Fire and Water, or Firewater?

            In this week’s blog, I will be discussing a topic that is both still divisive among some and very applicable to our own IT111 class: technology in the classroom. I doubt I could find many who would argue that SMART Boards and projectors have had an adverse impact on learning. However, what about cell phones, Facebook, unfettered computer access, things that no teacher not too many years ago would have allowed in their class? In addition, how does the usefulness of technology vary by classroom? These are all important questions, for students as well as instructors.

            First of all, it is my belief that SMART Boards and other technologies like them have a limited usefulness in many classroom settings. In an article by Jeff Nachtigal for The Bakersfield Californian, one math teacher is said to have “described using a SMART Board to easily graph a parabola, then change the equation on the screen by simply plugging in different numbers,” much simpler than drawing nearly identical parabolas over and over again by hand on a black- or whiteboard (1). On the other hand, in my own experience, having a SMART Board in a classroom is less useful for studies such as English, foreign languages, and even in technology classes. They are most useful where having the ability to control a computer without having to walk back and forth between it and the teacher’s lecture spot is important for the smooth flow of a class.

            One of my personal favorite classroom technologies is the “clicker,” a device used for responding to multiple-choice questions posed by an instructor. It allows students to respond anonymously to questions posed, and can “provide[…] the teacher with direct feedback about which students don't understand a specific lesson” in the case of registered clickers (Nachtigal 1). Even with color-coded cards, it is almost impossible to get more participation on multiple choice questions than with a clicker.

However, I think my absolute favorite use of technology in the classroom, though also the one with the most potential for abuse, is the ability to have (theoretically) unlimited access to a computer during the class. Yes, you can be on Facebook or Twitter or YouTube and remain completely unengaged in the lecture of the day, but it also allows you to look up things you remember that may be relevant to the class or that you don’t quite understand, or to attempt to apply knowledge if you feel that you have absorbed the lesson or have had a lot of previous experience with it. Most of all, it allows a huge amount of “‘student engagement,’” which, as Nachtigal implies, is essential to the learning process. So while technology in the classroom may have its ups and downs, this rollercoaster definitely ends with more potential than it began.

Works Cited

Nachtigal, Jeff. "Classroom Technology Engages Students, Improves Performance."Bakersfieldcalifornian.com. The Bakersfield Californian, 25 Oct. 2009. Web. 03 Apr. 2012. <http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/local/x1260874078/Classroom-technology-engages-students-improves-performance>.