The Role of Digital Technology in Education - Term Paper Example

 Title: The Role of Digital Technology in Education Introduction The modern era has introduced the implementation of technology in many areas of life especially the education sector. Language learning has been made easy significantly with the use of technology. This paper seeks to identify what is the key role of digital technology in education. We will also look into what teachers think about their skills regarding putting technology into use in education, and what problems they face while doing this. We shall also discuss what kind of efforts students can put into their academics when their curriculum involves digital technology; and, what kind of technological tools do the teachers think are easy to implement and use while teaching languages. First an introduction has been given as to what contribution has technology made in education. Then, teachers’ technological skills and problems to the implementation of digital technology have been discussed. After that, various technological tools and concept are discussed like CALL and ICT, which the teachers can make use of to enhance the education. The report is summarized in a concluding paragraph, and Harvard referencing style has been used properly. What is the Key Role of Digital Technology in Education? Selwyn (2011) asserts that educators have been trying to modify their teaching process with the help of technology ever since the modern technological means came into market. According to Baker, early 1960’s brought with it “new curricula, instructional models, and approaches to individualization” (1978:3) of instruction. The problem was that teachers did not know how to manage the new instructional schemes. Today, an ideal classroom environment is dynamic in which each student presents his own understanding and is comfortable with his own set of instructional materials. Thus, the teacher needs to organize instructional schemes in such a way that all students with their unique qualities are equally attended to. Teachers started feeling the necessity of incorporating information and communication technology in education. This way, they could enhance the overall experience of teaching through the use of some most modern digital technologies like camcorders, multimedia, microphones, supervision cameras, and most of all, the internet. Technology helps students in their early years to gain independence in creating and designing things, and in understanding basic literacy skills (Massey University 2014). In later years, students can make use of information and communication technology (ICT) to do research and create innovative pieces of work. Libraries are available online, where students are able to access a wide range of literary and scholarly work of famous authors. Oldknow (2011) states in his book, that digital technology must be incorporated into the curriculum so that students may enjoy their educational activities while enhancing independent thinking. Technology is required not only for learning but also for social adaptation and media literacy that is beneficial for students in their personal and professional lives. Hence, the inclusion of digital technology not only helps students in their research process but also helps them become well-equipped professionals of the future. For example, In case of capturing digital images and making videos, children would require digital cameras and camcorders, respectively. The hardware required has got its benefits and weaknesses. The benefits include easy capturing of images and trouble-free video recording. There is ease of use together with fun and educational learning. The main weakness of this hardware is that it is too expensive to be used by young children at EYFS and primary stage. If the camera is too complex in structure for young kids to understand, they will get frustrated and might stop using it. Still, with correct supervision, all technological tools can prove to be very beneficial for students. Skype is one example of such a technological resource that can prove to be very helpful for students because they can make educational discussions with each other online. Multimedia has helped the teachers to use transcripts of their lectures which prove to be very useful for the students in understanding the concepts. This is not only an interesting way of teaching but also it is very effective. Moreover, with the growing use of ICT in schools, there is no reason why children with special needs should be ignored. There are a lot of digital technological tools available in the market and online that help children with special needs adapt to their new learning environment which is more efficient and more helpful to them. These tools help children who find difficulties such as language hurdles, cultural hurdles, writing trouble (dysgraphia), reading difficulties (dyslexia), math difficulties (dyscalculia), memorizing difficulties and environmental disadvantages. Special needs may be both physical and mental. Resources, like internet, discussion forums, special interest groups (SIGs), educational softwares and e-learning centers, have helped a lot in meeting the needs of these special children. Teacher’s Skills and Problems in the Implementation of Technology in Education Kong and Kwok (2005) studied that teachers appreciate the incorporation of digital technology in education if teacher-centered technological approaches are included in the teaching process. They also found that the teachers and the school administration work in a collaborative environment for the implementation and usage of IT in classrooms especially in language learning. Another similar research has been conducted by Ismail, Ghaleb and Almekhlafi (2010:37) who found that teachers’ support and willingness to incorporate technology in education is very important to obtain positive outcomes. They discussed the benefits of the usage of IT both for the teachers and the students, and found from their qualitative and quantitative research that teachers should be trained for better implementation of digital technology in classrooms. Hence, as Woodrow (cited in Ismail, Ghaleb and Almakhlefi 2010:37) asserts, “teachers are seen to be active agents in the process of changes and implementation of new ideas as their beliefs and attitudes may support or impede the success of any educational reform such as the utilization of an innovative technology program.” Technological advances have greatly facilitated education. The teachers today can use many technological tools to equip themselves while teaching their students. For example, the technological advances have greatly benefitted the learning of English language for students. Example: Digital Technology in Teaching Language The use of information and communication technology (ICT) in the classrooms has greatly facilitated the teaching of languages. Here, it is important to define the term ‘instructional technology’ and CALL. Instructional Technology Instructional technology means the usage of all kinds of communication media and devices to facilitate the teaching process. The Commission on Instructional Technology (cited in Gagne 1987:11) defines it in two ways: (1) It is the set of communication devices that can be used for instructional reasons, and may include television, computers, projectors, multimedia, audio and video conferencing, and the internet. (2) “It is a systematic way of designing, carrying out, and evaluating the total process of learning and teaching.” Teachers’ role is significantly important in bringing the idea of technology to education, and they have to be excited enough about the technological advances that can be used in the teaching of language. The use of instructional technology in teaching language, according to Yataran and Kural (2010:164), is not a new process as “It dates back to the times at which blackboard was used as the one and only technological tool supplementing language instruction.” They further state that blackboard was replaced with overhead projectors and overhead transparencies with the passage of time. Besides these, language teachers also started making use of visual aids like flashcards, wall charts, magnet boards and newspapers to facilitate their teaching grammar and translations. These methods were then interfered by the advent of newer and more sophisticated technologies like the audio-tape which was a basic constituent of the audio-lingual method where emphasis was more on repetitive drills in the language to be taught. The tape recorder became one of the most important language teaching aids for the teacher. Besides these, phonographs and radio broadcasts were also used in audio-based instructions. In 1960s and 1970s, teachers started using television and other visual aids to bring innovation to language teaching. Still, the teachers felt that more communicative approaches should be introduced in teaching language and the students should be made to face real-life situations. This could only be facilitated with the integration of computer technology in the classrooms which offered the most sophisticated tools and techniques that provided a shared collaborative environment to the students where they worked together to learn the language. Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) Language teachers today are more and more getting inclined toward the usage of computer assisted language learning or computer technology in their classrooms. In this section, we shall explain how computers are used in language teaching, and what do language teachers perceive regarding the usage of computer technology. Phases of CALL. The development that has been seen in CALL can be categorized into three phases: behavioristic CALL; communicative CALL; and, integrative CALL. Behavioristic CALL was based on the behaviorist theories of learning that were implemented in 1960s and 1970s. It focused more on drill and practice by emphasizing the importance of repetitive drills in the language. According to Taylor, the computer was considered as the tutor or a means by which the student could get his instructions from. Thus, various CALL tutorials were programmed and run on mainframe computers, for example the PLATO system which ran on PLATO hardware. However, the behavioristic CALL was rejected later both by the theoretical and pedagogical perspectives and due to the introduction of micocomputer. Communicative CALL was introduced in 1970s and was based on communicative approaches. This phase focused more on the usage of forms and grammar implicitly, and motivated the students to produce original utterances of the language. It creates such an environment in which the target language is made to sound natural. Several communicative programs were designed which were based on non-drill practice and focused on text reconstruction. Integrative CALL was introduced with the advent of the most modern technological tools like multimedia and the internet. With the help of multimedia, language teachers can now access various graphics, audio and visual aids, on a single machine. Hypermedia links together various multimedia devices and creates an interactive environment for the learner. It helps in linking audio and visual aids thus enabling the learner to perceive both the sound and the image at the same time. Teachers can enable the student to read, write, speak and listen, all together in one activity. With the help of internet, language learners are now able to connect with distant speakers of the target language using video conferencing thus enhancing their experience with the language while sitting in their classrooms. Language learners can also communicate with each other through the internet which is both convenient and cost-effective. Teachers can share short messages or long files and documents with their students at any time thus giving an integrative touch to using technology in teaching language. Conclusion To sum up, educators are getting more and more aware of that digital technology should be an important part of education because it provides great resources for learning and teaching processes. Children can be made well equipped with up-to-date information while being able to conduct their own research, do analysis, make decisions, share ideas and views, and learn to be creative and initiative using technological tools in their language learning. Teachers can use technological resources to teach more efficiently with good outcome. Technology is becoming inevitable in the educational and personal lives of students thanks to great advantages it offers. CALL suggests that computers can very effectively be used in teaching language. Computers can serve as tutors that provide an interactive method of language learning. However, how teachers perceive their contribution in the integration of technology in teaching language is very important as teachers as considered as keys to the language learning. Teachers need to get proper training and equipment so as to facilitate their teaching. They will have to spend their time and effort in first learning themselves how to use the technological tools and then enabling the students get benefit from these tools. The modern digital technology is providing a lot of sophisticated tools which teachers can use to educate the students. References Baker, F.B., 1978. Introduction to CMI. Computer Managed Instruction: Theory and Practice, Educational Technology, New York, USA. Gagne, R.M., 1987. Instructional technology: a history. Instructional Technology: Foundations, Routledge, USA. Ismail, S.A.A., Ghalib, A., & Almekhlafi, M.H., 2010. Teachers’ perceptions of the use of technology in teaching languages in United Arab Emirates’ schools. International Journal for Research in Education, vol. 27, pp. 37-56. Kong, S.P.W., & Kwok, P.LY., 2005. Teacher perception of the use of information technology in teaching: a school case in Hong Kong. ACM Digital Library. [Online] Available at [Accessed 17 April 2015] Massey University, 2014. Research@IoE: Digital Technology Use in Education. [Online] Available at [Accessed 17 April 2015]. Oldknow, A., 2011. Mathematics Education with Digital Technology, A&C Black, New York. Selwyn, N., 2011. Education and Technology: Key Issues and Debates, Continuum International Pub. Group, London. Yaratan, H., & Kural, C., 2010. Middle school English language teachers’ perception of instructional technology implementation in North Cyprus. The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, vol. 9, no.2, pp. 161-174. Read More