Ruth Bane

http://ruthbanesclassroom.weebly.com/
EDU-225
10/17/2015

Technology is constantly improving and it is becoming more and more properly in our
everyday lives. Technology plays a much greater role today in classrooms then it ever has before.
Technology can be used to enhance instruction by using it as a tool to help the students with the
learning. There are many different forms of technology that can enhance the instruction, such as,
computers/internet, smart boards, and websites that aid in the students learning.
Computers/Internet
There are many different ways computers are used in the classroom to facilitate and
enhance instruction. The grade levels students will be able to use computers in the classroom is
5th-12th grade. Teachers are able to assign homework or class work to the students that needs to
be done on a computer using the internet; for example, having the students type an essay out on
the computer. Computers allow students to learn by doing rather than trying to absorb lines of
information from a textbook (Educational, 2011). Computers not only help enhance the
instruction, but also help the students obtain more information than they would by just reading
the text book.
Smart Boards
Addition, smart boards is used in classrooms to facilitate and enhance the instruction.
Smart boards can be used for grades 5th-12th. Smart boards enhance the instruction by allowing
what is on the screen of the computer/laptop to be displayed on the smart board by using a
projector. This helps with the notes being display on the smart board. The teacher can touch the
board to change the screen this allows the teacher to use the white board as a tablet; since it can
be used by touching the board. This helps the students interact with the lesson by allowing them
to draw or work on a problem on the smart board by having the problem displayed on it.
Websites

Also, websites are used in the classroom to enhance and facilitate the instruction. Web
sites are flexible and easy to access to use in a classroom or at home to enhance the learning.
There are many websites that can be used as an educational tool; for example, one web site that
is used in some classrooms is Quizlet. . We help students with things like memorization and
recall of key concepts, and basic practice in everything from vocabulary to math to language
learning (Our Mission, n.d). This site will enhance the instruction by allowing the students to
study, practice, or play games about the different lessons. They can get on this site any time at
home or school, so they are able to do it on their own time. Quizlet provides all the materials
needed for studying, such as tests, quizzes, flashcards, and educational games.
Alternatively, Technology in the classroom enables the use of more interactive
educational tools, which allows for a dynamic learning experience that directly benefits students
(Boundless, 2015). There are many benefits of using technology to enhance the instruction,
such as, it is flexible to use and it helps aid all the different types of learners. With that in mind,
there are also some drawbacks to using technology to enhance instruction; for example, students
using technology for personal affairs instead of using it for learning in the classroom. There are
many times students are texting in the classroom or on social media while the teacher is teaching
or while they are supposed to be working. With technology being used in the classroom there
needs to be rules set in place, so the drawbacks will not happen as often and effect the students
learning.
Wired and Wireless Classrooms
Further, a wired or wireless classroom gives the teacher and the students access to the
internet for school purposes. Wired classrooms use an Ethernet cable, which is safer than using a
wireless networks. Wireless networks are more convenient and flexible, because multiple devices

can log on to the wireless network to gain access to the internet. Most schools are turning to a
wireless classroom, because of the convenience and now wires. These two access methods
impact teaching and students learning for the grades 5-12, because they both allow the students
and teachers to access the internet for school purposes. With the advances that have been made
in wireless technology over the past decade, wireless has become an easier and less cumbersome
set-up in the classroom and provides outstanding mobility that enhances an interactive learning
model (Varley, 2007).
In conclusion, technology can enhance the instruction in a classroom by
computers/internet, smart boards, and websites. Teachers can use the different types of
technology to help aid the instruction and use it as a tool to help with the students learning. Also,
teachers need to know and understand the difference between wireless and wired network and
which they will be using in their classroom. This will help the teachers understand how they can
be safe using the network and how they can get the students to use the network in the classroom
to enhance their learning.

References
Educational Technology. (April 23, 2011). How to Use Technology to Enhance
a Lesson. Retrieved from http://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/teched/how-to-use-technology-to-enhance-a-lesson/
Our Mission. (n.d). The Quizlet Web Site. Retrieved from https://quizlet.com/mission
Boundless. Advantages of Using Technology in the Classroom. Boundless Education.
Boundless, 21 Jul. 2015. Retrieved 12 Oct. 2015 from
https://www.boundless.com/education/textbooks/boundless-educationtextbook/technology-in-the-classroom-6/edtech-25/advantages-of-using-technology-inthe-classroom-77-13007/
Varley D. (July 19, 2007). Wired VS Wireless. Choosing a Technology Rich
Classroom Design. Retrieved from
http://technologyrichclassroom.blogspot.com/