Article 1: Do Computers in the Classroom Boost Academic Achievement? Summary 1, - Summary 2, & - Personal Reflection

Article 2: Using Technology in the Early Childhood Classroom Summary 1, - Summary 2, & - Personal Reflection

Article 3: Computer in the Classroom, Then and Now Summary 1, - Summary 2, & - Personal

Reflection Conclusion

Johnson, Kirk A., “Do Computers in the Classroom Boost Academic Achievement?”, The Heritage Foundation, June 14, 2000, URL: http://www.heritage.org/research/education/CDA00-08.cfm

Summary: In the beginning of this article, it explains how widely used and important computers are in the classroom. It estimates that the number of computers used in schools today is more than 8 million. Teachers find this to be a benefit to students to keep them up to date with technology and feel that this will only help them in the future. They also talk about politicians and how they are behind getting the internet into low income schools so those children are able to have the same advantages. Even though they feel this way, it is not proven that having a computer and the internet will boost test scores because they have found that there are so many other factors that contribute to how students do.

Quote: “This explosion in the technology has increased efforts to equip every classroom with computers and "wire" every school to the Internet.“This quote in the article talks about the growth of computers in the classroom. Because of this growth, there has been a lot of research to show if having a computer makes a difference and they are finding that in most cases it does not. The effectiveness has to do with the teachers and how educated they are with computers and if they will be beneficial. Most of them feel that they are not well educated when it comes to computers and are not using them to the full potential. This widely known problem is what they are struggling to improve to make the use of the computers a good thing.

1. I was really surprised that the research they quoted in this article said that children who have computers in the classroom to not perform better on test than children who do not. In reading this article, I feel that it will always be beneficial to use computers in the classroom regardless of the findings. Computers are used at almost all jobs and starting at a young age can only benefit people.

2. They also talked about the teacher’s computer training having and effect on the students learning. This is something that I really didn’t think of because I have used a computer in school since elementary school and have forgotten not everyone has had that advantage.

3. The last thing that made me think in this article is that there are so many other factors that effect students testing and that having a computer is not the solution to the problems. They talk about low income families, race, gender, parent’s academic level, and many other factors that will come into play with test scores.

Perry M.D, Bruce D. and Kneas Moore, Kimberly, “Using Technology in the Early Childhood Classroom”, Scholastic, URL: http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/bruceperry/using_technology.htm

Summary: In this article it explores the idea that young children ‘s brains are not ready for technology and that you need to have interaction to have a well rounded individual. The authors feel that since the computer is interactive it helps with problem solving and thinking skills. They also talk about how you have to introduce children to technologies at the right time or they will not have a healthy development of that device. There is also a section to support the use of computers for special needs children in their development as well. It also gives an example of how you cannot put an infant in a seventh grade classroom and expect them to have a good experience. With all of this technology accessible to young children, parents need to take an active part in their child’s education and act as a bridge between technology, their personal growth, and the school itself.

Quote: “Technologies should be used to enhance curriculum and experiences for children. Children have to have an integrated and well-balanced set of experiences to help them grow into capable adults that can handle social-emotional interactions as well as develop their intellectual abilities.”I think that this quote is one of the most power statements in this article. It basically states that a child is not developed from one learning experience in their life, but it takes a multitude of things to mold them into well-balanced adults. I think that many people focus on one thing that they do not like about a child’s learning instead of all the things that they are exposed to and the positive effect that it will have on them. I also think that children do not have enough real life challenges because of too much computer usage or television and not enough playing with other children. I think that some parents use these devices as a crutch to entertain their children so they do not have to be bothered with them or can have a break from entertaining their children. I do believe that these things are ok in moderation, but you do have to make sure you regulate the usage.

1. I really like how this article supports using technology to enhance learning, but still holds parents accountable for their child’s development. I think that so many parents want to blame teachers for the “lack of” in their child and do not want to take responsibility for the fact that it takes more than a teacher to mold a child into a well-balanced adult. 2. Another point that I found interesting is that there are programs out there to help special needs children in their developmental learning. I do not know enough about special needs teaching and am happy to see that they are given the same advantages as the other children in the school.

3. The last thing I had forgotten about with computers, that was mentioned in this article, is parents being able to control the content that is viewed. There are so many things that are inappropriate on these websites on the Internet and imagine it is difficult to trust your child or the installed software that it will prevent them from getting on thesesites.

Kennedy Manzo, Kathleen, “Computers in the Classroom, Then and Now”, Education Week, April 22, 2009, URL: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/DigitalEducation/2009/04/computers_in_the_classroom_the_1.html

Summary: This article compares computer usage from an archived article that was published twenty-five years ago to now. It said that there was about 1 computer for every 125 students enrolled in the nation’s public schools and that 70% of the elementary schools used them. That number is a huge difference from the statistics now saying that there is 1 computer for every 3.8 students enrolled in the nation’s public schools. This shows that computers are not going anywhere when it comes to emerging technology in the classroom . Just these statistics alone show how far we have

come in accepting this type of technology in the classroom and using it to benefit children in the development.

Quote: “No matter where a child lives in the country these days, computers are a standard classroom feature.”

This is a fade that is not going away and it may be difficult for some parents to grasp because most of these parents did not have access to computers in school. I know that when I was in elementary school, we only have about 10 computers for our entire school and then in high school they were introduced more, but I still had a typing class in 1996. While computers can be a very good thing for students, teachers need to make sure that they are used properly so that they are beneficial.

1. I was born in the 80’s, so it is interesting to see the number of computers in schools now versus back then. I can remember in elementary school how the computers were not user friendly and the only thing I know that we did on them was our weekly game of Oregon Trail.

2. I think that students are so lucky that they are being taught computer skills at a young age and will not realize that until they get out into the real world. Because computers are used in almost all jobs in one form or another, they are starting out with an advantage that most older people struggled with and are still struggling with.

3. It is also hard to believe that computers are a standard feature in most classrooms when I was used to writing on the chalkboard and my teachers using handouts or the overhead projector to go over that day’s lesson.

In conclusion, the three of these articles take a different approach to computers. They all agree that they are beneficial to learning if used in the right setting and at the right time in a student’s career. The moral of the story for emerging technology is that you should welcome them in your classroom, but make sure that you use them as one of the many tools that students need in their development. I think that as long as you are introducing students to many technologies as well as human interaction then you will do well with keeping them well rounded. As a teacher you also need to make sure that the parents are on board with the student’s development outside of the classroom and that they are getting the proper guidance and support that they need outside of the classroom.