1
Computers in Education
Albandari Alhejaili
ED 610
04/17/2014
2
Table of Contents:
Fawziah Alshammari ........................................................................................................................... 3
Fadiyah Alnuways ................................................................................................................................. 5
Caitlyn Corder......................................................................................................................................... 7
Dorothy Key ........................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
Albandari Alhejaili .............................................................................................................................. 18
Courtnay Slabaugh .............................................................................................................................. 21
3
Fawziah Alshammari
ED610
Journal Articles
10 April 2014
Technology in Education
Using the technology in the classrooms can change the way of teaching and the way students are learning.
The article, Technology in the classroom It’s not a matter of ‘if,’ but ‘when’ and ‘how’, raises the following
questions: to what extent using technology in the classrooms is effective, and what are the benefits? Also, the article
mentions that we do not use the technology in the classrooms because of several reasons: “A lack of funding,
bandwidth, technical support, mobile devices, software, teacher acceptance, and district policies” (Armstrong, 2013,
p.39).
There is a study that proves that there is a positive effect on students who are using mobile devices in the
classrooms more than the students who are not using them in classrooms. This effect can be described as the strong
interest in STEM subjects. That is giving students the ability to understand math and science classes. Also, using
tablets and smartphones in the classrooms can give students opportunities to engage in the subjects. It helps students
to control their learning. It is just simply changing the students’ role from a listener and a note taker to an explorer.
Using technology in the classrooms can change the way of teaching in which it will depend on students’
collaborations. Also, it is hard for the teacher to keep everyone on the task and it’s hard to control what the students’
see on their screens. But there is a product called ‘Nearpod’ which can help teachers to control the classroom
activity. The article sums up by calling for using technology in the classroom because it proves that it can prompt
students’ motivation and participation.
The second article, Evaluation of an adaptive online learning system, proves that computer-assisted
learning (CAL) can prompt learning outcomes in the anatomy and physiology classes. It adds to the previous article
the idea that technology is not only can help students in science and math classes, but also in anatomy and
physiology classes too. The authors Griff and Matter (2012) compare the adaptive online learning ‘LearnSmart’ in
anatomy and physiology with the traditional CAL to evaluate its effectiveness. The authors did a study to assess the
posttests and the pretests scores, grades, and retention between treatment parts by using LearnSmart, and control
sections with providing online questions.
4
The result shows that there was no major difference between the parts either by using LearnSmart or online
questions. There was a survey that distributed on the students and the teachers after the study was done. Most of the
students liked LearnSmart and found it useful. Some of the students complain by saying that LearnSmart took more
time than some they wanted to spend. The teachers assess that students who uses the LearnSmart was able to engage
in the class and ask more challenging questions. As a final thought, from both the articles mentioned above we can
say that computer-assisted learning is proved to be successful in many different subjects such as math and science.
References
Armstrong, A. (2014). Technology in the Classroom. Illinios School Board Journal , 41.
Armstrong, A. (2013). Technology in the classroom It's not a matter of 'if,' but 'when' and
'how'. Illinois School Board Journal , 81, 14-21.
Duncan, A. (2013). Why We Need High-Speed Schools. Scientific American , 69-71.
Matter, E. R. (2012). Evaluation of an adaptive online learning system. British Journal of
Educational Technology , 44 (1), 170-176.
Ward, C. K. (2010). Journal of Online Learning and Teaching. Developing New Schemas for
Online Teaching and Learning: TPACK , 1-21.
5
Fadiyah Alnuways
CSE 610
04/10/2014
Summary
Computer in Education
In the articles “ Educational Technology” by Smith, L and “ The Effectiveness of Technology in Schools: a
Summary of Recent Research” by Bailo, E & Sivin- Kashala, J, the authors emphasize the importance role of
computer technology in education. Since 1980, the education has changed positively due to using computer
technology in instruction, and the computer has become the main material in school curriculum. In addition, many
studies have shown that computer technology has significant impact to motivate students, support the instruction
with effective activities and help teachers to change and improve their methods in teaching from routine tasks,
which contribute to develop learning process. Moreover, computer in education can affect significantly in students
achievement in all major subject ( Avriam, 2000). Also, using computer in school can help students to earn many
language skills and abilities in evaluation with critical thinking, which cause important achievement in their study.
Beside this significant impact, students’ perspective toward learning has changed and improved as a result of using
computer in education. Most of students after practicing computer in school felt that their self-confidence and their
motivation toward success increased according to many studies. Furthermore, the Internet that considers the most
effective side of the computer in education contributes in development of learning. It leads to connect with many
cultures and share a lot of information in many topics in education, and this method allows students to interact with
teacher and other students and participate in many online activities more than face to face. On the other hand, Smith,
L in his article illustrates that while using computer in education has many positive effects, there are some negative
aspects of educational technology.
First, many teachers and students need a long time to learn how they can use computer befor they can use it
effectively in subject areas (Goldman, Cole & Syer, 1999). Second, using computer in school will cost a lot of
money to buy many computers, which affects on learning process. Finally, the pros of using computer in education
overtop the cons according to many studies.
My personal view is that using computers in the processes of learning and teaching is one of the newest
areas that are supported by the computer beside a lot of sectors in our life because it contributes to develop the
education in several aspects. First, The teachers are always searching for methods to help them do their teaching in
order to access to better education such as smart board, power point and learning films, which provides an
6
interactive learning environment between the student and the teacher. Second, computer offers a lot of types of
education such as individual and collective learning, and it has a variety tasks like learning, training and evaluation.
It is as a teacher. It also contributes to the formulation of educational tools that help teachers in their work both
inside and outside the classroom. Because of that, the school administration should provide sophisticated computer
labs, and training teachers to use to serve the curriculum, and enable learners to use computers in a scientific way if
it seeks to achieve excellent educational outcomes.
References
Aviram, A. (2000). From "computers in the classroom" to mindful radical adaptation by education systems to the
emerging cyber culture. Journal of Educational Change, 1, 331-352.
Bailo, E. & Kachala, S. (1996). The effectiveness of technology in schools: A summary of recent research.
Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/aasl/aaslpubsandjournals/slmrb/editorschoiceb/infopower/slctbialohtml
Goldman, S., Cole, K., & Syer, C. (1999). The technology/content dilemma [Online]. Available:
http://www.ed.gov/Technology/TechConf/1999/whitepapers/paper4.html
Smith, L. Educational technology. Retrieved from
http://sitemaker.umich.edu/lem.smith/effectiveness_of_computers_in_education
7
Caitlyn Corder
CSE 610
In many classrooms today, teachers have the opportunity to use technology to teach their students. There
are many forms of technology that can be used in the classroom. Teachers also have different opinions on the role
of technology in the classroom. One of the types of technology that could be used in the classroom is computers.
From, “Computer Technology in the Classroom: Do Students Really Like It?” by Jamie Perry, Lori
Cunningham, & Jinadasa Gamage (2012) the authors present the idea of what students think about technology being
used in their classroom. One of the findings from this article was, “These studies have shown the value of using 3D
computer technology in teaching medical classrooms (i.e., medical schools) as well as in speech and respiratory
anatomy classrooms” (Perry, Cunningham, & Gamage, 2012, p. 19). So when using this type of technology with
this particular subject that students are studying, it helped these students learn new concepts.
One of these studies that was discussed in this article looked into how a program could be used in a
classroom, “The students were divided into two groups with one group receiving traditional instruction (text and 2D
images) while the second group received traditional methods with the addition of a 3D stereoscopic computer
animation of cleft palate surgery” (Perry, Cunningham, & Gamage, 2012, p.19), so these students were given the
opportunity to use this technology as a resource to help them gain a better understanding of the material. It was
found that after comparing these two groups of students and also comparing this study to others that the, “Results
indicated that students who were exposed to the 3D computer-based animation performed better than those who only
used traditional methods” (Perry, Cunningham, & Gamage, 2012, p. 22). So this not only helped with teaching new
concepts, but also with student memory and knowledge of the material.
This was also supported by students’ knowledge and memory when it came to the learning about the new
material in that it showed how students did on assessments. This resource also showed how students felt about how
or what they were learning while using the technology. After seeing the results from this study, we can see how
technology can impact student learning, “However, our students are growing up in a visual world and it is likely that
using such technology may indeed improve learning and student engagement in our communication sciences and
disorders classrooms” (Perry, Cunningham, & Gamage, 2012, pp. 22-23). There was one school subject that
8
benefited from this study, but with using technology there can be other ways to engage students with new ideas and
concepts.
In, “Exemplary Social Studies Teachers Use of Computer-Supported Instruction in the Classroom” by
Mehmet Acikalin (2010), we gain the perspective of what it is like for a teacher to use various types of technology
in the classroom. This study looked at teachers who, “The participant teachers should be (a) experienced secondary
social studies teachers; (b) knowledgeable in computer-supported instruction; (c) using computer-supported
instruction frequently” (Acikalin, 2010, p. 68). Each of these teachers modeled various uses of technologies in their
classrooms that students worked with on projects or as resources. For example, one teacher used, “The colonial
newspaper project…Smart Board as a presentation tool…Internet search…” (Acikalin, 2010, p. 72) students worked
with these different computer resources to help them learn, whether they were searching for information about a
topic, working in groups to complete an assignment, and or presenting their assignment to the class (Acikalin, 2010).
Both of these articles discuss positives of using computers to help students learn. One discusses positives
that are seen from students and the other discusses positives that the teachers see. Even though each of these articles
use different types of computer activities and are teaching different subjects, they provide examples of how to
integrate computer use into the classroom. Whether it is the type of program that is being used or how the teachers
are using the computer in their classes, these computer activities have proven to be a positive resource for student
learning. By looking at how the computers were used in these articles, we can gain ideas of how to implement this
into our own classrooms. I feel that I would use some of these activities discussed in these articles in my future
classroom, but this depends on what grade level I teach and the availability of resources as both of these articles
discuss as this problem as well. (Perry, Cunningham, & Gamage, 2012) & (Acikalin, 2010).
9
References
Perry, J., L., Cunningham, L., D., & Gamage, J., K., 2012. Computer technology in the classroom: Do students
really like it? Int’l J of Instruction Media. 39(1). PP. 17-24.
Acikalin, M. 2010. Exemplary social studies teachers use of computer-supported instruction in the classroom.
TOJET: The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology. 9(4). PP. 66-82.
10
The use of technology in the classroom raises many questions. Should students be using technology in the
classroom? Technology has been used in schools for as long as I can remember. Things are changing and students
have become dependent on the use of technology. This concerns me, do students know how to use a printed
encyclopedia or would they assume I am asking about Wikipedia? “It’s not a matter of ‘if,’ but ‘when’ and ‘how,’
(Armstrong, Technology in the Classroom, 2014).
“A place still exists for traditional teaching tools and methods, but that place is much smaller than it was 10
or even five years ago,” (Armstrong, 2014) As a classroom teacher I feel that technology has its place while
traditional tools take president. My opinion is based from my experience as a kindergarten teacher. With this age we
are not using a vast amount of technology. I do have a teacher computer, projector and document camera. My school
has approximately 90 Mac laptops available and we have five student IPads and one teacher IPad in my classroom
which are on loan from the UofO during an app study. I have never used the laptops and the only students that use
the IPads are those directly involved with the app study. I do use my teacher IPad daily for things such as attendance
and showing the kids curriculum related YouTube videos.
While reading articles related to the use of technology in classrooms I feel like I am doing a disservice to
my students by not having a lot of technology in my classroom. I also feel like I am keeping a good balance. At the
age of five or six too much screen time is an issue. Kids need to play and use manipulatives. Giving a child a piece
of paper and crayons is a great way to assess so many skills. I can not find out information about a child’s ability to
hold a pencil correctly or form correct letters if they are only doing this on a computer or tablet. Students can
explore and be creative on a computer which will be useful in the times that they are growing up in, but is the use of
pencil and paper dyeing out?
Alice Armstrong wrote an article about the use of technology in the classroom and she made me think that I
need to embrace technology and that I am the one that is afraid not my students. Armstrong states that “effective
training and technical support” must be provided to faculty using the tools. I feel that this is a key point. The older
we get the more we question our selves doubting our ability to learn and teach new information. I want what is best
for my students and if that means that I have to struggle to learn something new, I will!
This same point was made in an article in COMMUNICATIONS OF THE ACM. The research project
(Kaganer, Giordano, Brion, &, Tortoriello, 2013) “was based on a three-month field experiment with 124 students
enrolled in an executive-MBA (EMBA) program at IESE Business School.” Throughout the three-month period
11
there were mixed reviews of the use of tablets in the classroom. Students that were the control group and were still
using binders with case studies liked to use of laying papers out to find needed information. While students who
used the tablets found it to be a great advantage to be able to carry all the case files around with them because of
easy organization on the tablet. While groups had their positives they also had negative feelings toward the study.
Those using the tablets found it hard to take notes and find information with out having learned the note taking
techniques. The control group wanted to be able to carry multiple cases at once like the tablet group.
While the study listed above does not directly pertain to my teaching it has made an impact on my teaching.
Kaganer (2013) stated that there is “no quick payoff.” I need to keep in mind that new ideas are often hard to learn
and they take time. If there will be a payoff in the end I will take the long and sometimes hard road to get there.
References
Armstrong, A. (2014). Technology in the Classroom. Illinios School Board Journal, 41.
Evegeny Kaganer, G.A.(2013). Media Tablets for Mobile Learning. Communications of the
ACM, 70, 73.
12
Dorothy Key
Why We Need Modern Technology in Education
We need modern technology in education like we need clean air and water, both are essential for our future.
In the classroom the old way of teaching “chalk and talk” was the main way material was presented to students, sit
down and listen was what was demanded of the students. With modern technology all of that has changed, educators
are creating lesson plans with technology in mind. The old way of learning needs to be buried so modern technology
can emerge in our classrooms and homes. Computers, IPADs, and Smartboards are needed now in schools all over
the world, to get the students ready to take over the high tech jobs now and in the future.
Currently, modern technology is being integrated into education now more than ever before and creating a
more diverse learning experience. In the fall of 2008, according to a survey from the Sloan Consortium, nearly 4.6
million college students were enrolled in online classes (Ward, 2010). Although all of these students are enrolled in
online classes does not mean that they have the schema for taking classes over the internet. However, if children are
exposed to high-speed schools in elementary, middle and high schools with personalized learning through modern
technology this will ready them for online classes and face to face classes in higher education (Duncan, 2013).
In conclusion, modern technology and education go together like paper and pen. We need both to survive
on this spinning planet. Jobs and careers are changing at a speed faster now than ever before. Unfortunaltely we as a
people really don’t know what the future holds for anyone but one thing is for sure technology is here to stay and
smart people make a better world.
References
Armstrong, A. (2014). Technology in the Classroom. Illinios School Board Journal , 41.
13
Armstrong, A. (2013). Technology in the classroom It's not a matter of 'if,' but 'when' and
'how'. Illinois School Board Journal , 81, 14-21.
Duncan, A. (2013). Why We Need High-Speed Schools. Scientific American , 69-71.
Matter, E. R. (2012). Evaluation of an adaptive online learning system. British Journal of
Educational Technology , 44 (1), 170-176.
Ward, C. K. (2010). Journal of Online Learning and Teaching. Developing New Schemas for
Online Teaching and Learning: TPACK , 1-21.
14
Albandari Alhejaili
Computers in Education 610
4/9/2014
Computers in Education
The existence of Technology in education has become essential in most educational institutions such as
schools, universities and institutes. Using technology for teachers is like a tool that helps them in teaching and
enables them to accomplish tasks in a very short time. The entry of technology in education was not a revolution for
teachers only, but also for schools and university students. Computers and smart phone devices are considered the
most significant parts of the technology. They have made it easy for students to contact their teachers and ask them
to explain or clarify some points of the lessons.
Nowadays, students spend a lot of time using computers or smart phones at home, either for fun or for doing
their homework, while only a few of them use the computers or smart phones in the classroom. According to Alice
Armstrong (2014) more than one of three middle school students report using smart phones 39%, and 31% using
tablets. However, 6% of 39% of students who use smartphones report that they can use it in the classroom, and 18%
of 31% of students who use tablets for homework report that they can use it in the classroom. It is possible to say
that there are large gap existing between mobile technology use at home and at school as Alice states.
Computers in education can help students develop their skills in research, and encourage them to look for
many different topics and articles. Using devices like
computers and smart phones in education pushes students to be more active and willing to learn. Alice Armstrong
states that, “students who use mobile devices in the classroom are more interested in STEM subjects than students
who don’t use devices. “Also 67% of those who use laptops in the classroom say that it helps them to learn math
and science better, while 55% who use tablets say it helps them learn math and science.
Here we conclude that using devices in education has become an integral part of education in schools and
universities. But there is a question of who is responsible to provide these devices. Is this the school’s responsibility,
or do students have to provide one for themselves? According to Alice Armstrong,” teachers may be worried that
the student who doesn’t have a smartphone or tablet will feel ridicule from their connected peers.” It seems to be
that schools are responsible to provide these devices for students.
In fact, at the present time there is no house or a school devoid of devices and computers; reliance on these
devices have made them available even at homes. For students are not just using these devices for doing homework
15
because there is a variety of activities they can do on these devices. However, for teachers these devices, especially
computers, are the biggest source of information that provide a variety of educational subjects. Eventually, after the
studies prove that students who use devices in classrooms are more active, these devices and computers have to be
provided in all schools.
16
References
Armstrong, A. (2014). Technology in the Classroom It's Not a Matter of 'If,' but 'When' and 'How'. Education
Digest, 79(5), 39-46.
Loop, E. (n.d.). Lessons to teach kids about using computers [Editorial]. Global Post. Retrieved from
http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/lessons-teach-kids-using-computers-12239.html
17
Courtnay Slabaugh
April 10, 2014
CSE 610
Journal Assignment 1
The Importance of Context and Collaboration in Adult Basic Education
In Learning with Computers: The Theory Behind the Practice, Cromley (2000) discusses how technology
can facilitate learning in different ways than traditional classrooms or textbooks. Adult learners need to develop and
apply higher-level cognitive skills in order to be successful. However, adult learners can be hesitant to assess
information or explain their thinking in front of classroom (Cromley, 2000). Technology, especially computer-based
games, allows them to make decisions, assess information, and get instant feedback on their performance. This
private environment can help adult learners to develop confidence.
However, it is not a replacement for in-person adult education. All learning must be placed in context. This
is especially important with adult learners (Cromley, 2000). Before accessing a concept or experience on the
computer, students need to consider their previous knowledge about the topic and what information they want and
need to know. Following the experience, they need to assess what they learned and identify how it does or does not
fit into their current schemas.
Another important aspect to adult learning is collaboration. Collaboration has many advantages, including:
increased motivation, development of critical and problem-solving skills, and “a potential social atmosphere where
all learners are afforded an opportunity to share, consider, challenge one another’s ideas, and to co-construct new
knowledge” (Smith, 2005, p.182). Regina Smith (2005), a professor at Portland State University, conducted a study
on online collaborative learning. She identified strong benefits: Specifically, students were able to re-define their
role as student and began to take more responsibility to their learning (Smith, 2005, p.185). They had to apply the
information to their own unique situations without a tremendous about of the guidance from the instructor.
She also noted an area for online instructors to be aware of in regards to student collaboration. In
traditional, face-to-face classrooms, social norms are typically employed during the collaborative process. Students
are familiar with these environments after years and years of education. However, online environments can present
more of a challenge. Smith noted, “The need to communicate with limited non-verbal communication cure and a
lack of communication spontaneity added to the stress of online collaborative groups” (Smith, 2005, p. 196). She
18
also noted that tensions within a group often went unresolved with frustrated students often yelling at their
computers, rather that confronting the student who caused the frustration (Smith, 2005, p. 196).
Both of these articles note the importance of using technology as a tool in adult basic education. However,
technology can’t be seen as a magic bullet. Adult learners still need scaffolding to develop the higher-level thinking
and social skills. Technology offers a great opportunity but as educators we need to teach adults how to interact with
and contextual technology.
19
References
Cromley, J. (2000). Learning with computers: The theory behind the practice. Focus on Basics: Connecting
Research and Practice, 4(C), Retrieved from http://www.ncsall.net/index.html@id=303.html
Smith, R. (2005). Working with difference in online collaborative groups. Adult Education Quarterly,55(3), 182199. doi: 10.1177/0741713605274627