Ashlee Harms

EDU 225
Instructor Arsenault
1 March 2015
Technology and Its Many Uses in Instruction
Part One Presentation: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1IhpcfU7HHr_0CdFjM9NibkxJFmuF3guoDa51DOomko/pub?
start=true&loop=false&delayms=60000&slide=id.g636efb9f3_0121
Part Two:
In 2015, Technology plays an important role in several aspects of our lives, education being
no exception. With the ever-growing demand for technological literacy in our society, it is vital
as teachers to stay up-to-date with the technological advances and their everyday uses in our
lives. Educators can utilize technology to enhance instruction through online professional
development, creating engaging presentations, and by creating opportunity for the class to utilize
technology in their learning both in and outside of the classroom.
Educators have the ability to use technology, such as any internet-connecting device, to
research the subject matter that they are teaching as well as pedagogical methods and strategies.
Endless resources are available to educators to help create or share lesson plans, instructional
strategies, or to keep up to date with the latest advancements in instructional technology.
Educators can also utilize technology to research scholarly and reliable sources when looking to
further their knowledge in their subject area to teach to their classes.
Educators can also utilize technology not only to help students to be engaged during the
lesson but to actually learn the material more thoroughly. In a research conducted by Dr. Cheung,
where over 60,000 K-12 participants were studied, over 84 qualifying studies revealed that:

Consistent with previous reviews of similar focus, the findings suggest that educational
technology applications generally produced a positive, though small, effect in comparison
to traditional methods (Cheung 2012).
Technology enables educators to use video, audio, websites, presentations, and more to aide in
keeping their classes attention throughout the school day. In a study conducted by The College
of New Jersey, they found that: Educational technology such as PowerPoint improves students
attitudes toward the instructor and course presentation. In addition, the results suggest that
PowerPoint presentations may improve short-term memory depending on the topic under
discussion (Nouri & Shahid 2005). If teachers are able to keep a students attention, the student
will naturally be able to learn more from the lesson plan.
It is vital that students in the 2015 classroom develop or have the ability to use technology
effectively. Incorporating technology into the classroom not only improves memory, attitude, and
performance, but it improves students technological skills. John Frische, Director of Education
and Technology and recipient of a Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award, stated
that: If you dont know how to use a computer when you graduate from high school, you are
illiterate in todays world (p.50 SREB). Part of our duty as educators is to prepare students for
college or the workforce once they graduate from High School, and neither of those are fully
possible without some amount of knowledge regarding technology.

Educators can achieve great success in innovating the learning experience for their students if
they are willing to utilize what technology has to offer. Technology can aide teachers in
professional growth and students in their learning and achievement, which is ultimately what we
as educators are pursuing.

References:
Southern Regional Education Board. (n.d.). Using Technology to Improve Instruction and Raise
Student Achievement. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://publications.sreb.org/2001/01v02_2001_outstanding_pract.pdf

Cheung ACK, Slavin RE. How features of educational technology applications affect student
reading outcomes: A meta-analysis. Educational Research Review. 2012;7(3):198215.

Nouri, H., & Shahid, A. (n.d.). The Effect of Powerpoint Presentations on Student Learning and
Attitudes. Retrieved from http://web.bryant.edu/~gpae/vol2/04-046 The Effect of PowerPoint
Presentations on Student Learning.pdf