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8/13/2019 Farmer c 2014 Paper
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Technology,
Integration,Curriculum &
Constructivism
Pedagogy
EDTECH 504
Casey R. Farmer
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Abstract
Every year schools look at new ways to incorporate technology. Technology is thought
by many educators to be the new wave of teaching students 21st Century skills. With a society
that is controlled by technology it is up to the teachers to introduce these new technologies as
tools to enhance student learning. People of all ages are now relying on technology for many
aspects of their lives. From keeping up with family members to ordering groceries online, life is
changing and schools need to as well. For most teacher technology is not their strengths, they
are used to using textbooks and paper to teach their lessons. With schools now investing
millions into iPads, computer labs and smart board’s teachers now have to adapt with these
changes. For most teachers this is becoming more and more difficult because state standards are
not adapting with the technology. It is still expected for teachers to teach their standards and at
the same time utilize the new technology to enhance learning. The problem now is that teachers
are given all the resources and told to use them, but is never really taught how to use them in a
way to enhance learning. In other countries they too have adapted to the new technologies,
however they have also adapted their standards to fit in with the new technology teachers are
focusing on. This paper will focus on how teachers will have to adapt their teaching theory to a
more constructivist approach.
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Introduction
Technology, it is the tool of the future for education and to help prepare students for a
more globalized society. Almost yearly there are more and more new technologies that allow
researchers to question on whether or not it can be implemented in a classroom. Researchers
believe that when these new technologies are introduced into the classrooms, then classroom
performance and engagement both increase. Polly and Ausband in 2009 explained “countless
dollars have been pouring into the purchase of educational technologies and development of
infrastructure in schools,” however they go on to explain that “teachers still lack the necessary
knowledge and skills to adequately integrate technology into their instruction.” The amount of
research completed on this topic still does not prepare teachers for what to expect when using
these new forms of technology. Students change every year and so does the research, this makes
it difficult for teachers to utilize the same theories and strategies, because something that worked
one year will not necessarily work the next. Because of this some teachers have shifted their
learning theory view to a more constructivist approach. “Constructivists believe that with self -
esteem and desire to learn, students can become better learners by exploring and discovering
knowledge on their own” (Huwa, 2011). Constructivism is a theory that is enhanced by all of the
new technologies that schools are seeing all across the world. All humans hold the ability to
learn, they all learn at different rates and levels. Because of this it is important for teachers to
reach out to engage the students so they want to learn.
In my six years of teaching I have noticed that schools are pushing teachers more and
more to use technology. This is why I choose to do some research on this topic. As an educator
I feel that it is extremely important for teachers to know not just about the technology, but also
the pedagogy that goes along with using that technology. For me I figured that there has to be
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more than just teachers saying that they do not have the proper training or know enough about
the technology as reasons of not using it. There has to be something that is underlining this in
order to make it more believable for me. I say this because each year I see new teachers entering
the classroom and they are even less likely to use the technology. Yes, the new teachers that
grew up in the technology era are struggling just as much to integrate the technology.
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History and Defining Educational Technology
There is no one single definition for educational technology, but most people generally
have their own definition. For me I feel it is not just about the tools that are used in education
but in also the way they are being used to teach and the way that they are being used to enhance
student learning. Teachers have to utilize the tools they are given as an instructional tool that will
help guide the students into their learning. Educational technology takes the focus from a
teacher-centered classroom and puts the emphasis on the students to learn, making it a student-
centered learning environment. Once students begin learning on their own they begin the shift
towards the constructivist theory of learning. “According to constructivist theory, children learn
whole to part, not incrementally. The ideas and interests of children drive the learning process”
(Huwa, 2011). This is a theory that school districts across the United States are trying to focus
on. Teachers and schools across the nation need to know it is important but it is not just about
using technology, it is using the technology correctly and keeping the students engaged in the
learning. “Studies concluded that teachers who effectively integrate technology move toward
student-centered instructional practices” (Palak & Walls, 2009). Duncan Symons (2011) created
a list of meaningful ways technology adds to the classroom.
A shift from instructivist to constructivist education philosophy
A move from teacher-centered to student-centered learning activities
A shift from a focus on local resources to global resources
An increased complexity of tasks and use of multi-modal information
Educational technology really has been around just as long as education. However
technology has adapted. The underlining problem with technology adapting to society is that
education has not always adapted with the changing times. It is not that education has not
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adapted because throughout the ages the standards and curriculum has continued to change with
society. During the early 20th
Century in the United States there seemed to be a lot of focus on
physical education and geographical skills because of wars, and then took a dramatic shift during
the Cold War to science and math. Then after the publication about a nation at risk the focus
once again saw a major shift. Now in the United States we have Common Core and STEM
(Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). However with the entire changing
curriculum there never was focus on using technology to teach the curriculum. Research by
Shane and Wojnowski (2007) explains’ “professional development was needed to help teachers
understand how to incorporate various technologies as an authentic part of teaching and
learning.” One of the downfalls to technology integration is that it is constantly changing,
teachers need to be kept up with all the new technologies and changing theories.
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Technology Integration
Using technology in the classroom and using technology to enhance student learning are
two different concepts. Just because a teacher is using technology in a classroom, does not mean
that it is affecting the way a student is learning. If students are creating a PowerPoint just for the
sake of making a PowerPoint to use technology really is not showing anything that they are
learning. Most of the time we will learn that students are just copying and pasting information
they find on the internet into their assignments and taking no time to learn or read what they are
even learning. As a teacher I have had many assignments where students will turn them in and
leave the same website font and colors.
Schools districts all over the world are seeing the positive impacts that technology is
having on education. Because of all the advancements schools are investing the money for the
resources. “Technology is seen as a major component of school reform, significant amounts of
resources have been invested to equip schools with computer hardware and software” (Palak &
Walls, 2009). The most crucial aspect of utilizing the technology is purchasing the technology to
use. It should also be maintained, because if technology is not maintained then after a year of
use it will become slow and outdated.
Integrating technology is a difficult process for a lot of teachers. One reason teachers do
not like to use the technology that has been purchased for their classroom is because they do not
know how to use it in a meaningful educational way. “Although countless dollars have been
pouring into the purchase of educational technologies and development of infrastructure in
schools, teachers still lack the necessary knowledge and skills to adequately integrate technology
into their classroom”(Polly & Ausband, 2009). To be fair to teachers the technology is
constantly changing and updating. This makes it really difficult to become masters of using
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technology in the classroom. For a lot of teachers the constant change makes it very difficult to
integrate the technology. Shane and Wojnowski (2007) explain that, “teachers must be afforded
the opportunity to learn new teaching methodologies. A lot of schools offer professional
development training throughout the school year or even the summer to help teachers make this
shift. “Additional investments have been made into teacher professional development to help
them integrate technologies in the classroom” (Palak & Walls, 2009). Teachers like all other
professions need to be trained. This is very hard because teachers are already overwhelmed with
the amount of work that is expected out of them. The technology is sort of like a double edged
sword, great tool when learned how to use it properly but takes a lot of time to become
accustomed to using it.
One of the hardest obstacles for teachers to overcome when using technology in the
classroom is knowing how to create a plan to use it. As Kevin Besnov (2007) explained, “more
frequent technology integration is strategic planning that provides continuous professional
development.” Once a teacher begins planning lessons that utilize technology, the plans
themselves begin to act like a professional development because teachers are becoming more
familiar and more comfortable in using the technology.
Once teachers begin to implement all the different types of technology, it allows them to
expand their instructional methods. In other words it allows for differentiation through
technology. This makes the teacher’s job much easier. “Using technology to differentiate
learning allows teachers to begin to be smarter rather than working harder because it often
decreases the amount of time required by teachers to create differentiated content.” (Stanford,
Crowe, & Flise, 2010) Teachers spend a lot of their planning time trying to reach the abilities of
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all of their students. All students progress at different rates so it is very important for teachers to
find ways to teach to the needs of all of their students.
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Curriculum and Technology
Most teachers would explain the reason for not implementing technology is because they
have not been trained in how to use that technology. Research suggests that, “teacher must be
afforded the opportunity to learn new teaching methodologies” (Shane & Wojnowski, 2007). As
explained earlier it is important not just to invest in the technology, but it is just as crucial to train
the teachers how to use it. “There are many reasons why teachers do not use technology to its
full potential including limited classroom space, unwillingness to take students to labs, and lack
of access at teachers’ and students’ homes” (Park & Ertmer, 2006). Teachers have so many
reasons not to incorporate technology, but in the end if they do not need to use the technology
they will not use it.
Incorporating technology is not just as simple as reserving it and assigning something for
the students to do. It would be a perfect world if that was possible. But it is not, teachers have to
put a lot more into the technology then just reserving it to use. “In addition to enhancing our own
skills, we have to emphasize the importance of ongoing technology training for our students”
(Shinsky & Stevens, 2011). Even though the students are probably more use to using technology
then the teachers, they do not understand how to use them for education. It is up to the teachers
to not only show them but model expectations and to monitor students.
English, science, math, social studies and really all other subject aside from an actual
technology course do not require students to use technology. In most state standards it’s about
learning a specific objective, and not about using technology to know that standard. A small step
is always a good start and I think with some of the wording in the Common Core standards we
are getting there. Some standards are including objectives about creating data tables or graphs.
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Now it does not state to use Microsoft Office, most teachers will find it beneficial to use such a
program. In Australia their standards actually take it a little bit further. “The Australian
Curriculum acknowledges the importance of teaching and learning with technology by including
the use of information and communication technology (ICT) as one of the skills, behaviours and
attributes, identified as general capabilities, that students need to succeed in life and work in the
twenty-first century” (Attard, 2011). Knowing the importance that technology will not have only
in education, but also in the real world, has Australia in front of the educational technology race.
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Pedagogy and Technology
Most teachers have their own pedagogy when it comes to teaching. Most of them do not
include technology. The idea of using technology to assist in education is hard to instill in many
teachers. “Teachers admitted they did not resist technology per se but agreed that they could not
fully integrate it into their own practices because of the organizational, administrative,
pedagogical or personal constraints” (Okojie, Olinzock, & Okojie-Boulder, 2006). Teachers that
have taught before have their own beliefs that they feel work and new teachers who enter the
profession are usually taken under the wing of the seasoned teachers.
When teachers use technology more often than not it is for benefit of the teacher.
“Results indicated that preservice teachers were more likely to use technology as a teacher
centered tool” (Park & Ertmer, 2006). This includes just using a PowerPoint to show their lesson
or even viewing images or videos. Though this can be beneficial and make teaching more
powerful, it still has a long way to go. The goals of new technologies that are being purchased
are to make teaching student-centered. Students need to be in the role of what they are learning.
This is the theory of constructivism, this is what schools are aiming for.
In order to get where education needs to be teachers are going to have to adapt their
pedagogies. Schools have invested the money and teachers may use the technology once per
unit, but eventually education need to shift to incorporate the technology into everyday teaching
practices. Teachers have to learn that the technology is more than just a tool it is a resource that
allows students to have global information at their fingertips. “The use of technology clearly is a
viable resource for expanding knowledge, engaging learners, and enhancing skills that can be
used for 21st Century leadership preparation” (Shinksy & Stevens, 2011). The idea of using paper
and pencil is becoming an idea of the past and soon technology will take over the paper and
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pencil, much like it is replacing the textbook. If teachers want to continue to be effective
eventually they will have to adapt.
The idea of constructivism or students generating their own learning is something that not
just seasoned teachers need to look at, but also those that are interested in the field teaching.
“Constructivism is a student-centered learning approach, which maintains that students construct
newly encountered information using the learning environments in which they are actively
engaged” (Inel & Balim, 2010). With the new common core standards objectives are meant to be
student-centered and students will learn based off of prior knowledge. This scaffolding effect
should be apparent each year as students learn more detailed information on a topic that they
have already built a foundation for. This is actually a theory more and more teachers are
beginning to focus on. Student-centered learning is very similar to PBL (Project Based
Learning). This has been very beneficial in getting students and communities involved in the
learning that is taking place. When students see a problem and have to find a solution it creates
meaning for them to learn something. In a project setting, this incorporates prior skills,
communication, and team effort. Basically this is what educators are looking for, a complex yet
exciting way to teach the students 21Century skills.
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Conclusion
Technology has been around since the beginning of education. However it has slowly
adapted in schools, but not in our societies or cultures. Now times are changing and the way
students learn has changed. Teachers are now at the center of the educational technology reform.
Some are on board and adapting their strategies to teach with these new resources and tools,
however some have been very reluctant to make this step.
Schools, states and countries all see the advantages to the new technologies in education
and have begun restating objectives. Some have even required the use of technology as part of
the curriculum. This is helping students become more prepared for such a global society. Small
steps to a big change are where every teacher needs to start. For most teachers it will be training
on how to use the technology, for others it will be more about changing their pedagogy and
beliefs in their educational theories.
A constructivist learning theory is a highly researched theory that will help teachers
implement the new technologies they are given. When students use technology they are more
involved and their learning is based off of what they know and how they are able to use the
technology. This helps generate the higher order thinking skills that education is becoming more
focused on.
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References
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