The Importance of Technology to 21st Century Learners Evan Sellers April, 2010 Throughout history technology has been

the driving force of change. From movable type, to television, to the Internet, technology has been embraced and incorporated into our daily lives. Within the constructs of civilized society, the vast rewards of technological innovations have far outweighed the negatives. The digital revolution has altered conceptions of time and distance. It has created a wealth of information that is available at the stroke of a key. Not since the invention of the printing press has the distribution and consumption of information been so democratized. The rapidly changing technological landscape has put students and teachers in the cross-hairs. Can students be positively impacted by this digital revolution? Has the wave of technology that has swept through in recent years improved teaching and learning in the classroom? Utilizing various research tools such as Boise State University's

Albertsons Library database, Google Scholar, and other online tools to access peerreviewed journals, this paper will demonstrate that technology in the classroom results in increased student performance. great intro, Evan. -Barbara Schroeder 5/6/10 7:51 AM

Technology in the Classroom Technology already plays a huge role in the lives of students. Present day high

school students have grown up with computers and the Internet being as ubiquitous as televisions and radios to the previous generation (Bennett, Maton, & Kervin, 2008). Students rely heavily on electronic and digital communications such as email, texting, and mobile phones (Rideout, Foehr, & Roberts, 2010). Technology has gottenget in the habit of not using this word a lot when writing scholarly paper. Use "become" for instance, in this sentence. -Barbara Schroeder 5/6/10 7:52 AM faster, smaller, wireless,

and more integrated and this technological revolution must be reflected in modern classrooms. Weaving technology into the curriculum and assessment is paramount to improving pedagogy. Students and teachers alike must be fluent in the language of modernity and wield the tools of the digital age with ease. "The important issue for the evolution of school curriculum is not the availability and affordability of sophisticated computers and telecommunications, but the ways these devices enable powerful learning situations that aid students in extracting meaning out of complexity" (Dede, 2000, p. 16).

Importance of Technology Proficiency As an educator in the 21st Century, it is imperative to integrate technology into the curriculum for a variety of reasons. Students can gain from the use of technology and improve performance in the classroom. Students need to be exposed to and familiar with current technologies in order to compete in a world marketplace. "Children today need a global awareness and new economic and civic literacies to work seamlessly with various technologies and integrate those in dynamic social environments"(Lee & Spires, 2008, p. 77). The world is dominated by technology in all forms and in order to be successful students must posses 21st Century skills (CEO Forum, 2001).

Incorporation of Technology Leads to Student Gains Students of all levels and abilities, as well as teachers, benefit from technology in the classroom. Research has shown that when technology is implemented in the manner befitting the academic arena that students show positive academic and social progress (Wenglinsky, 1998). Technology has widespread positive effects on a variety of curriculum areas and is not limited to just math or science classes (Kulik, 2003). In

addition, students can benefit from from a wide variety of technological integration ranging from remedial tutoring to high level thinking (Ringstaff & Kelley, 2002). Furthermore, teachers that have been trained tend to incorporate technology more efficiently and improve student achievement (Ringstaff & Kelley, 2002). Successful technological integration is coupled with teacher education and continuous staff development (Gulbahar, 2007). Skilled teachers will empower students to utilize the tools of technology in productive and meaningful ways. Going beyond the low level usage of technology and allowing students to incorporate technology into problem solving will generate critical thinking and higher level learning. When teachers allow students to take an active role in their learning they tend to make more meaningful connections and by using technology students can increase their educational efficacy (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 2006).

Conclusion The modern classroom is in the midst of a revolution in the way students learn and teachers teach. Some studies have demonstrated that utilizing technology in education can be exceptionally beneficial to students and that the increased gains haven't yet been accurately measured (Waxman, 2003). It is imperative that policymakers, educators, and citizens embrace and adapt to the change. Crucial decisions must be made by legislators, administrators, and teachers in regards to the implementation of technology in schools to ensure that technology is properly incorporated and utilized (Roschelle, 2000). Technology is a critical tool and must be effectively researched, managed, and employed in order to benefit students and teachers alike.

References

Bennett, S., Maton, K., & Kervin, L. (2008). The digital natives debate: A critical review of the evidence. British Journal of Educational Technology, 39(5), 786, 775. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2007.00793.x

CEO Forum on Education and Technology. (2001, June). The CEO Forum school technology and readiness report: Key building blocks for student achievement in the 21st century. Retrieved from http://www.ceoforum.org/downloads/report4.pdf.

Dede, C. (2000). Emerging influences of information technology on school curriculum. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 32(2), 303, 281. Retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.24.3613&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Glbahar, Y. (2007). Technology planning: A roadmap to successful technology integration in schools. Computers & Education, 49(4), 943-956. doi:10.1016/ j.compedu.2005.12.002

Kulik, J., Kulik, C. C., & Bangert-Drowns, R. L. (1985). Effectiveness of computer-based education in elementary schools. Computers in Human Behavior, 1(1), 59-74. doi:10.1016/0747-5632(85)90007-X

Lee, J. & Spires, H. (2009). What students think about technology and academic engagement in school: Implications for middle grades teaching and learning. AACE Journal, 17(2), 61-81. Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/d/24971/ proceeding_24971.pdf

Rideout, Victoria J., Foehr, Ulla G., & Roberts, Donald F. (2010). Generation m2: Media in the lives of 8 - 18 year olds (Report number 8010). Retrieved from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation website: http://www.kff.org/entmedia/8010.cfm

Ringstaff, C., & Kelley, L. (2002). The learning return on our educational technology investment: A review of findings from research. Retrieved from the WestEd website: http://www.wested.org/online_pubs/learning_return.pdf.

Roschelle, J. M., Pea, R. D., Hoadley, C. M., Gordin, D. N., & Means, B. M. (2000). Changing how and what children learn in school with computer-based technologies. The Future of Children, 10(2), 76-101. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1602690

Scardamalia, M., & Bereiter, C. (2006). Knowledge building: Theory, pedagogy, and technology. In K. Sawyer (Ed.), Cambridge Handbook of the Learning Sciences (pp. 97-118). New York: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://ikit.org/fulltext/ 2006_KBTheory.pdf

Schacter, J. (1999). The impact of education technology on student achievement: What the most current research has to say. Milken Exchange on Education Technology, Milken Family Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/ contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED430537

Waxman, H.C., Len, M., & Michko, G. M. (2003). A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of teaching and learning with technology on student outcomes. North Central Regional Education Laboratory. Available online at: http://www.ncrel.org/tech/effects2/ waxman.pdf

Wenglinsky, H. (1998). Does it compute? The relationship between educational technology and student achievement in mathematics. Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service. Retrieved March 6, 2002, from ftp://ftp.ets.org/pub/res/technolog.pdf.