Should Teachers Use Technology In The Classroom

To what extent should teachers use technology and/or social media in the classroom? The what extent should teachers be using technology and/or social media in the classroom has become quite a hot topic. Technology is all around us and impacts our lives more today than ever before. For many of us the first thing we do in the morning before we get out of bed or last thing we do at night before closing our eyes is grab our smart phones or tablets and explore the internet or social media. The internet is one of the key aspects that keeps society going today and is more easily accessible than ever before. With the never ending advancements in technology and it being so tightly embedded into how society functions, it is becoming more important that …show more content…
A part of progressivism keeps current aspects of what is going on in the world today a vital part of how the teacher approaches teaching. With technology being such a large part of society today and a large number of students using it on a daily basis it can be used as a tool to draw interest in the content that is being taught and help students relate information to their own life. It is especially important however that it is only a tool and not relied on solely because there are students that may not have access to certain technology that their peers do. “Individuals are expected to be equipped with crucial digital competencies in order to effectively participate in the economic, political and social aspects of this new age and how digital literacies are a pillar of the 21st century” (Chen, 2015). Technology continually impacts our society in giant ways and as educators it is our job to set our students up for success. Teachers are helping prepare our youth for the future which includes getting them prepared for entering the workforce. As technology impacts our society it is not unrealistic that teachers are preparing students for jobs that might not even exist at this moment. In Delgado, Wardlow, McKnight and O’Malley’s research they showed when certain technology programs are brought into schools it can have an effect on the progress of our students but for this to happen we need to be preparing our teachers to implement technology in the most effective and efficient way possible. Bennet speaks of the ten essential elements to producing an effective way of doing this. According to Bennet there is a 10 step plan which includes creating a vision, involving all stake holders, gathering data, review research, integrate technology into the curriculum, commit to professional development, ensure