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Temera Mason
Mrs. Egan
English
1 April 2014

Working Our Way into Technology-
Technology is all around us. Almost everyone has access to technology.Times have indeed
changed because even teenagers now a days own technological gadgets such as Ipods, Iphone,
Galaxies, etc. Schools also have access to technology. In public schools, each student can
actually hold a technological gadget while the teacher is teaching a lesson. There is a new system
being implemented in public schools called Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). BYOD allows
students to bring their own technological device. I believe that this same system can also be
applied to our school. St. Pius X Classical Academy should have a school wide implementation
and integration of many forms of technology to enhance the educational experience of students.
In my paper, I am going to discuss about laptops, Ipads, Skype, adapted technology, and smart
boards, and how these enhance the educational experience of students.
What is a laptop? A laptop is a computer that is portable a suitable it fit in your lap
(www.webopedia.com). Laptops would let the children complete their tasks in classroom.You
can use a handheld device, such as a palm hand-held or tablet computer, to collect information
on how students are completing tasks "(Chen Lucas 126). Preparing for presentations or
homework you can use laptops. Russel Smaldino Lowther determines that You can use the
laptop at the end of the day to assist you in preparing instructional materials such as handouts or
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presentations" (Russell Smaldino Lowther 126). These suggestions state that teachers and
students can complete tasks on any device. A question commonly asked is, How can we afford
it? "Schools can afford laptops using the basic and cheaper technology, not any name brand
because as Russell Smaldino Lowther remark, In a desire to decrease the worldwide technology
gap, experts from the academia and industry porduced the $100.00 Laptop for a Program or the
On Laptop Per Child (OLPC)" (Russell Smaldino Lowther 341). At BestBuy laptops cost up to
$700.00 which is over our school's budget because we can't affording any brand name
computers. Why are laptops better in the classrooms than desktop? Its portable and
convenient. It navigates your favorite sites. More improved performances
(www.tomshardware.com). When we use these laptops we can use Dell-Intel program Dell
provides educational technology solutions, powered by Intel, that support this next-generation
learning envoirment (www.dell.com).
In 2009 Apple Company came out with new technology (hand-held) called Ipads
(www.apple.com) designed and marketed by Apple Inc. What is an Ipad? An Ipad is an is a
technology that easy to manageWith its easy to manipulatetouch screen technology, has allowed
even very young students to take advantge of a Ipad(www.bbactive.com). Qouted from
(www.bbactive.com) Having a Ipad in educators classrooms Brings children to life. Students
have endless accsses to valuable informationsuch as a dictinary app Using an Ipad you would
not get loosed finding anything With educational apps through Apple app store, teachers and
students would have not trouble finding content or material for all learning areas
(www.scilearn.com). The first Ipad was released on April 3, 2009. Classrooms are ready for the
Ipad-tablets because they are fully compatible with online teaching and learning platforms which
can be easily intergraded into the everyday classrooms" (www.apple.com). This software allows
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students to use technology in a safer way. "Many students are looking at Ipads as an inexpensive
way to deliver content to save money on textbooks, and a lot of apps are available that try to
make learning into a kind of game"(www.nationalgeographic.com). "There are many schools that
dont have the budget to distribute Ipads to all their students. However, Not only does it help
with children with disabilities. Ipads are accessible to students with disabilities. Apps are
available for children with cognitive learning problems and there are also accessibility tools built
in the newer Ipads" (www.inkids.com). Some of the most innovative instructional software being
developed especially for a mobile computer with display, circuitry, and battery in a single unit
are called tablets. Teachers and students are more comfortable using them"
(www.scientificlearning.com).
An additional way to enhance education is a program called Skype in the Classroom.
Skype was discovered in 2003 (www.skype.com). Skype is for using as a newly free program
Skype began as a free software program that could be used to connect people over the internet,
through text, video, voice" (www.smarttutor.com). What Skype have to bring to the teachers for
there on benefit it "Allows teachers to create lesson plans that incorporate other classrooms,
which helps provide alternate perspectives and more opportunities for learning
(www.instuctioanltalk.com). You can use Skype in the classroom as a study group when you're
not present, this is helpful to teachers because "Teachers would be able to video chat live with up
to 10 of his/her students, making it as a study group or partial class discussion"
(www.instructioanltalk.com). Mr. Donald Clark (teacher) mentions that socail media Skype
forces both teacher and student to focus. This may be because you feel that you're using up
valuable online resources, even though it's free. In any case, there is real sustained attention,
which I think is better than a one-to-one face-to-face session. You are far less likely to drift off-
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tasks, as either teacher or learner" (www.donaldclarkplanb.blogspot.com). As we have a foreign
language at St. Pius X Classical Academy " Foreign language learning: Skype can be used to set
up short communication sessions with native speakers as listening to and speaking a foreign
language is essentials if students want to improve listening skills and if students want to improve
listening skills and oral communications" (www.brighthubeducation.com). Students are more
comfortable with software because looking for more educators Students become more
comfortable with the software, theyre looking for like-minded educators to connect with
(www.edweek.com). Teacher name Mrs. Becky Fisher response about Skype was You wont
your kids to communicate with other kids about what they are learning (www.edweek.com).
St. Pius X Classical Academy should have a school wide implementation and integration
forms of technology to enhance the educational experience of students.
Assitive technology greatly benfits students struggling with certain subjects. Assistive
technology helps students in math , science, reading ,writing (www.csun.com).
Assistive Technology is designed to provide participants with an overview of the filed of
technology" (www.setbc.org). Sometimes they cant speak. How do they speak? They speak with
technology and read with technology. The assistive technology enables students to control the
rate of speech delivery, enlarge information on a computer screen so they can better read of a
data base search. Use a voice synthesizer to have printed pager read to them" (Russell Smaldino
Lowther 338-389). As in these authors Russell Smaldino Lowther remarks "Adapted and
specially designed technology and media can tribute enormously to effective instructional of all
students an can help them achieve at their highest potential regardless of their abilities" (Russell
Smaldino Lowther 5). The question is,What does assistive technology include? Assistive
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technology includes Video magnification systems like closed circuit televisions (CCTVs) and
portable video magnification devices (www.lighthouse.org).
A lot of schools have smart boards in each room. Teachers explain that "Teachers can
still be in front of the classroom in the traditional style but can bring a whole composition full of
resources for more engaging learning" (www.teachersonlinetraing.com) Smart boards can also
help visual learners because "Smart boards has developed visual learners, while supporting aural
and logical thinkers. Kids, focus consistently on the board, more than I used a white board.
Students relate to it in a way I had imagined" (www.abc.news.com). Teachers and students can
interact more in classroom activities do to the fact we have smart boards are a line of interactive
white boards produced by Calgary, based on smart technology. Smart boards allow you to
interact with students on a more individual basis in and out of the classroom and they are
collaboration tools" (www.teachersonlinetraing.com). Teachers can put important notes on the
smart board "Use it as a tool for note-taking. Students can come and write important points on
the board. Alternately, you can apart a student to type our notes on the computer displaying
images through a digital projector, and its users can control the software from either the
computer or the board. Students and audience members can participate by adding their
annotations or pointing out material using a pen or highlighter" (www.professional.com). This
teacher comes out with on (www.professionallearningboard.com) All forms of media-videos,
photographs, maps, illustrations, games etc. Can be used on the board making it incredibly
dynamic in nature. This expands the range of content that you can use teaching or presenting new
information".
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For example, experiencing going to a public school smart boards are popular in the
classrooms and they have large impact on public schools because the students are aware of the
subject and retain information; there for the students are able to understand what is going on in
the class for as the lesson. But more importantly, technology can nurture our school Technology
creates a better system that actively generates and nurtures' schools' (Moe Chubb 179). These
technologies can help children with new and better challenging things, Software will guide
students through challenging material and provide lots of opportunity for practice and feedback
along the way" (Moe Chubb 173). But technology is just the beginning of our education the first
stage of technology getting started, "Although the advancement of educational technology is
still in its early stages; there can be little doubt that the information revolution education" (Chen
Lucas 140). It is always a blessing to hear that technology can bring down behavioral problems,
An increase in "learning time" and a decrease in behavioral problems District Officials reports.
(Chen Lucas 90). Our whole goal is that everyone here at St. Pius X has a chance to interact with
new technology software Our whole goal is that every student here can have accesses to high
quality learning and produce high quality products" (Chen Lucas 91). But in the world of
technology, their could be More computers in classrooms, more assignments and research
involving the Internet, more teacher awareness of technology" (Moe Chubb 106-107). Teachers
can still continue their methods of learning Teachers at all levels of schooling have used the
new technology basically to continue what they always have done (Moe Chubb 106).
In conclusion, these evidences will help enhance for better technology explains Moe,
Chubb Technology is coming to education and thats a very good thing because it allows for the
customization of learning for more effective teaching, for a vast expansion in the courses and
learning opportunities" (Moe Chubb 13). Technology advances are needed in order for students
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to learn and have fun with new technology. "Scientist says that students can focus on technology
more than books because a book does not help students focus on the lesson that is being
conferred about in classroom activities. All of these evidences and suggestions could make a
change not only in our school but in our education because St. Pius X can work threw what
technology has to offer to our school. Technology can prepare students for the real-world
because Integrating technology into the classroom helps our students for the elaborated world
they will face going forward (www.nms.org). Technology helps students because technology
can actually help students with different learning paces. It also gives the teachers more time to
accomplish classroom objectives while freeing them to help the students who might be
struggling with certain lessons. The way students learn, and consuming and providing
innovative education and how teachers are using digital technology. Teachers are using digital
technology to engage students with more personalized learning experiences. Students are
collaborating across geographical boundaries and consuming and producing innovative
education related content (www.dell.com).
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Works Cited
Chen, Lucas. Educational Nation. San Francisco. Josey and Bass. 2010. Print

Cuban, Larry. Partners in Literacy. New Mexico. Coas Books Inc. 2005. Print

Moe, Terry. Chubb, John Liberating Learning. Washington D.C.:John Wiley&Sons.2009.Print

Ouchi, William. Making Schools Work. New York. Simon and Schuster.2003. Print

Smaldino, Sharon. Instructional Technology and Media. Patreince Hall.2009.Print