Technology in the Classroom.

Technology has now become an expected feature in the modern day classroom. Varying from laptops, iPads, tablets, interactive whiteboards and even robots, a vast amount of schools now contain and use different technology. So, is technology improving children’s learning? Have teachers got the right balance between using technology and pencils? What will be used in the classrooms of the future? What will I be using in my classroom in years to come? My knowledge on this matter can only be drawn from my own opinions and my personal of technology in the classroom so far.

In my recent school experience, the interactive whiteboard was a main feature of each lesson. As well as engaging the whole class the technology also assisted with the termly, weekly and daily planning. Lesson plans were shared within the year group and a sequenced schedule was followed for each topic. The technology involved the class teachers to open a flipchart created purposefully for that lesson, that topic and even the time of year; all flipcharts were stored away in co-ordinated files. This enabled a constructive and invaluable resource automatically made available for each lesson, which the class teachers could build from and edit depending on the requirements of the class. In addition, educational video clips, images, games, puzzles and website links were saved and stored which provided a wide range of inclusive resources for each lesson.

Consequentially each lesson was extremely varied meaning all children were engaged and excited to learn. The children’s attitudes towards learning was that ‘learning is fun’ and the class teacher and I certainly achieved this through using different technology to make lessons attractive to different types of learners: auditory, kinaesthetic and visual.

On the other hand, there is the idea that if the technology is used consistently then it becomes less of an appealing feature and more ordinary and accepted within a lesson. The interactive whiteboard had become part of the class’s daily routine however there was a healthy balance of exploratory talk, peer interaction, reading, writing and listening etc.

In my opinion I believe that as long there is a healthy balance between the uses of technology and ‘traditional’ learning within a lesson then the overall impact can be extremely effective. The pace in which our world is evolving is dramatic therefore children need to be provided with the opportunities to stay up to date with their world and prepare for their adult life. However I think it is crucial that skills such as reading and writing independently, without the help of a computer, are paramount within a child’s education.

This module will allow me to make technology a key aspect to think about and plan into my future teaching. There is no doubt that technology will only evolve and it is important for me to feel confident using it in the classroom to facilitate productive teaching as well as considering the well being of my students.