Elizabeth Mangan

Scenario 1: When is Web-based Learning Worth It?

Rooks and Wilson (2010) identify the importance of using technology effectively
in the classroom:
A classroom full of the latest digital products does not by itself create
great teaching or support student learning. Technology is merely a tool to
facilitate meaningful instruction between a teacher and students as well
as create interactive opportunities that were impossible 10 years ago.
Without good teaching, technology is useless. The classroom application
is as important as the tool itself. To better prepare students to succeed,
educators must embrace new teaching strategies that connect effective
technology with pedagogies that support student achievement. (p.5)
Todays students can be referred to as Digital Natives. (Rooks & Wilson, 2010,
p.1) These students are part of a generation where technology has played a
large role in their growth and development that has affected their thinking and
way of processing information. The issue with this is that teaching and
learning approaches have not kept pace with the evolving technological culture
and the reality of todays student. (Rooks & Wilson, 2010, p.1) It has become a
notable challenge to keep todays students engaged in classroom lessons. As

teachers, we know that tools, no matter how powerful their educational

potential, dont directly help our students to learn. (Harris, 1998)
According to Kurt (2010):
It is now well understood that the challenge of integrating
technology into schools and classrooms is much more human than
it is technological. Whats more, it is not fundamentally about
helping people to operate machines. Rather, it is about helping

people, primarily teachers, integrate these technologies into their

teaching as tools of a profession that is being redefined throughout
the incorporation process. (p. 66)
Understanding that teachers need support in order to effectively use
technology as a learning tool in the classroom, the School Board should
reconsider where they direct their funding in order to improve student
learning in their district.
Studies have found that using web-based lessons in the classroom
have increased student engagement, motivation, participation,
development of higher-level thinking, collaboration, independence,
learning and understanding. As a second grade teacher who teaches all
content areas, using web-based lessons in the classroom is an effective
way to promote and foster a successful learning environment. Despite
some negative feedback that classroom technology has received, there is
strong evidence to support that the use of technology in classrooms does
have a positive effect on students learning and progress in school.
According to several studies, it has been found that teachers were
using technology in the classroom for non-instructional activities and not
taking advantage of the technology tools that schools had available. Kurt
(2010) points out that less than 5 percent of teachers integrated
computer technology into their curriculum and instructional routines. In
fact, the overwhelming majority of teachers employed the technology to
sustain existing patterns of teaching rather than to innovate. (p.67) The
results of these studies further support the School Boards idea of

decreasing funding for technology in schools. However, the obvious piece

of why technology sometimes fails as an instructional tool in the
classroom lies in the fact that it is not technology per se that has
resulted in improved student outcomes, but rather how the technology
was used and integrated into instructional processes. (Kurt, 2010, p.67)
Rather than the School Board focusing on purchasing expansive
and the newest classroom technology, they should redirect their funding
to hiring individuals who can help and work alongside teachers in order
to teach teachers how to effectively use different technology in classroom
lessons in order to improve student learning. The problem that arises
with classroom technology is that teachers are not given the support
needed to use the technology. Because of funding, there are few training
that teachers can go to in order to learn about the technology in their
school and classroom. The lack of proper training does not allow the
teachers to use technology effectively. As a result of not providing
teachers with the trainings that they need, the technology is either not
being used properly or it is being pushed to the side and not being
incorporated at all into classroom lessons. Just as teachers need to adjust
their teaching in order to support the needs of individual students, the
School Board needs to adjust the way they support their teachers.
Providing teachers with the education and support that they need in
order to use technology effectively as a learning tool in the classroom is
key to achieving student success in the classroom.

As stated earlier, the students of today are more technology savvy

then students 10 years ago. Teaching, using the same methods without
adapting to the changing times is not a conducive learning environment
for the students. Traditional teaching methods are incompatible with
methods that support technology integration. To integrate technology
fully into teaching and learning, teachers must use new instructional
strategies. Therefore, technology adoption in schools will not be
successful unless teachers are willing to change. (Kurt, 2010, p.75)
Hiring individuals who can help re-teach and support teachers teach the
students of today using technology in their classrooms, will be the most
effective way for teachers to learn how to incorporate technology into
daily content lessons. Having the newest or most expansive technology in
the classroom does not necessarily ensure student success. How
teachers use technology and how teachers engage their students with
technology, will ensure student-learning success.
References
Harris, J. (1998) Wetware: Why Use Activity Structure? Learning and
Leading With Technology
Kurt, S. (2010) Technology use in elementary education in Turkey: A case
study. New Horizons in
Education, 58(1), 65-76.
Rooks, T., Wilson, J. (2010). Turning Technologies Student Response Systems
Transforming the K-12 Learning Experience. Retrieved from
www.TurningTechnologies.com