Running Head: USING TECHNOLOGY WITH HEART

Using Technology with Heart

Sean Barry
State University of New York at Cortland

Running Head: USING TECHNOLOGY WITH HEART

Technology is becoming more and more prevalent in our ever-changing society and it is
necessary that teachers use it in their schools to help prepare students for the future. People in
the 21st century live in a technology and media-suffused environment, marked by various
characteristics, including: 1) access to an abundance of information, 2) rapid changes in
technology tools, and 3) the ability to collaborate and make individual contributions on an
unprecedented scale (The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2009, p. 5). Thus, it is necessary
that teachers regularly integrate engaging and interactive technology into their lessons in order to
help all students. In doing so, teachers are able to prepare students for living in a world where
technology is everywhere.
Every year, companies, such as Apple, are coming up with new technological ideas that
will better fit peoples needs. More and more jobs are integrating the use of technology as they
work to develop products and/or provide services more efficiently. In the future, todays youth
will be going out into the ever-changing world that is full of new technological advances and
they will be expected to contribute to society. It is necessary that technology be brought into
classrooms of students of all ages. As a result, teachers can better prepare their students for the
real world, a place in which knowledge of how to use certain technology is necessary in so many
ways. It is also extremely important for teachers to use technology in the classroom because
technology can provide different ways to enhance students learning experiences. There are now
hundreds of thousands of apps that students can use on the iPad to help them practice their skills
in all content areas, including math, language arts, science, social studies, and reading. SMART
Boards allow teachers to create interactive experiences for students while they are teaching in the
front of the classroom. The Internet is yet another way that teachers can enhance students
learning by allowing students to work collaboratively. Students can also use the Internet to

Running Head: USING TECHNOLOGY WITH HEART

showcase the work that they have done as well as that which their students have done. Not only
is technology necessary to help students acquire the skills to succeed in the real world; It is also a
tool that works to enhance learning experiences of students and appeal to all learners.
There are many ways to use technology in meaningful ways in the classroom. When
teachers make meaningful use of technology in the classroom, they are using technology to
appeal to each individual child and create learning opportunities that best serve the needs of the
entire class. Technology used in the classroom must be flexible so that students who are handson learners can benefit just as much from it as auditory and visual learners. Technology should
also accommodate for students with disabilities to make sure that they can learn effectively. It is
important that all activities integrating technology into the classroom are developmentally
appropriate. This means that these activities should be helping students practice and develop
skills that are typical of students at a given stage in their development. According to the National
Association for the Education of Young Children, a type of technology is developmentally
appropriate practice if that technology is age appropriate, individually appropriate, and
culturally and linguistically appropriate (2012, p. 6). In other words, when teachers integrate
technology into their classrooms, they must first decide whether it can benefit all students in their
classroom, given the ages, learning styles, and cultural backgrounds of those students. In this day
and age, it is essential that students learn the essential skills for success in todays world, such
as critical thinking, problem solving, communication and collaboration (The Partnership for
21st Century Skills, 2009, p. 1). Due the fact that technology is so prevalent in todays world, it
is necessary that technology be used to help children acquire and develop those essential skills.
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills states, To be effective in the 21st century, citizens and
workers must be able to exhibit a range of functional and critical thinking skills related to

Running Head: USING TECHNOLOGY WITH HEART

information, media and technology (The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2009, p. 5).
Technology not only can help children develop critical thinking skills but also problem solving
skills and creativity. Teachers must introduce a curriculum that Enables innovative learning
methods that integrate the use of supportive technologies, inquiry- and problem-based
approaches and higher order thinking skills (The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2009, p.
8). When teachers effectively incorporate technology into the curriculum, it creates an inclusive
environment where all students can learn the skills they need to live and succeed in the 21st
century.
In the future when I have my own classroom, I plan to use multiple sources of technology
to help my students learning process.Seamless integration is when students are not only using
technology daily, but have access to a variety of tools that match the task at hand and provide
them the opportunity to build a deeper understanding of content (Edutopia, 2007). Although this
may be challenging as not all children will have worked with certain technologies before, I will
make sure that I am thorough when explaining to the students how to use the technology that I
offer. I will also be very patient with students as they learn how to use the technology provided.
I will make sure that I am available to help students with using the technology, whenever help is
needed. Before I decide to integrate a certain type of technology into my classroom, I will first
consider whether that technology is developmentally appropriate for the particular students in my
class. Koehler & Mishra (2009) states, Also complicating teaching with technology is an
understanding that technologies are neither neutral nor unbiased (p. 61) meaning that it is up to
teachers to decide when it is appropriate to use certain technologies. I will make sure that I
always plan ahead and try the technology myself first before incorporating it into my lessons.

Running Head: USING TECHNOLOGY WITH HEART

One type of technology that I plan to integrate into my classroom is the iPad. The iPad
has so many apps that are designed to help students succeed, including ShowMe Interactive
Whiteboard, math games, such as Math Bingo and SushiMonster, and classroom management
tools, such as ClassDojo. I found the ShowMe Interactive Whiteboard to be helpful, as it allows
the teacher to record lessons so that students can watch them over again if they are struggling
with certain material. Interactive math games like Math Bingo and SushiMonster give students a
fun way to develop their math skills. ClassDojo is an excellent app that I found that helps
teachers keep track of the attendance and behavior of all students in their class. It also provides
an easy way for teachers to communicate with families. I would make sure that my classroom
has a SMART Board and I would use it regularly. The SMART Board is a great way for students
to be actively engaged in lessons. Prensky backs this up by stating, There is a great deal of
evidence that childrens learning games that are well designed to produce learning, and lots of it
by and while engaging kids (Prensky, 2001, p. 12). The interactive component of both the
SMART Board and the iPad allows students to be fully engaged in their learning, which enriches
the learning process, thus assuring that students are acquiring and developing the skills they need
to become productive citizens in the 21st century.

Running Head: USING TECHNOLOGY WITH HEART

References
Edutopia Team. (2007). Why Do We Need Technology Integration? Retrieved April 3rd, 2016,
from http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-guide
Koehler, M. & Mishra, P. (2009). What is technological pedagogical content knowledge?
Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 9(1), 60-70. Retrieved April
3rd, 2016 from http://www.citejournal.org/articles/v9i1general1.pdf
National Association for the Education of Young Children [NAEYC] and the Fred Rogers Center
for Early Learning and Childrens Media at Saint Vincent College. (2012, January).
Technology and interactive media as tools for early childhood programs serving children
from birth through age 8. Retrieved April 3rd, 2016 from
http://www.naeyc.org/content/technology-and-young-children.
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (2009). P21 framework definitions. Retrieved April 3rd, 2016
from http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/P21_Framework_Definitions.pdf
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants part 1. On the horizon,9(5), 1-6.
Retrieved April 3rd, 2016 from http://www.nnstoy.org/download/technology/Digital
%20Natives%20-%20Digital%20Immigrants.pdf.