Tuesday, April 19, 2011

3 ways to successfully implement educational technology integration


When we think about the educational technology integration, we realize that no matter how popular, advanced and efficient the technology might be today, there are a lot of other things to be done in order to make the whole system work. It is not enough just to have a will to implement the technology in some school systems, especially if those schools are very old-fashioned and wouldn’t change the books for anything in the world. The first step is to convince everyone that the educational technology can only improve the whole teaching systems and make them realize how many benefits it can bring to the students. There are three ways that can help every school to integrate the technology into the existing curriculum.

1. The students, teachers and the parents must all participate in the process. First of all, the students must know the essentials of the educational technology and what it can give them. The technology is something completely new, so they must know what to expect. Teachers should be there to help them with everything,and the parents must understand and agree with all the pros and cons of this system. It is not something that can happen overnight; a lot of preparation is necessary, as well as lot of work.

2. All the technology must be suitable for the students and the program involved. If there are changes that should be made, they have to be done step by step so the students don’t get scared of anything. Every subject can have a software program designed for it to make learning easier and even make boring subjects fun. One of the greatest things when it comes to technology in education is the ability to get involved in things that you have never liked before.

3. Teachers must be prepared and trained for what’s coming up. It is not enough for a teacher to be an expert in a particular subject; he must use the technology as well in order to pass the knowledge on the students. The teachers are not just supposed to learn the technical things, but also to know how to make the students interested in that technology and teach them how to use the software or other tools.

These three steps might be the most important to consider, but they are just a starting point for educational technology integration. Since technology is getting more and more important today, it is recommended that parents let their children use it when they are old enough to understand how some things work. That will make them interested and will also make them understand better once they start with school. Technology in education can be a fun thing, but it is also very serious and should be considered that way, since our future might depend on the way we accept it.

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