technology in the Classroom

Technology can be used in a variety of ways to enhance students’ education. However, it is important to note it cannot fully replace a real human teacher. Computers cannot understand or care the same way a real teacher can but the resources provided by computers and other technology can add a lot of resources and help to a teacher’s arsenal.

First of all, the World Wide Web provides teachers and their students with an almost infinite supply of information.  Teachers can find all kinds of help in planning lessons and teaching content while students can find vast amounts of informative research for projects. Second, computers give teachers access to new and interactive ways to teach as well. An example of this is webquests. Technology also provides students with creative ways to portray what they learned. For example, instead of writing a paper on a topic, they might make a documentary of it or blog about it.

This semester, my repertoire of teaching strategies and techniques has grown significantly. For example, I knew nothing about webquests or how to use podcasts in an educational setting. I also learned how to find good teacher resources such as blogs by respected educators and how to keep track of these using Google Reader or Delicious. All in all, I am very satisfied with all the educational resources that have been revealed to me as well as those I have discovered on accident this semester.