Technology in Education: Three Articles

• Article Summary: Why Wikis? • Article Summary Continued: Why Wikis?• Reflection: Why Wikis?• Article Summary: Virginia Launches ITunes U Portal• Article Summary Continued: Virginia Launches ITunes U Portal• Reflection: Virginia Launches ITunes U Portal• Article Summary: Future Perspective• Article Summary Continued: Future Perspective• Reflection: Future Perspective• Conclusion

In the article “Why Wikis?” Author Ruth Reynard, Ph. D explains why wikis prove to be so very beneficial in an educational setting. Dr. Reynard believes that wikis are quick and efficient which is crucial in a school setting. Also, it is believed that the “Wiki tool can help develop processes such as Constructivism”, which many people consider an important part of the education system.

As well as informative, wikis promote participation by all members of the classroom when used in an educational setting too. With all members of the class involved a collective collaboration can increase how much an individual can learn because not as many students are lost or inattentive to the lesson. This said, students as a class can achieve classroom goals quicker than in a traditional setting.

Reynard, Ph.D, Ruth. (Apr. 2009). Ebscohost. IUPUI University Library, Indianapolis. 18 Apr. 2009. Keyword: Technology. Why Wikis?

I found this article to be very interesting. As a whole I have created man Wikis in my educational career. I believe that wikis are beneficial when working with a large class. Through personal experience I have found that wikis provide a student with numerous examples of people’s work because you can see all of your classmates wiki pages. This gives you an opportunity to revise and add additional information to your own wiki. I believes this correlates with the Constructivist idea in the article too, you build a better understanding of the project you are working on as well as the wiki itself.

The commonwealth of Virginia has developed a program via ITunes, a popular online database that allows for people to stream videos, music, and movies among other information. This program will allow for students in Virginia to “access free content from universities, colleges, and K-12 institutions”, any time day or night. With this program students can log on and find help and information on a variety of subjects.

“The portal, according to information released by the Virginia Department of Education, is part of a larger effort to "harness the power of digital media and mobile devices to expand and supplement classroom-based education.“” In addition to students benefiting from this program teachers can benefit too. Lesson plans and other materials are available in a wide variety of subjects to help teachers provide differentiation in the classroom.

Nagel, Dave. T.H.E Journal (2009). T.H.E Jounal. (Apr. 2009) 17 Apr. 2009 Virginia Launches K-12 ITunes U Portal, from http://www.thejournal.com

This article was very informative. I had no idea that school corporations would ever think about incorporating ITunes into the school curriculum. Many people especially kids have an ITunes account that they use at home already. Incorporating this into an educational setting that kids are already familiar with will make the learning transition easier for both students and teachers alike. ITunes never ceases to amaze me!

“Technology is on the verge of fundamentally reshaping the American education system.”

This article describes how technology has shaped and molded education. The author believes that “learning by doing” has been the driving force behind technological advances in the educational realm creating a “tremendous change for everyone in the education system”.

Along with shaping the educational system, future perspectives of technology are said to replace teachers. With this said, the article stresses that teachers will still play a vital role in educating students but will focus on interpersonal relationships and communication. Overall, technology in the classroom is very beneficial and has greatly advanced in the 21st

Century here in the United States.

Schank, Roger C. T.H.E Journal (2009). T.H.E Jounal. (Mar. 2009) 17 Apr. 2009 FUTUREPERSPECTIVE - A Vision of Education for the 21st Century, from http://www.thejournal.com

I was very impressed with this article. However, I did not agree with the idea of teachers being fully replaced by teachers. I believe that teachers will continue to play a vital role in the education system. There are some things like communication and interpersonal relationships like the article mentioned that cannot be taught via computers. Also, I believe that reinforcement by teachers using computers and there technology keeps a student on task and focused. Without a teacher students would be free to roam around the building all day!

To sum up, I believe that all of these articles are enthusiastic about the use of technology in the classroom. All three articles showcase how important technology is in the educational system. More importantly, each expresses how using technology in the classroom promotes more class participation which can never be a bad thing as far as a teacher is concerned.