Kaitlyn Wolfe

Professor Duncan

ED230: Introduction to Educational Technology

January 30, 2023

Blog #1: Why Use Technology in the Classroom?

As a first year educator, this last semester was an exercise in survival. With less than a week

between accepting the position and having students in the room ready to learn from me, I focused on

the barest of essentials: curriculum, planning, setting up the classroom, and preparing myself for the

year to come. Technology in the classroom? Ha. That was on the bottom of my priority list. Now that

I feel more comfortable in my position and have a rhythm that feels good to both my students and
myself, I find myself experimenting more with technology and what exactly I can do with it in the

classroom. However, why? Why not stick with traditional pen and paper, with nary a screen in sight?

Utilizing technology in the classroom setting has many potential benefits.

One of those benefits, that directly impacts me as an ELA teacher, is that using technology in

the classroom can help increase literacy. In the article Using Escape Rooms to Enhance Literacy in

Elementary School, the author analyzes the use of digital ‘escape rooms’ in an ELA setting. These escape

rooms, or ‘escape books’, are impactful in student learning. Miranda states that these activities help

engage students in a way that simply reading in class cannot. Educators can also reinforce skills being

discussed in the curriculum. Miranda writes, “... [escape book modules] are teacher created based on

the events from the book and then connected to a literacy skill or strategy that is being reinforced—for

example, vocabulary.” (Miranda, 2022) They also encourage peer collaboration, critical thinking, and

innovation.

Another benefit to using technology in the classroom is the ability to give access to all students.

For some students, their disability can impact their learning. Technology in the classroom can help

mitigate those impacts and fosters equitable learning opportunities for every student in the classroom,

regardless of their disability status. Video captions do not only benefit students who are deaf or hard of

hearing, but also can help students whose primary language is not English. As Michele

Lamons-Raiford writes in their article, How Video Captions Foster Equity, “... captioning allows

multilingual students to improve their literacy skills. Some of these students may not feel comfortable

communicating their struggles.” (Lamons-Raiford, 2022)

 In addition, technology in the classroom can have positive impacts on students who have

dyslexia. According to the article, Accommodating Students With Dyslexia by Jessica Hamman, these

technological options can be quick, inexpensive, and beneficial. Hamman suggests providing access to

and using audiobooks, allowing students to use note-taking applications, allowing students to record

assignments, and encouraging the use of text-to-speech applications. (Hamman, 2018) Many of these

options can be a simple download or add-on away, giving students with dyslexia the power to absorb

information and produce work in a way that correlates with how their brain processes and absorbs

information rather than in spite of it.

The use of technology in the classroom can be a daunting process to think about as a new

educator. There are so many options, so many choices to make out of all of the available applications,

hardware, and software we can use. However, what I’m finding is that I need to explore what;;s

available and just start experimenting with it. In actively choosing what to incorporate into my

classroom, I can make learning in my class more engaging, more impactful, and more accessible.

Citations

Hamman, Jessica. “Accommodating Students with Dyslexia.” Edutopia, George Lucas

Educational Foundation, 12 Apr. 2018,

https://www.edutopia.org/article/accommodating-students-dyslexia.

Lamons-Raiford, Michele. “How Video Captions Foster Equity.” Edutopia, George Lucas

Educational Foundation, 29 Sept. 2022,

https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-video-captions-foster-equity.
Miranda, Ivonne. “Using Escape Rooms to Enhance Literacy in Elementary School.” Edutopia,

George Lucas Educational Foundation, 13 Dec. 2022,

https://www.edutopia.org/article/escape-rooms-literacy-elementary-school.