TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM

Gone are the days when the teacher stood in the front of the classroom and lectured while students simply took notes. Today the classroom is an interactive world where the teacher as well as the student is engaged in technology. Because today’s young people are hooked up and plugged in all the time whether it is with text messaging, I Pods, social networking websites and more, it is important that teachers find a way to engage them on a technology level. Technology in the classroom is doing just that - Keeping students stimulated by using the latest and greatest inventions in computers and digital media.
Projectors are a basic way to introduce technology to students in a classroom. A teacher uses it to project a Word Document or a PowerPoint presentation to students. Students thus follow the teacher as he or she goes on to educational websites as well. Explicit, interactive instruction is the most useful and engaging way to reach a student and enhance his or her learning potential. Technology can enhance that potential even more.
The technology available today has made a wealth of knowledge available to students, which offers great potential for the speed and style of learning. Information is presented in so many ways that any learner, whether gifted or disabled, can find and use the necessary material to suit his/her needs.
The computer age is here; this cannot be debated. Computer technology is a positive supplement to bridge the gap between education and the technological world in which we live. Computer-assisted technologies in schools offer students greater access to information, motivation to learn, a jump-start on marketable job skills and an enhanced quality of class work
Many class rooms are being retrofitted with smart boards and computers but they cannot replace old methods of teaching. Technology may thus enhance traditional methods of learning but cannot replace the human touch. Ultimately, the quality of the class will depend solely on the quality of the teacher and not just the presence of technology.