Friday, August 3, 2012

Technology's place in the 21st century classroom



    Technology in education is a tool that is going to play a very important role in the 21st century classroom. I feel thrilled to see how useful it is to have information in 1 click, how any kind of data can be organized and easily accessed, how communication in and beyond the class can solve problems of learning using specialized software like drill and practice, word processing, e-mail, internet searching, among many others which help educators match these resources to address problems that can not be easily solved in the class. But, it is very important that schools and administrators acknowledge the importance to turn teachers into useful technology guides which means that training in this area is a must in order to minimize gaps between how young people seize these technological tools and how teachers collaborate to reduce the negative exposure to them.  Schools attendance might be reduced due to the advances in the use of digital tools in education like for example distance learning. Technology will surely dictate trends in education, but I consider that children in elementary schools should have more essential school experiences that allow them to build loving relationships with others, carryout more outdoor activities, explore nature, learn poetry, enjoy story telling, listen to books read aloud and maintain a balanced relationship with technological gadgets, that will contribute to build up and develop technology expertise when they reach high school and later when innovations challenge their life.