Technology and Education

Technology, if used in the right way, can be a very important and beneficial part of any education. There is no denying that technology has a major impact on our society, and without it, it would be nearly impossible to communicate or function as a society. Because of this, it is necessary for students to learn about technology. This is good, since it gives them assignments and projects that will make them learn the materials, but also to gain new skills. With any type of learning, though, it can also have problems. Some students really won't understand how creating a website works or have no interest in sitting at a computer for hours at a time trying to get something to work. What we hope for by having them use technology is that they will enjoy the project more, as it would cater to most kids in their generation I think, and also that they can at least gain a small understanding and appreciation for what they can do with technology.

One of the potential problems is that the teacher must also be up on technology in order to teach it. They must be sure that they understand what they are doing and "be in the know" so that their students' understanding does not surpass their own. Also, when a lot of kids think of technology and exciting stuff they want to do, it probably is not going to be creating power points and looking at encyclopedias online. They will want to play video games, see bright flashy colors and get distracted by games and other things online. This isn't necessarily true in all cases, but I know that's what my high school was like at least. It is important to try and keep them on task, but also make the internet useful and exciting. Have them do projects that will stretch their creativity, and find internet sites that are interesting and can captivate their attention for more than five minutes.

The good new is that with every passing generation, the understanding and appreciation of technology grows. It creates a society where if you fall behind, you can feel like a complete idiot. Kids are interested in technology, and it seems to come very easily to most of them. I know my mom can't work her cell phone but it came to me almost naturally. On a much larger scale, this ease of understanding makes learning about technology easier and more accessible for kids. It's what they like to do, and if it is what keeps them interested in education, then it cannot be a bad thing.