Tuesday, July 13, 2010

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Using technology to facilitate k-12 instruction

How technology has changed and facilitated k-12 instruction

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Using technology to facilitate K-12 instruction

A description on how technology can assist and facilitate k-12 instruction.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

The following website gives more information on school technology
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te800.htm#skill






Modern society has become very technological. With all the rapid advancements in the world, it has simplified our daily activities; we depend on technology. A decade ago, people relied on technology, but not like we do today. In present day, everyone has a cell phone that can do anything a computer can do, but in the palms of your hands. Laptops have become so compact that you can have on you at all times. Even schools have become more computer base. Most research databases are web based. Teachers in school are relying on computers because it makes it easier to make lesson plans, PowerPoint and researching information for class. As technology advances, we will soon not have the need for human interaction such as school. Online education has grown so fast that more people are inclined to take classes online due to the convenience of it.
Since online education is growing rapidly among K-12 education. Online learning is the newest way of distance education. Online education has become the newest way of distance education. It has grown rapidly over the years among K-12 education. Distance education involves the internet, web, and the online interaction between the teacher and the student. It seems that online education would be beneficial for many students. There has been little research on whether online education would be effective for first and second graders. The North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL) has done some research and has answered questions about online learning K-12 context (Technology integration, 2007). “Based on a national survey of school districts, the US Department of Education estimated 328,000 public school enrollments in online or video-based distance education courses in 2002-2003.” (Smith, Clark, Blomeyer, 2005) They have also found that at least 59 percent of public school districts have enrolled a student in an online course and 55 percent have been involved with videoconferencing. This does not mean that soon children will not be attending schools, but it shows a dramatic increase on the preference of online education. Taking some online classes can teach children to manage their time and learn to follow directions better.
Children in today’s society are so technology adept and have learned about computers through searching the web and learning by themselves. A survey has found that 71 percent of teens have found all their research for school projects through the internet and 34 percent of young children ages 12-17 years old have downloaded study aides from the internet (Honey, 2005). Since most school children rely on the internet, teachers need to teach children on how to determine whether the research that they have found is credible because there are a lot of inaccurate information on the web. A big population of children in the US has computers in their homes and they spend most of their time instant messaging friends which can help with homework, or group projects.
In conclusion, it is very important that children learn about computers and have the knowledge of the internet so they can benefit from it. There are some controversial views on whether children should be learning so much about computers and relying on information that they find through the web. Having children spend a lot of their time on the computer is not good for their health, but in moderation and for school purposes, children can benefit from the information that is provided on the web. Our society needs to remember that our children are our future, and our future will be based on more technology. Online learning will become more popular as time progresses. There will be more research conducted on the effectiveness of technology in first and second graders.