Having recently completed my higher school certificate last year,
I can say I belong to the generation of students that witnessed the
technological transition between chalkboards, pen and paper to laptops, smart boards
and computers. My high school by 2010/2011 went from having 4 computer-lab
classrooms, to having 2-3 computers per class room, in conjunction with the
fact that every student in grade 9 was given a laptop as part of the DigitalEducation Revolution scheme. “The DER-NSW one to one laptop program
has led to enhanced access to computers and the internet for students, teachers
and students’ families, plus the movement of teaching practice towards the
skills of the 21st century…”
(Digital Education Revolution, DEC.NSW.EDU.AU) With every student owning a laptop,
technology began to take over the education system with both pros and cons.
“New south Wales premier Barry of O’Farrell and Education minister
Adrian Piccoli announced that 1000 of the states 1200 primary schools were set
to receive new touch-screen interactive whiteboards for the classroom” (Hopewell, L 2011) . As part of the technology advancement in Australia,
the old-fashioned blackboard/whiteboards were tossed aside for the new and
improved 21st century
‘smart board’. Now the best part of smart boards joining the education system
was watching teachers work out how to use them. I can remember more time being
spent on teachers deciphering how to work the device rather than teaching
students. Nonetheless my schooling went from taking notes on pen and paper in
2007-2008 to typing all my notes in 2009-2010, then both writing and typing in
2011, then receiving emails and taking pictures of notes on the board with my
smartphone rather than taking any notes at all. However, thankfully I gained
the skill to type 105 words per minute on a computer that deems itself useless
when I sit my hand-written exams.
Taking into account Jake G’s article we can look at the positives of technology in
education. Teachers only spend an average of 40 minutes with their
students however they spend 100% of their time around the internet. This can
improve student-teacher relationships and academic aid. Technology within
schools also helps build skills with new media and technology, programs like
powerpoint, photography programs, running class newspapers and websites, making
videos, or even similar to the assignment I’m doing, creating blogs for
academic purposes. All these skills can assist students in the future of a
technology advancing society, thus enhancing their education experience with
devices that are friendlier to the 21st century.
“Students reported that they often used a virtual learning
environment (VLE) to support their studies.” (Moule, Pam, p 61. 2011) So it is
evident that students are using technology as their study environment now as
opposed to visiting a library. As the technology evolves, students will adapt
to what it has to offer in regards to improving their educational outcomes.
References:
Moule, Pam, LOG
ON TO LEARN,Nursing standard 2011.
Jake, G. 2011 ‘Technology in Education – why’
Hopewell, J. 2011 ‘NSW
Schools get touchscreen Whiteboards’
Unknown Author ‘Digital education revolution’
http://www.dec.nsw.gov.au/about-us/how-we-operate/national-partnerships/digital-education-revolution
Effective use of technology is definitely a positive implementation in educational systems. Students of this generation are quite “tech-savvy” and respond well to engagement that caters for all types of learning, whether it is visionary, auditory or kinaesthetic. Even in subjects such as mathematics, a small clip with a voice other than your current teacher is refreshing! My previous high school teacher would utilise mathematic videos to emphasis her point. The approach of the same question at a different angle helped with my comprehension of the particular problem a great deal.
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