Technology is an ever increasing asset used in schools all over the world today. There are people who support and oppose technology in the classroom for a plethora of reasons. While I do not lean heavily toward one side of the argument or the other, I do see how some technology in the classroom can be beneficial.
One reason I feel that technology should exist in today's classroom's is to provide access and exposure to every child. Not all children have the opportunity to use technology on a daily basis and by giving them opportunities to do so in the classroom will allow them to develop skills that can keep most children on a level playing field somewhat as they progress through their education and on to future schools or careers. Providing technology to students in the classroom also allows them to experience lessons in new and exciting ways and offer students the chance to show their understanding of concepts through various forms technology based presentations as well as traditional.
The purpose of technology in the classroom is precisely as I previously mentioned, to allow students to experience lessons in new and exciting ways. Reading a text or drawing a picture on a board can give the students a good foundation but seeing the lessons in action such as cells forming or tectonic plates moving gives students a visual aid that they will remember understand much easier than trying to develop the idea from their own interpretation of a text book.
When I was in school we did not have much technology, if any in the classroom. It was not until my junior or senior year that teachers in my school district were getting their own computers in their classrooms. The majority of the technology I was exposed to in school was VHS and Laser Disc. The experiences I did have with technology in school were positive however. They brought lessons to life and put them in motion. Doing so allowed for me to have a better comprehension of various lessons rather than just reading them for myself. Now that I am about to enter a classroom as a teacher rather than a student I look forward to incorporating some technology in my classroom. I do not want it to overtake the human dimension of teaching and having connections with students and helping them to develop their understanding of material. I want to use technology as a supplement to instruction and not the lesson itself.
http://www.edtechactionnetwork.org/why-technology-in-schools
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/28/technology-in-schools-who_n_2568413.html
