Essay Exam

Part I

Technology has helped teachers connected to resources that help improve instruction.

This has caused a change in the teacher's role compared to several years back. Many of the tools

that help to ease teacher lives have been found helpful, but also can be overwhelming because

they have to deal with so much technology. Teachers have to manage lesson plans, attendance,

and grade books. Teachers are also expected to gather daily information to help with future

instruction. Because technology has made it simpler to gather and store information, teachers

should have a better understanding of data analysis capability that was probably required in the

past years. My second field placement was completely virtual. It was a class of second graders

and the first day I attended was the day the students had to complete a state test. It was hectic

because the students would get frustrated if something was not working or were not able to

figure out the directions on their own. All the students were talking at once and I could feel the

shift in the teacher and see how overwhelmed she felt by the technology and situation.

Teachers have always been the main resource for information for students and this is still

the case but because students have access to technology, we can also see a shift in students being

more dependent on their learning taking advantage of technology to get information. Because

traditional classrooms can be somewhat isolated, what technology has done for students is to be

able to use other forms of communication that allows never thought of collaboration. For

example, when I was in high school in my biology class, we were able to follow a team of

scientists who were on an expedition to find Emperor penguins. We could see their blogs and

videos they would post and even had a conference call with the scientist. We were able to share

what we were learning with other students viewing the same expedition. Classroom walls are no
longer a roadblock as we have shifted in learning in new ways and learned how to communicate

and work collaboratively.

Having technology in the classroom is great for so many reasons. For example,

technology is becoming a life skill. Students will be tomorrow's leaders and in a modern world, it

is a critical life skill that everyone should understand. Through middle school and high school,

we were given textbooks that were out of date. With technology, the days of inheriting a decade-

old textbook are gone. With technology, students can get not only up-to-date information but up-

to-the-minute information. When learning is made to be fun, students are more open to engaging

in the lesson and more likely to retain the information they learned. Educators who implement

tech-based options in their lesson materials are engaging their students and providing a rich

learning environment. In my first field placement whenever the students had their reading time,

they could check out a tablet and get on Epic! to read books. The teachers could see how many

books the children were reading, and this helped her keep track of their progress because at the

end of the book there are short quizzes to take for the books. This technology has allowed the

students to be more independent in the classroom. The tablets they use also give students the

freedom to find solutions with their peers or independently.

Although there are many advantages to adding technology to the classroom, it does come

with its own challenges. The intention of bringing technology into the classroom is to help guide

students with their lessons. But if teachers are not monitoring the students, they could become

distracted. There has also been a concern that technology causes less social interaction. While

this does not have to be the case, it still remains a question for parents and teachers alike.

Teachers can solve these problems by using apps and tools that invite collaboration and ideas

such as group time and screen sharing. Lastly, technology provides higher opportunities for
cheating. Student’s potential to gain access to information is higher but can be preventable.

Information now can be password protected and contain monitoring software.

Advances in technology provide more opportunities for interactive learning with the help

of digital learning tools. With the support of technology, we can change the way of education in

a variety of ways, which can promote the creation of curriculum materials and the development

of new ways for people to collaborate together. We are in an era where the Internet and smart

devices can help us stay connected anytime, anywhere. Hopefully, instructional designers and

educational technology can take advantage of this and provide opportunities to change education

so that everyone can use it effectively and efficiently.

(Word count: 789)

 Works cited

B, P. (2020, October 09). Advantages and disadvantages of modern technology in student’s life.

Retrieved March 03, 2021, from https://baronmag.ca/2019/07/advantages-and-

disadvantages-of-modern-technology-in-students-life/

Caffrey, D. (2019, October 24). Societal shift: How technology is changing the role of the

teacher. Retrieved March 05, 2021, from https://ceoworld.biz/2019/07/17/societal-shift-

how-technology-is-changing-the-role-of-the-teacher/

Cox, J. (2020, June 09). Technology in the classroom: Advantages and disadvantages. Retrieved

March 05, 2021, from https://www.getcleartouch.com/technology-in-the-classroom-

advantages-and-disadvantages/

Gutierrez, K. (2019). Four ways technology is changing how people learn [Infographic].

Retrieved March 05, 2021, from https://www.shiftelearning.com/blog/bid/336775/Four-

Ways-Technology-Is-Changing-How-People-Learn-Infographic

International, S. (2017, February). Effects of technology on classrooms and students. Retrieved

March 05, 2021, from

https://www2.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/EdTech/effectsstudents.html

Woodward, L. (2019, June 03). 22 advantages and disadvantages of technology in education.

Retrieved March 05, 2021, from https://futureofworking.com/10-advantages-and-

disadvantages-of-technology-in-education/
 Essay Exam
Part II

Essay question:

Online teaching can make students become passive observers rather than active participants.
How can we keep students engaged during online learning environments?

If lesson material is not carefully crafted, it can make students become passive observers

rather than contributing students. Students may acquire the lesson material but are not able to

apply the learning outside the virtual class. This is troublesome because these students are able to

pass assessments and complete class assignments but outside of the classroom, they do not plan

on using the knowledge they learned from the lesson or make connections to martial review

before or real-world examples. For learning to be successful students need to be engaged in their

learning.

Some of the ways we can help students stay engaged in an online learning environment

are to simplify and focus on essential skills and concepts. This does not mean making it easier

but prioritizing. Giving students a sense of choice or control can help motivate and engage the

students because they know they have a say in their work. Giving students an option can even

make them have more in-depth exploration in the topic they chose rather than one that is given to

them. Teachers should keep in mind that every project and lesson is a new opportunity to be

creative. Students can tell when you take the time to make something fun and creative. Another

way to keep students engaged is to design lessons with engagement and participation. We want

students to be vocal and share their ideas. Something that could be incorporated to assist

engagement and participation is breakout rooms. During virtual class, students rarely get to talk

one on one and with breakout rooms they get the opportunity to be socially interactive with their

peers while collaborating and sharing ideas. 

 We can engage and have students relate by storytelling. When you share stories, they can

tap into emotions and help them remember the information that was provided. For example, if a

student is reading something difficult, they are more likely to understand if the writer provides a

story to get their point across. We can also engage the students by showing videos or playing a

song. My last field placement was completely virtual, and it was a class of second graders.

Before starting a long lesson, the teacher would play a video that had some sort of dancing sing

along with it. This helped the students move around and get some energy. After watching that, I

can say her method worked because they were able to actively listen and ask questions. These

are some examples of online teaching and learning tools that facilitate students learning that I

plan to use in my future classroom.

(Word count: 429)

 Works cited

Bao, W., Bradbury, N., A. Lizzio, K., S. O’Shea, C., D. Persico, F., & Peterson, M. (1970,

January 01). Teaching online: Tips for engaging students in virtual classrooms. Retrieved

March 05, 2021, from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40670-020-01116-7

Jefferson, S. (2019, May). How to keep students engaged in online learning. Retrieved March 05,

2021, from https://www.povertyactionlab.org/blog/3-26-20/how-keep-students-engaged-

online-learning

Peterson-Ahmad, M. (2021, January 27). Five ways to engage students in an online Learning

ENVIRONMENT: Faculty Focus. Retrieved March 05, 2021, from

https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/online-course-delivery-and-

instruction/five-ways-to-engage-students-in-an-online-learning-environment/

Waldie, B. (2018, December). Ten ways to overcome barriers to student engagement Online

(ACADEMIC Technology: At the College of William and Mary). Retrieved March 04,

2021, from https://onlinelearningconsortium.org/news_item/ten-ways-overcome-barriers-

student-engagement-online/