Should Technology Continue to be Used in the Classroom?

EDUC 580: Integrating Technology in Education

March 6, 2021

Michael Carway
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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................1

Connectivism Philosophy of Education...........................................................................................1

Students Value Learning with Technology...............................................................................................1

Examples of Interactive Classroom Tools................................................................................................2
Why Teachers Should Continue Using Technology..................................................................................2
Importance of Digital Literacy and Copyright................................................................................3

Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................4

References........................................................................................................................................6
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Introduction

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic creating this new world of remote learning, technology

has been adopted as the go-to instructional tool in all levels of schooling across the globe. It

has given us this great opportunity of teaching our students from their homes without the worry

of overcrowding in school buildings. But once the pandemic is over, will schools continue to use

technology in their instruction, or will they return to more traditional ways of teaching?

Connectivism Philosophy of Education

Teaching with technology immensely helps students learn more than the old-fashioned,

pen-to-paper approaches. A new modern philosophy of education that supports this is

connectivism. The ideology upholds the idea that since our world is evolving and revolving

around technology, the traditional pedagogies simply do not cut it anymore. The internet is a

never-ending row of bookshelves that contain an infinite number of articles, messages, videos,

you name it. Per the belief of connectivism, students have this wonderful opportunity to

technology as a tool to learn externally from their own personal viewpoints and experiences and

connect with all the knowledge available online[ CITATION EHu17 \l 1033 ]. As educators, we

need to capitalize on the massive amount of information that is available at our fingertips.

Instead of treating our classrooms like their own, little worlds enclosed by and unknowing of

what happens outside of the classroom walls, we need to build windows where we and our

students can safely perceive the digital world of information around us.

Students Value Learning with Technology

Student Ethan Dickens [ CITATION Tec15 \l 1033 ] claims that technology is an

amazing resource that “can create an interactive learning experience like no other that can even

be better than teaching sometimes by real teachers.” He argues that using technology in a school
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setting removes the “weight off our shoulders,” both figuratively and literally. As opposed

to students needing to carry around heavy textbooks and binders, all they need is their light,

portable device. He also argues that when we engage with technology, we are engaging in three

critical learning skills: visualizing, listening, and carrying out a given task. Additionally, learning

with technology helps make learning more student-friendly in the sense that students can go at

their own pace with watching an instructional video or working through another assignment

online.

Examples of Interactive Classroom Tools

There are many technological, learning platforms that are proven to enhance student

learning. Pear Deck and Nearpod are great examples of interactive platforms that millions of

teachers use in their classrooms. The applications act like a slideshow in which the content is

presented on different pages. One bonus that both platforms have—in addition to a live

participation mode where the teacher controls the slideshow—is a student-paced mode in which

students can complete and navigate a presentation asynchronously. The platforms additionally

have a plethora of engaging activities and forms of assessments to choose from like a free-

response question that can display students’ responses anonymously, coloring, highlighting, and

insert features, a poll to temperature check students, and many more. Pear Deck has an edge over

Nearpod because it has a built-in literary translator with loads of available languages and an

audio recording feature that teachers can use on any slide for auditory directions. Nonetheless,

both platforms are incredibly beneficial for teaching and learning.

Why Teachers Should Continue Using Technology

From a teacher’s perspective, Scott Widman [ CITATION Tec19 \l 1033 ] states that

wondering whether technology is more beneficial or harmful in school is not what we should be
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asking ourselves. Students grew up in this age of technology; unlike people from older

generations, the youth are accustomed to living in this digital environment as it is a part of their

daily lives. Widman justifies the idea of taking phones away from students due to a school issue

like cyberbullying is pointless because they will wind up using their devices after school

anyway. As a workaround, he suggests we need to teach students how to responsibly and safely

use technology and interact with their digital world. There are many obstacles that students can

face when they are on the internet, and it is our job as teachers to educate and prepare them for

their future lives.

Importance of Digital Literacy and Copyright

With all the resources available on the internet, it is crucial to teach our students about

copyright. Any online source is somebody’s invention or idea and hence is that person’s

property. Copyright rules and regulations were created in the world we currently inhabit to

ensure people are accredited for their own creations. Consequently, we need to ensure we and

our students abide by them to avoid copyright infringement which is inappropriately using

someone else’s ideas as our own and not abiding by fair use laws. If we were to get copyright

stroke, we will likely need to take down our work that contains the copyrighted material and

additionally may be asked to give the owner something in return. There are several companies

out there that actively surf the web in search of copyright violations people commit to make

money off them [ CITATION KMo20 \l 1033 ]. Fortunately, just like there is a boundless

amount of people’s ideas on the internet, there are many resources that provide great insight on

how to abide by copyright and fair use. As teachers, it is vital for us to utilize these practices and

teach our students them to make sure we all obey the rules of taking other people’s resources

from the internet.

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Another downside of continuing to use technology involves the possibility of students

accidentally downloading malware on their devices or falling for scams. McAfee, a world-

renowned computer security company, claims that hackers have been thriving during the

pandemic since they design their malware and scams as COVID-19-related empty promises that

lure people in to click on the links who do not know any better [ CITATION PSK20 \l 1033 ]. To

counteract this, we can teach our students the red flags to be on the lookout for when reading

emails, text messages, listening to phone calls, etc. Some dead giveaways for scams include

offering a free gift or discount, claiming an account experienced unusual activity, or asking for

an update on contact information [ CITATION How20 \l 1033 ]. Additionally, we can inform

them to always keep their device’s software updated, keep their passwords private and unique,

using two-factor authentication for logging into an account, and backing up their files

to reinforce the safety of their accounts and personal information [ CITATION Com19 \l

1033 ]. If we build these good habits of internet safety and using it responsibly within our

students as Widman [ CITATION Tec19 \l 1033 ] implied and make them aware to not trust

people who send them messages or links, we should have little worry of the possible dangers

they may encounter on the internet ruining their virtual experiences inside and outside of remote

learning.

Conclusion

All in all, technology has proven to be an incredibly powerful instructional tool for

learning. The connectivism philosophy underlines the significance of letting our students explore

and learn from the digital world around us. Though technology usage requires a lot of

responsibility, teaching students to be accountable for their own actions is a crucial life lesson we

often teach or dream of teaching in our classrooms. Most importantly, our generation of students
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need technology because it envelops this world in which they have grown up in. Even though it

may be more foreign to us, this digital age is our student’s home.
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References
Computer Security. (2019). Retrieved from Federal Trade Commission Consumer Information:
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0009-computer-security

How to Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams. (2020). Retrieved from Federal Trade Commission
Consumer Information: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-avoid-
phishing-scams

Huezo, E. (2017). Connectivism: The Future of Learning? Retrieved from Online Insider:
https://insider.fiu.edu/connectivism-future-learning/

Morris, K. (2020). The Educator's Guide to Copyright, Fair Use, and Creative Commons. Retrieved from
The Edublogger: https://www.theedublogger.com/copyright-fair-use-and-creative-commons/

P, S., Karnik, A., & Grindstaff, L. (2020). COVID-19 - Malware Makes Hay During a Pandemic. Retrieved
from https://www.mcafee.com/blogs/other-blogs/mcafee-labs/covid-19-malware-makes-hay-
during-a-pandemic/

Technology in the classroom | Ethan Dickens | TEDxPascoCountySchoolsED. (2015). YouTube. Retrieved

from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gya4V_grs_o

Technology, The best or worst thing for education | Scott Widman | TEDxYouth@BSPR. (2019).
YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IbN1LxXevM