Vision-Mission Statement

With the ever changing landscape of education, it is vital to know when and how to use technology to improve the education of students. The focus of using technology in education, as well as with every other part of education, should be to allow students to discover what they know already and to figure out what they don't know without simply being told. Students need to research, explore and create in order to really take in what it is that educators want them to learn and keep it with them for years to come. 

Retreived from http://technologyintheclassroom21stcentury.blogspot.com/

Technology is totally changing what it is possible to accomplish within schools. There is nearly an infinite amount of technology available for use, much of it free, but just using technology is not enough. We have to use tool and technology to make things better for learners (Edutopia, 2012) and not simply use them because they are the newest thing. If taught and used properly, technology integration in education can make it so that every student can truly work at their own pace and master each lesson or activity before moving on. This also shows that teachers "believe in their students' abilities and validate (their) contributions to class (Blair, 2012)

In this situation, which offers students more independence, teachers must begin to think of themselves as facilitators and guides and not as lecturers or the only fount of knowledge. Teachers must know that their students may know more than they and have students become teachers if necessary for the benefit of all. This is not to say that teachers are not needed; on the contrary, we need teachers who, when it comes to technology, "are prepared to take advantage of its power and recognize its limitations (Roblyer, 2016)" so that each student's potential is reached. 

This type of classroom, with a teacher as a guide and allowing students to explore and create on their own really flows with a constructivist approach to teaching. Students need hands-on experience to really remember what they have learned and they need others around them to help them to reflect on those experiences.  This will encourage students to continue with their learning and in learning with technology, they are also learning how to better use technology. 

References

Blair, N. (2012, January). Technology integration for the new 21st century learner. Retrieved January 19, 2017, from National Association of Elementary School Principals website: http://www.naesp.org/principal-januaryfebruary-2012-technology/technology-integration-new-21st-century-learner

Constructivism as a paradigm for teaching and learning. (2004). Retrieved January 19, 2017, from Concept to Classroom website: http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/constructivism/

Edutopia. (2012, December 12). An introduction to technology integration [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d59eG1_Tt-Q

Roblyer, M. D. (2016). Integrating educational technology into teaching (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.