By Jessica Rojas - Student of the School of Education

Once, George Couros, educator and author of The Innovator’s Mindset, said something remarkable: “Technology will never replace great teachers, but technology in the hands of great teachers is transformational” (Lutz, 2017). Education is evolving, thanks to the Internet, and no one cannot stop it. Therefore, it is vital to incorporate it in the classroom, since it has become a tool that supports us in what we do every day. Implementing technology in the classroom has changed the way students learn and communicate; better yet, teachers have more resources to create their material, find meaningful and creative content, and share it with their students.

Today, teachers use technology to provide students with more relevant content and resources in several ways, and they can access that content anywhere and everywhere, and as many times as they would like. According to a new report from Cambridge International, where 20.000 teachers and students from 100 countries were interviewed, they have found that the use of technology is increasing. That is, 48% of students reported they have a desktop computer in the classroom (Bernstein, 2019). Now, it is not that we depend on a computer to teach students, but it does allow us to design and deliver more fun, creative, and unique material. As a result, students can have more options to demonstrate what they have learned. Furthermore, teachers as content creators tailor material to their specific curriculum and processes, and rely less on canned and pre-made content from the web. (Weeks, 2020). Moreover, in t

Clearly, there is an overwhelming amount of content available to the teacher interested in using the Internet to find, share or create material. Such material, sometimes, is not always the right one, either because it does not fit our needs, it is mediocre and low quality, or it is not innovative. Besides, the time required to search for or create such material is a lot. According to Edreports.org, "teachers spend 7-12 hours per week searching for and creating instructional resources (free and paid), drawing from a variety of sources, many of them unvetted" (edreports.org, n.d.). According to their experience and availability, the technology allows teachers to invest their time in creating new material, or the teacher can make adjustments to existing ones. Making material from scratch is not mandatory but it is an option.

Technology makes possible not only to provide student with learning environments that promote collaboration, and learn valuable skills needed in this competitive world but it has served as an information resource where teachers can find supporting material for their students. Technology has served as an information resource where teachers can find supporting material for their students. Technology has opened up that door of possibilities, whether the teacher designs their own materials or selects from the thousands available. Not all teachers are professionally trained in instructional design. Still, many are committed to providing students with learning environments that promote collaboration and valuable skills needed in this competitive world through technology.

 

MOXIE es el Canal de ULACIT (www.ulacit.ac.cr), producido por y para los estudiantes universitarios, en alianza con el medio periodístico independiente Delfino.cr, con el propósito de brindarles un espacio para generar y difundir sus ideas.  Se llama Moxie - que en inglés urbano significa tener la capacidad de enfrentar las dificultades con inteligencia, audacia y valentía - en honor a nuestros alumnos, cuyo “moxie” los caracteriza.

References:
• Bernstein, L. (2019, February 14). EdTech. https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2019/02/new-global-survey-offers-snapshot- technology-classroom-2019
• Edreports.org. (n.d.). Why materials matter. https://www.edreports.org/impact/why-materials-matter#s0
• Lutz, A. (2017, July 20). Where Learning. https://blog.edgenuity.com/technology-in-the- classroom/
• Weeks, D. (2020, June 15). Teachers as content creators. ThedigitalTeacher.org. http://www.thedigitalteacher.org/index.php/2020/06/15/teachers-as-content-creators/