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As Ediger’s (1994) studies on Technology in the Elementary Classroom have revealed, applying technology in the classroom does several things to student learning: (1) It increases interest even in rote tasks; (2) it provides purpose for learning; (3) it can attach meaning to an ongoing lesson; (4) it provides opportunities to perceive knowledge as being related, not isolated bits; (5) it allows for individual student differences; and (6) it can affect students’ attitudes toward learning.

Over time, I realized that I had become a technology mediator of sorts, someone with a pedagogical background, who helped guide faculty and students as they faced decisions regarding technology use in the classroom.

Last year I left the art classroom, devoting myself to helping other teachers and students mindfully navigate the use of digital technology in classrooms throughout the school.  I remain less a techie than an educator who keeps the students – not the technology – at the center of all we do at The Philadelphia School.

Students learn how to use these tools for academic purposes and, at the same time, can transfer their use to their personal lives and future professional careers.

The aim of this feature column is to provide insight about the educational changes that can result from technological developments, especially the evolution of interactive education based on multimedia.In classrooms and laboratories throughout the world, rapidly advancing information technologies are changing the face of education in chemistry. This column deals with educational changes that can result from technological developments, including interactive on-line approaches and the integration of multimedia materials. Such education may involve the use of technology in a variety of settings, from the traditional lecture hall or laboratory to virtual or distributed classrooms. Instructional and information technologies have, in some cases, made entirely new educational environments and practices possible. Technology may be used to communicate interactively and in real-time with students who are off-campus, perhaps in other states or countries. Multimedia can be used on-line in homework or exam situations to probe conceptual understanding and aid in the visualization of microscopic chemical phenomena. As these changes occur in chemical education, it is critical to guide them by answering questions such as:

Technology is helping teachers to expand beyond linear, text-based learning and to engage students who learn best in other ways. Its role in schools has evolved from a contained “computer class” into a versatile learning tool that could change how we demonstrate concepts, assign projects and assess progress.

Turn on your computer and turn on the projector. Make sure all connections are secure.

A teacher/instructor/professor obviously plays numerous roles in a traditional classroom: role model, encourager, supporter, guide, synthesizer.

This model works well when we can centralize both the content (curriculum) and the teacher

Technological networks have transformed prominent businesses sectors: music, television, financial, manufacturing. Social networks, driven by technological networks, have similarly transformed communication, news, and personal interactions. Education sits at the social/technological nexus of change

Review and comment on student work more efficiently

Use WebQuests

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The Center for Teaching History with Technology, a resource created to help K-12 history and social studies teachers incorporate technology effectively into their courses. Find resources for history and social studies lesson plans, activities, projects, games, and quizzes that use technology. Explore inquiry-based lessons, activities, and projects. Learn about web technologies such as blogs, podcasts, wikis, social networks, Google Docs, ebooks, online maps, virtual field trips, screencasts, online posters, and more. Explore innnovative ways of integrating these tools into the curriculum, watch instructional video tutorials, and learn how others are using technology in the classroom!

This new math-to-speech technology will provide students who are blind or have other visual impairments, the tools they need to learn, practice, and take math and science tests on a more equal footing with their classroom peers.

replay voiced segments in mathematically meaningful ‘chunks.’ Our goal is to provide students and teachers with a better system for voicing mathematical notation that includes some truly useful functionality.”

We are always looking for the magic bullet, something that will solve all our problems. And, today this magic bullet for education is technology. It will solve all our problems! It will increase academic skills, reduce dropout rates, eliminate the racial divide in academic performance, and increase SAT scores. And it will make the lives of teachers easier. Well, it may not accomplish all of these goals, but educational technology does have a place in early childhood. Right? It depends on an early childhood program’s overall program goals and objectives, and the program’s goals and objectives for each student. And it depends on how computers are incorporated into the early childhood curriculum (Haugland, 2000).