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Technology In The Classroom

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

By: Jamshed N. Lam

The literature is rich with examples of technology in the classroom. It helps the emergent learner, students with disabilities, students with language disabilities and the gifted child. With the cultural and socioeconomic diversity in our schools today, teaching effectively to these different levels of ability, background, interests, learning styles and modalities is a major challenge. We usually teach to the majority since it is somewhat impractical to try to tailor teaching to each student. Too basic an instruction will help the struggling learner but bore the gifted and visa versa. Thus poorer students are left hanging in their confusion, and the brightest students miss exciting challenges. With computers as tutors, each student has the ability to work at their own pace.

Often, students are too confused or embarrassed to ask questions because they don't want to show their ignorance. With individualized computer instruction, students can always immediately request help if something is unclear. Computers help to make it more interactive. They are extremely effective with the struggling learners because they (unlike humans) have unlimited patience. Computers can teach via a multitude of modalities depending on the learning style of the student (Bennett, 2002).

The computer can also be used to educate the smarter students who easily get bored in a traditional classroom since they reach their goal faster. With computers, students that finish a unit can go to the next one immediately. For these bright students, the challenges that computers can offer encourage self-directed learning. Looking at the various national and state standards, this mode of technology aligns with National-ELA-5, 7 & 8, NYS-ELA-1 & 3, NETS-3, 4, 5 & 6, and NYS-MST-2 & 6.

Rushin (n.d.) used technology in a chemistry classroom in a variety of ways. Looking closer, he realized that they all dealt with information. Thus for a teacher, technology can be used as an information tool and can be separated into four categories:

1. Research: finding and gathering new and old information
2. Management: manipulating, organizing and storing information
3. Publishing: manipulating, interpreting and organizing information for presentation
4. Communication: presenting and sharing information.

Rushin feels that chemistry is a laboratory science and still prefers bench-top laboratory work to a computer because a computer cannot replace the experience of a student handling and manipulating atoms, seeing, hearing and smelling chemical changes. He strongly believes computers should be used to more efficiently collect, analyze and present data. The computer can also be used to simulate a reaction on a nano-scale to help understand what was done on a macro-scale. Technology can also be used for writing up the reports, using cameras to record images and e-mailing of reports. Research, management, publishing and communication can be associated with National-ELA-1, 5, 7 & 8, NYS-ELA-1, 2, 3 & 4, NYS-MST-1, 2 & 5.

Smolin and Lawless (2003) believe that becoming literate in the technological age leads to new responsibilities for teachers. An example is a bilingual classroom where students were given digital cameras and recorders and had to interview bilingual businesses in the community. This leads to the development of other essential literacies such as technological, visual and information literacy, all of which incorporate technology and are part of the state and national standards.

Due to the cultural diversity in America, English is not the primary language for an increasing percentage of our population. The number of ESL teachers in school is increasing in order to accommodate this diverse culture. In order for these ESL students to receive an appropriate education, technology is a valuable tool. Teachers use a variety of basic-skills language arts software for letter recognition, basic vocabulary, and spelling. This helps the students work at their own pace and a computer offers a nonthreatening way of interacting with each other. Native-speaker reading and writing programs are beneficial and especially programs that "read" stories aloud while showing the text highlighted on the screen. Writing programs allow students to compose and share their writing with others (Center on English Learning and Achievement, n.d.).

Technology helps connect multicultural education in a number of ways. Media and telecommunications are a vital part of today's youth culture. Individuals with weak or little technological skills will find it difficult to survive in the competitive and global environment of the future. Technological tools such as web-based instruction, computer-mediated communication, web quests CD-ROM, and audio and video streaming are used in multicultural education. It also helps learners with language differences (Sleeter and Tettegah, 2002).

Hypermedia is used as a learning tool for students with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) (Bermudez and Palumbo, 1994). It enables users to access information in a non-linear and self-tailored fashion by creating individualized learning environments. In today's cultural diversity and multitude of learning styles and intelligences, any technology that can individualize learning is beneficial. Contrary to a book where the content is structured, hypermedia allows the learner to determine the access order. Thus information can be linked together in a variety of ways. Since the learning medium is student-centered, it can proceed in his/her way and pace. Graphics, sound and other forms of information transfer that have associations with real-life are also possible with hypermedia. This is in line with National-ELA-3, 10 & 12, NYS-ELA-1 & 4 and NETS-3 & 4.

Assistive technologies are used to assist students in a variety of instruction modes. Various AT devices help students to organize their thoughts or work by using flow charts, graphic organizers or some high-tech word processing software. Note-taking devices include optical character recognition, microcassette recorders or videotapes. Various word processing devices are also available for writing assistance. These aid in spelling, grammar and punctuation errors, editing, revising and motivation. Telecommunications and multimedia transport students beyond their physical environment to access electronic information. Tools are also available to help students develop and improve cognitive and problem-solving skills. Various multimedia CD-ROM-based application programs for assisted reading and customizing instructional materials to meet the various disabilities of students also provide a learning tool for these students (Behrmann, 1995).

By using an interactive software literacy curriculum on children from 3 to 5 years old and with moderate disabilities, children can gain concepts related to stories, sequences, and story making. They learn to read words on a page from left to right, and from top to bottom. Social interaction skills and emergent writing are positively affected. If the information given to the child is meaningful, they retain it for long periods of time (Hutinger, n.d.). Assistive technologies can be associated with National-ELA-3 & 10, NYS-ELA-1 and NETS-2, 3 & 4.

The Internet is another technological tool that can be integrated into the classroom. This can be done in three ways - Internet Workshop, Internet Project, and Internet Inquiry (Leu and Leu, 1999). Internet Workshop is helpful in introducing students to sites for an upcoming unit and develops useful background knowledge. Internet Project involves collaborative learning between two or more classrooms that takes place over the Internet. Two basic types of Internet Projects exist and are used by teachers: web site Internet projects and projects created by teachers who find one another on the Internet. These projects can be used for primary, middle and high school grades. Internet Inquiry is a student-directed activity where individuals or groups identify an important question and then gather information as they seek answers to their question. Internet Inquiry includes five phases: question; search; analyze; compose; and publish. These modes align with National-ELA-7 & 8, NYS-ELA-1, NYS-MST-2 & 7 and NETS-3, 4, 5 & 6.

The Internet is also used to enrich science teaching and learning (Haury and Milbourne (2002). It helps students to pursue individual interests, take responsibility for gathering their own information and enable them to communicate with any peer or expert. Through the Internet, individuals can interact inexpensively and at any time. The teacher can interact individually with students or their parents and can also increase individual attention. Science experiments can be coordinated all over the world. As an example, a school coordinated an experiment with class groups as far as Australia. All groups measured the earth's magnetic field and compared results. This would not have been feasible without the Internet. Maintaining interest is key in science and through the Internet, one can always find someone with similar interests (association: National-ELA-7 & 8, NETS-4 & 5, NYS-MST-1, 2, 4 & 7).

Technology is also a very helpful tool in foreign language classes. With the use of e-mail, chat rooms, Web cam and a collaborative Web site, French students at USC were linked to native speakers in France (Wood, 2002). The online learning enhances the traditional textbook and gives students a personal connection to native French speakers. Their information comes from real people rather than textbooks and is also related to real-life. The fact that other people read what they write makes learning fun and exciting and also improves reading and writing skills. This reflects what students do in their daily lives: (e-mailing friends, chatting, etc.). It is the form of communication they use in real life, so there should be no reason that it cannot be incorporated into their language class. This aligns well with National-ELA-9, NYS-ELA-4 and NETS-4.

As discussed earlier, U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige strongly promoted e-learning during his NCLB tour across America (Denver, CO - Tour Stop 15, 2002). He shared the notion believed by many that e-learning is a powerful tool for parents and schools and that students can use it to learn languages with native speakers.

In addition to using e-mails for foreign language classes, it is also an excellent medium for global communication and collaboration (Smolin and Lawless, 2003). ePALS.com (http://www.epals.com) is referred to as the world's largest online classroom community. Both students and teachers can communicate in a variety of languages, engage in specific group discussions and work on global collaborative projects. Technology enables them to share their work with a wider authentic audience. This helps influence their writing skills, their observation and reporting skills and develops effective communication abilities. This is in line with the National-ELA-4, 5, 7, 8 & 9, NYS-ELA-2 & 4 and the NETS-2, 4 & 5.

Feldman (n.d.) has appropriately summarized the ways technology supports early literacy. The teacher should facilitate the use of technology based on the instructional objective(s) being taught. Some of these are:

• Developmentally appropriate (interactive) software that supports instructional outcomes helps develop higher-level reasoning and problem solving skills.
• Electronic Books benefit young readers, ESOL and Special Education students.
• Word processing helps students write more fluently.
• CDs make accommodations for different languages and allow students to hear directions in their native language but require them to read the stories and do word work in English.
• The World Wide Web makes different types of reading materials more accessible to students. Text size can be increased for students with visual impairments and vocabulary can be simplified for emerging readers.
• Virtual Field Trips allow children to travel beyond the classroom without actually leaving.
• Digital Images allow students to record and document their experiences.

Technology has also been used in interdisciplinary inquiry such as linking science and literature. Howes, Hamilton and Zaskoda (2003) show this by creating a web site to support middle school teachers and students in making this connection. The environment for this could include the community surrounding the school i.e. actual places, situations and issues around the neighborhood to help give real-life meaning that students could associate with.

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