Teachers must integrate technology into their elementary or secondary curriculum. As propaganda like as it may sound, computers and technology are the wave of the future. Research has shown that by using computer, students become better problem-solvers and better communicators. Students need to be kept up-to-date in computers so that they can learn ways to approach the choices and challenges of the 21st century. Through technology, teachers can stay on top of a field that is evolving very quickly and to investigate ways to enhance the learning process. Computers and the media encourage students to apply their knowledge and become successful members of society. Three technology tool that teachers and students can utilize in their classrooms to enhance the learning process are: E-mail, WebQuests, and Concept Maps.The fastest and easiest way to communicate with anyone around the world is through E-mail. E-mail is currently the number one protocol of communication. Both teachers and students can benefit from using e-mail. According tot the article entitled E-mail Activities in the ESL Writing Class by Ron Belisle, "Networking electronically can help learners create, analyze, and produce information and ideas more easily and efficiently". (Belisle 1). E-mail helps students to become familiar with a communication device that is vital for survival in the 21st century. It also allows for the students and teachers to interact with one another and to save time on assignments. Students can automatically send their assignment to the instructor without leaving a paper trail behind. Teachers can respond immediately to the students work. Studies have also found that when students utilize e-mail, they actually accomplish more writing then the usual pen and paper method. Form and structure are not necessary components of e-mail, so students will tend to write with more ease and with the knowledge that the information can be changed rather quickly. One of the unique qualities of students that utilize e-mail is that those who are shy or a little backwards can express their ideas and ask questions without fear of criticism from their peers. Not only can the students benefit from e-mail, but also the parents can send messages to the teachers requesting information. Thus, playing phone tag comes to a close.
Another important instructional activity is the use of WebQuests. A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from the Internet. Teachers design WebQuests for their students. WebQuests require an introduction, a task, information sources, a process, guidance, and a conclusion. Group work, cooperation, and utilizing the Internet are key components of this activity. The teacher establishes a point base and rubric for each activity. One of the most interesting WebQuests, The Crucible: Timeless Persecutions, links students to the sites that have information about the Salem Witch Trials and the Spanish Inquisition. The objective of the quest is for the students to write a futuristic play depicting a form of persecution. Besides using e-mail, is one of the most important technological advances that students need to learn how to utilize is the Internet. WebQuests encourage the student to focus on a concrete and hi-tech task. They help students to weave their way through the web to find valuable information to discuss with their peers and utilize e-mail to obtain feedback from people around the world.
The final tool that students and teacher utilize in the classroom, are Concept Maps. A Concept Map is a graphical representation that links concepts to relationships. One Concept-Mapping program that is easy for teachers and students to use is Inspiration. Inspiration allows students and teachers to generate brainstorming ideas, design complex structures, aid learning by integrating new and old knowledge and to diagnose learning. Teachers can develop a Concept Map to introduce a new topic or way of learning. Students can develop a map depicting a research project or characters from a book. To help with vocabulary, students can place a word in the main idea section and map out the antonyms and synonyms to the words. Many students are visual learners and Concept-Mapping helps students to create a visual graphic of the theory that they are learning.
E-mail, WebQuests, and Concept Maps are three programs that teachers and students can utilize in the classroom. E-mail ends the paper trail and allows students the opportunity to enhance their writing and communication skills. WebQuests encourage students to work in groups to complete a task utilizing the Internet. Concept Maps, on the other hand, provide teachers and students with a visual graphic of various concepts. All three are important to help today's students succeed in the 21st century. Many of Arizona's schools are behind in their acquisition of adequate technology and knowledgeable staff. Why then is technology so important? Without knowledge of technological concepts, Arizona's students cannot utilize higher order thinking skills to improve their changes of surviving and thriving in today's high tech world.
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