Computers in the Classroom and the Need for Improved Teacher Training Programs - Coursework Example

Computers in the room and the need for improved teacher training programs. By Jim Coyne With the advent of computers, the Internet, wireless communication devices and other innovations, technological advances have not only changed the way the world lives and works, but also the way the world learns. Only a century ago, the average classroom was a functional place, featuring little more than a blackboard, desks and a few books. In todays digital age, where power books have replaced loose-leaf notebooks and the blackboard serves as little more than a backdrop for a PowerPoint presentation, the classroom of the past would seem inefficient and ill-equipped to teach students anything but the most basic of skills. The advent of computers has brought sweeping changes to the way children nationwide are learning. In classrooms across the country, todays first-graders do their addition problems behind a computer screen and middle-school students conduct research via the Internet, rather than the local libraries. The addition of technology in the classroom exposes children to computers and gives them a basic understanding of their use, but few teachers use technology to its full potential, leaving students and society at a disadvantage. Although technological advances make teaching and learning easier, a greater effort needs to be made to prepare youths for the intellectually-driven jobs of the future. Job availability in the information services sector is expected to grow by 11.6 percent by 2014, creating an estimated 364,000 jobs for those well-trained in the field of technology (U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Outlook, 2003, paragraph 22). As well, the nation is expected to see growth in the "soft skills" job sector, such as customer service positions, which requires a workforce with good math, written communication and problem-solving skills (U.S. Department of Labor 21st Century Workforce Initiative, 2004, paragraph 3). Just as the characteristics of the American classroom have evolved over the past few decades, the American workforce is also seeing a shift from manual, factory jobs to intellectually-driven service jobs. As technology continues to change and improve lives in todays global community, it is crucial that the American educational system keep pace by implementing technological advances in the classroom to improve the academic performance of students and ensure that our nations youths are prepared when they enter the ever-evolving and expanding U.S. job market. In response to growing concern nationwide about the poor academic performance of the countrys schoolchildren, President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act in to law in 2002. The measure places greater accountability on teachers and school administrations to ensure that all youths learn the basic skills needed to survive in the modern world, and eventually the global workplace. Since the law was enacted, spending in the nations schools has risen 39 percent (U.S. Department of Education, 2005, paragraph 2 http://www.ed.gov/nclb/methods/teachers/teachers-faq.html,). Despite the addition of computers to the classroom and the No Child Left Behind legislation, there is still much work to be done to ensure the future career-readiness of the nations youths. Although there has been some improvement in student academic performance, as indicated through annual progress testing, even the Department of Education admits that there are still gaps. On average, the nations 9-year-olds are posting the best scores in reading and math since 1973 but some schools are failing to meet the educational needs of its students (U.S. Department of Education 2005, paragraph 9). The Department of Education (2004) says that "closing the achievement gap, raising student achievement and measuring progress are non-negotiable" goals for the nations schools (NCLB Fact sheet, 2005, paragraph 11). Fewer than 20 percent of teachers nationwide feel prepared to meet the needs of todays diverse student population (U.S. Department of Education 2005, paragraph 6). Only 36 percent of teachers say they are "very well prepared" to implement curricula to improved student academic performance (U.S. Department of Education 2005, paragraph 7). Part of the No Child Left Behind legislation provides funding for training programs to improve teacher skills in math, science, history, special education, reading, bilingual education, early childhood education and technology. The bill provides $4 billion for teacher training and state and local school boards will determine how those funds are used. A significant portion of the training funds should be used in a nationwide plan designed to better educate teachers how to implement technology into their classroom lesson plans. Gilbert (1997) believes that technology should not only be used to support a childs desire to learn, but also as a pathway connecting between people and information. He contends that along with technological advances, society has seen the birth of a number of new terms such as "distance learning," and "lifelong learning," and that as students and teachers become more comfortable with these terms and the technology with which they are associated, a world of new educational opportunities presents itself. As technology continues to evolve, classroom curricula needs to adapt to take full advantage and ensure the integration of computers and learning. Computers can be used to expand a students world and allow them to travel virtually anywhere in the world. Many researchers say that children are more open to learning when they understand the purpose for the lesson. Memorizing grammar and math rules are better retained when the student understands the real-world concept in which those rules are applied. One example of innovative computer-classroom integration is described by Rusten (2001) who tells of a project by LTNet-Brasil. The project allows for international collaboration between students in Brazilian and U.S. schools. Such collaborations not only open up a whole new genre of social studies, but intercultural learning also fosters understanding between countries and teaches students to think globally rather than locally. As well, by being globally connected via information systems, schools can participate in educational and scientific research. This is of particular benefit to poorer countries Advances in the field of information technology are seen by some as a double-edged sword. The changes create an atmosphere of ease and efficiency, putting world literally at ones fingertips, but they also create a divide. Those who are not able to keep up with the changes are left at a significant disadvantage, both in the business and educational sectors. Todays generation, often referred to as N-geners, is the first in history to out pace and overtake adults on the field of technology and many educators and parents look to children to help them understand computers and computing (Kashmanian 2000). As youths are often eager to adopt cutting edge technology, some adults find it useful to seek the opinion of youngsters before implementing technological changes. In Finland, for example, 5,000 students were chosen to teach educators how to use computers (Kashmanian 2000). In the United States, John Seely Brown, as the chief scientist at Xerox, hired 15-year-olds to do design work and to teach others of potential learning environments of the future. Such ideas should be encouraged to better serve students. Turning the classroom tables, so that the students become the teachers and the teachers become the students is just one approach that could help to revamp the educational system to enhance learning. According to Kashmanian, N-geners are transforming the world, playing an important role in business, social order and even technology. She warns, "Through their massive demographic muscle and unconstrained minds, N-geners are creating a new world. This world is one in which any idea, regardless of how threatening it may be to the social order, has a voice and can spur radical views on such topics as business and the process of democratic governance.” ((Kashmanian 2000). Although Kashmanians view sounds dire, the reality is that all generations make their mark on the world, and N-geners are no different. Adjusting the education system to meet the unique characteristics of N-geners is necessary to ensure that they have the knowledge and skill muscle to flex when they enter the job market. Tapping into the N-gener knowledge base will also help teachers learn better ways to adapt their curricula to maintain the attention of their students. Todays youths are constantly mulitprocessing (Brown 2002). Doing several things at one time, such as watching television while doing homework, talking on a cell phone while driving or listening to music while browsing the Internet can make focusing and concentrating on one thing seem difficult. Overcoming the multitasking personality of N-geners has created a unique challenge for teachers: How to capture a students attention and keep it (Brown, 2002). Brown says: "Most of us experienced formal learning in an authority-based, lecture-oriented school. Now, with incredible amounts of information available through the Web, we find a new kind of learning assuming pre-eminence-learning thats discovery based," (Brown, 2002) He further adds that the World Wide Web will transform society just as electricity once did. Although classrooms and school budgets must evolve with that transformation, there are obstacles which prevent the successful integration of technology into the classroom. The most common obstacle is lack of teacher training. Nationwide, most schools posses the technology needed to properly train todays youths for tomorrows jobs, but many teachers say they are not properly trained to use the equipment. In most classrooms, computers are used as an instructional aide. Overcrowded classrooms often rely on computer programs to teach students the fundamental skills like reading, writing and math, but few expand their curricula beyond basic skills learning. Most school districts have technology in place to make a difference, but these systems are not used to their full potential because teachers are not adequately trained to use them. In my recent survey of preschool, elementary and secondary school teachers, 88.9 percent of educators said that they felt information technologies may have a positive impact on student grades, but only 40 percent said they felt they had adequate training to fully use the equipment. The survey indicated that while more than half of the schools surveyed upgrade their computer systems at least once every other year, most teachers receive less than six hours of training on the systems each year. About 33 percent of teachers said they receive between six and 24 hours of training on the schools computer systems. Although 60 percent of teachers surveyed reported having had between 20 and 60 hours of computer use training in their lifetime, the results suggest that school systems do not make training teachers on updated technologies and programs a priority. A teacher not understanding technology can also hinder its effective integration into the classroom setting. Ptaszynski says that in his experience with education, he has often seen cases where new systems are “bolted” onto existing systems, because administrators did not understand their full potential (Ptaszynski, 1997). Two teachers may have the same software, but one teacher will find innovative ways of implementing it into teaching, while another may not fully understand it, therefore refrains from using it (Trotter 2003). Educators are the most important aspect of any school, and to helping them understand technology will enable them to assist their students in reaching their full potential. Teachers and school administrators must keep pace with the changing world and allow educators the training necessary to evolve with the technology world (Gilbert 1997). Some research suggests that the use of information technology in conjunction with teaching is spreading faster than any other form of curriculum change and moving into mainstream facilities (Gilbert 1997). "There is no longer any question about whether or not information technology will become an integral part of education. There is only the question about when and how," Gilbert writes. Technology and computers should not replace teachers, but should be part of a good, modern curriculum. Technological advances bring exciting innovations to the classroom, but teachers must be trained to use them to their full potential. School districts, when planning their annual budgets and expenditures, should include training for teachers to educate them as to the best uses for their computer systems. Ongoing technical support and mentoring is also necessary. Teachers should not only use the proper way to use systems, but also ergonomics and the arrangement of computers in a classroom setting (Kashmanian, 2000). Kashmanian writes "An informed, balanced approach to technology infusion is key, " (Kashmanian, 2000). As technological advances continue to improve the lives of people worldwide, ensuring that our nations schools keep pace is essential to improving the academic performance of our nations youths. In hopes of better training a technology-strong future workforce, and to aide in learning, many school districts have distributed laptops to students. Others require learners to use a personal digital assistant in class and most require students to write papers on a computer. These measures are a good start in giving students the technical skills they need for the future, but more needs to be done. Nationwide, people are demanding better education for the countrys youths and holding teachers and schools accountable for poor academic scores. Such demands are necessary to ensure that todays schoolchildren are properly trained to enter tomorrows workforce. Technology is an important tool in closing educational gaps, but teachers need to receive the necessary training to better understand their computer systems and use them to their full potential. As the No Child Left Behind legislation mandates, schools throughout the United States need to be overhauled to better serve the nations schoolchildren. As stated earlier, U.S. Department of Education data tells us that since the enactment of No Child Left Behind mandates, some schools have seen improvements in reading and math scores. What the data does not tell us is if these schools with the improvements use computers to enhance student learning or if teachers are better trained than others to use technology in the classroom. How interesting it would be to know this. Without this bit of knowledge, we must go by the data provided in teacher surveys, which tells us that educators themselves feel ill-equipped to use technology to its full potential. This puts our nations youths at a great disadvantage. By expanding on the No Child Left Behind measures to include better teacher training in the field of technology, we not only ensure a bright and prosperous future for the nations youths, we also ensure that the American workforce will be strong competitors in the global economy for the generations to come. References Brown, J.S. (2002) Growing up digital: work, education, and the ways people learn [Electronic version] United States Distance Learning Association Journal http://www.usdla.org/html/journal/FEB02_Issue/article01.html. Gilbert, S.W. (1997). Re-focus on learning and teaching: educational uses of information technology for everyone [Electronic version] The Technology Source, April, 1997 http://technologysource.org/article/refocus_on_learning_and_teaching;_educational_uses_of_information_technology_for_everyone/ Kashmanian, K. (2000) The impact of computers on schools: Two authors, two perspectives [Electronic version] The Technology Source, August, 2000 http://technologysource.org/article/impact_of_computers_on_schools/ Ptaszynski, J. (1997). Taking an active role in educational reform [Electronic version] The Technology Source, November, 1997 Rusten, E. (2001). Using computers in schools. Retrieved December 18, 2005 from http://learnlink.aed.org/Projects/brazil_print.htm Ruth, S. (April 1997). Leveraging information technology in education: Better models (and maybe fewer computers) needed [Electronic version] The Technology Source, April, 1997. http://technologysource.org/article/taking_an_active_role_in_educational_reform/ Trotter, A. (2003) Preparing teachers for the digital age [Electronic version] Education Weekly, September, 1999 http://counts.edweek.org/sreports/tc99/articles/teach.htm United States Department of Education (October, 2004) A Guide to Education and No Child Left Behind http://www.ed.gov/nclb/overview/intro/guide/guide_pg16.html, Retrieved January, 2006 United States Department of Education (September 2005) Fact Sheet, Op-Eds http://www.ed.gov/news/opeds/edit/2005/09182005.html United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2003, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Washington, DC. Retrieved January, 2006 http://www.bls.gov/oco/oco2003.htm United States Department of Labor 21st Century Workforce Initiative , Washington, DC. Retrieved January 2006 http://www.dol.gov/21cw/office.htm Read More