Technology and Education
NCES Study ShowsDigital Divide PersistsGovernment study shows the schools "help narrow the disparities between different types of students in terms of computer use." Read more.
High School Reformand 21st Century SkillsHigh schools need a relentless focus on results that matter for student success in the 21st century, according to a report from The Partnership for 21st Century Skills.
'Ready to Upgrade?'Read the March 2006 NEA Today cover story, "Ready To Upgrade?," to find out how your colleagues are getting up to speed on tech issues. And check out NEA's Online Technology Guide for educators!
Every student needs the ability to navigate through the 24/7 information flow that today connects the global community. For students to thrive in a world enabled by information technology, we must give them the skills to make sense of and use the information that engulfs them. They need to know how to learn new skills as quickly as technology creates new challenges.
Many students already use computers and surf the Web on their own, but there's more to educational technology than desktop computers.
Teachers and students need access to laptops and pocket PCs, digital cameras and microscopes, Web-based video equipment, graphing calculators, and even weather-tracking devices.
They need to become responsible and savvy users and purveyors of information. They need to need how to collaborate successfully across miles and cultures.
Professional Development Is Critical
Making the tools of technology available is important, but that's just the first step. Fully preparing and supporting educators in the instructional use of technology is critical. Teachers and school staff must know how to do more with technology than simply automate practices and processes. They need to learn to use technology to transform the nature of teaching and learning.
http://www.nea.org/technology/index.html
My say: I do agree with the writer of this article when they say "Everyone needs some sort of technology to be successful ." Having them in classrooms is very important for the student and for the teacher as well. I believe this will give them the proper skills in reading, writing, and math. It is very important to have these machines to transform some of the teachings from the teacher, because the kids will just find it easier on them. If students don't know how to work the machines they should learn, because it will help them if they know what they are doing. Teaching will only get better from K-12th grade with the new technology given in todays society.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Why do we use so much different kinds of technology today for elementary school students? How will that help them, when they get older? Article 1
The Article
This article attempts to extend current research and development activities related to the use of technology in problem posing, to early grades mathematics. It is motivated by the authors' work with elementary preservice teachers toward this goal, both at the graduate and undergraduate levels. New York State Learning Standards for K-4 mathematics serve as a background for technology-enabled learning. Spreadsheet-based environments designed by the authors (using Microsoft Excel 2004) are introduced from a tool kit perspective, enabling a meaningful combination of manipulative and computing activities by elementary preteachers and their students alike.
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One of the central tenets of the current reform movement in mathematics education holds that appropriate use of tools of technology is integral to the teaching and learning of mathematics at all grade levels. In the context of preparing teachers for the 21st century classrooms, the word "appropriate" may include the notion of teacher as a technologically minded curriculum developer, capable of exploring--and helping his/her students to explore--new avenues in mathematical content; in particular, being skillful in the use of technology for posing and solving problems. This puts mathematics educators involved in the preparation of teachers for elementary schools in a unique position because such technology-enabled changes in pedagogy must be feasible from the very outset in the chain of children's educational experiences.
It has been more than a decade since the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (1991) suggested that technology has the potential "to enhance and extend mathematics learning and teaching" and that "the most promising are in the areas of problem posing and problem solving in activities that permit students to design their own explorations and create their own mathematics" (p. 134). Nonetheless, as an extensive search of the literature indicates, the few existing papers that describe the use of technology as a medium for problem posing are mostly concerned with the secondary mathematics education (Abramovich & Brouwer, 2003; Abramovich & Norton, 2006; Hoyles & Sutherland, 1986; Laborde, 1995; Noss, 1986; Yerushalmy, Chazan, & Gordon, 1993).
This article attempts to extend current research and development activities related to the use of technology in problem posing, to mathematics education in early grades. It has been motivated by the authors' work with elementary preservice teachers (referred to as teachers) toward this goal, both at the graduate and undergraduate levels, using a resource guide (New York State Education Department, 1998) that provides guidance to districts and schools in New York for structuring local curricula and instruction. This curriculum document focuses on using open-ended problems with young children, something that requires special skills by the teachers. These skills may include the ability to use computers as cognitive amplifiers in exploring the open-ended nature of appropriate mathematical situations. In an open-ended environment of a technology-enhanced classroom, one can expect young children to ask unforeseen questions about familiar concepts. This, in turn, has a potential for learning to become a reciprocal process (Confrey, 1995; Steffe, 1991). Apparently, the implementation of such a dynamic perspective on the learning of mathematics begins with the preparation of teachers.
It should be noted that to make technology integration into a quality teacher education program a success, one has to make right decisions regarding the choice of software involved. One type of software, which for more than two decades has gained widespread recognition as an exploratory tool, is a spreadsheet (Baker & Sugden, 2003). Designed originally for non-educational purposes, a spreadsheet may be conceptualized in educational terms as a combination of an electronic blackboard and electronic chalk (Power, 2000). Thus, it came as no surprise that the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2000) recommended that spreadsheets be used with children as early as in grades 3-5. In support of such a recommendation, several authors reported successful uses of spreadsheets with young children, as well as with their future teachers in various grade-appropriate contexts (Abramovich, 2003; Abramovich, Stanton, & Baer, 2002; Ainley, 1995; Drier, 1999, 2001). This article introduces spreadsheet-based environments to be used both with the teachers and their students in the context of situated addition and subtraction as a medium for both problem posing and problem solving. It focuses on multiple issues, both practical and theoretical, associated with the use of technology as a scaffolding device for teachers' open-ended problem posing experiences as well as young children's ability to explore that type of problem. As will be shown, problem posing, by definition, includes a problem-solving phase as an important part.
Reference: Technology as a medium for elementary preteachers' problem-posing experience in mathematics. Sergei Abramovich and Eun Kyeong Cho. Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching 25.4 (Winter 2006): p309(15). http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.fgcu.edu/itx/retrieve.do?subjectParam=Locale%2528en%252C%252C%2529%253AFQE%253D%2528su%252CNone%252C22%2529educational%2Btechnology%2524&contentSet=IAC-Documents&sort=DateDescend&tabID=T002&sgCurrentPosition=0&subjectAction=DISPLAY_SUBJECTS&prodId=AONE&searchId=R2¤tPosition=12&userGroupName=gale15690&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&sgHitCountType=None&qrySerId=Locale%28en%2C%2C%29%3AFQE%3D%28ke%2CNone%2C22%29educational+technology%24&inPS=true&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm&displaySubject=&docId=A152514987&docType=IAC
My say:
I believe this article answers the question because it relates to K-4th grade, and talks about technology improving the math skills of the students. It gives good reasons why technology is needed in a young students life and how it may benefit him or her the future. Plus they mention how it is a good idea to start it at an early age so they get ahead on this technological world they will grow up in. This article is a perfect defiintion on why our kids need technology for math and other subjects at an early age.
This article attempts to extend current research and development activities related to the use of technology in problem posing, to early grades mathematics. It is motivated by the authors' work with elementary preservice teachers toward this goal, both at the graduate and undergraduate levels. New York State Learning Standards for K-4 mathematics serve as a background for technology-enabled learning. Spreadsheet-based environments designed by the authors (using Microsoft Excel 2004) are introduced from a tool kit perspective, enabling a meaningful combination of manipulative and computing activities by elementary preteachers and their students alike.
**********
One of the central tenets of the current reform movement in mathematics education holds that appropriate use of tools of technology is integral to the teaching and learning of mathematics at all grade levels. In the context of preparing teachers for the 21st century classrooms, the word "appropriate" may include the notion of teacher as a technologically minded curriculum developer, capable of exploring--and helping his/her students to explore--new avenues in mathematical content; in particular, being skillful in the use of technology for posing and solving problems. This puts mathematics educators involved in the preparation of teachers for elementary schools in a unique position because such technology-enabled changes in pedagogy must be feasible from the very outset in the chain of children's educational experiences.
It has been more than a decade since the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (1991) suggested that technology has the potential "to enhance and extend mathematics learning and teaching" and that "the most promising are in the areas of problem posing and problem solving in activities that permit students to design their own explorations and create their own mathematics" (p. 134). Nonetheless, as an extensive search of the literature indicates, the few existing papers that describe the use of technology as a medium for problem posing are mostly concerned with the secondary mathematics education (Abramovich & Brouwer, 2003; Abramovich & Norton, 2006; Hoyles & Sutherland, 1986; Laborde, 1995; Noss, 1986; Yerushalmy, Chazan, & Gordon, 1993).
This article attempts to extend current research and development activities related to the use of technology in problem posing, to mathematics education in early grades. It has been motivated by the authors' work with elementary preservice teachers (referred to as teachers) toward this goal, both at the graduate and undergraduate levels, using a resource guide (New York State Education Department, 1998) that provides guidance to districts and schools in New York for structuring local curricula and instruction. This curriculum document focuses on using open-ended problems with young children, something that requires special skills by the teachers. These skills may include the ability to use computers as cognitive amplifiers in exploring the open-ended nature of appropriate mathematical situations. In an open-ended environment of a technology-enhanced classroom, one can expect young children to ask unforeseen questions about familiar concepts. This, in turn, has a potential for learning to become a reciprocal process (Confrey, 1995; Steffe, 1991). Apparently, the implementation of such a dynamic perspective on the learning of mathematics begins with the preparation of teachers.
It should be noted that to make technology integration into a quality teacher education program a success, one has to make right decisions regarding the choice of software involved. One type of software, which for more than two decades has gained widespread recognition as an exploratory tool, is a spreadsheet (Baker & Sugden, 2003). Designed originally for non-educational purposes, a spreadsheet may be conceptualized in educational terms as a combination of an electronic blackboard and electronic chalk (Power, 2000). Thus, it came as no surprise that the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2000) recommended that spreadsheets be used with children as early as in grades 3-5. In support of such a recommendation, several authors reported successful uses of spreadsheets with young children, as well as with their future teachers in various grade-appropriate contexts (Abramovich, 2003; Abramovich, Stanton, & Baer, 2002; Ainley, 1995; Drier, 1999, 2001). This article introduces spreadsheet-based environments to be used both with the teachers and their students in the context of situated addition and subtraction as a medium for both problem posing and problem solving. It focuses on multiple issues, both practical and theoretical, associated with the use of technology as a scaffolding device for teachers' open-ended problem posing experiences as well as young children's ability to explore that type of problem. As will be shown, problem posing, by definition, includes a problem-solving phase as an important part.
Reference: Technology as a medium for elementary preteachers' problem-posing experience in mathematics. Sergei Abramovich and Eun Kyeong Cho. Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching 25.4 (Winter 2006): p309(15). http://find.galegroup.com.ezproxy.fgcu.edu/itx/retrieve.do?subjectParam=Locale%2528en%252C%252C%2529%253AFQE%253D%2528su%252CNone%252C22%2529educational%2Btechnology%2524&contentSet=IAC-Documents&sort=DateDescend&tabID=T002&sgCurrentPosition=0&subjectAction=DISPLAY_SUBJECTS&prodId=AONE&searchId=R2¤tPosition=12&userGroupName=gale15690&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&sgHitCountType=None&qrySerId=Locale%28en%2C%2C%29%3AFQE%3D%28ke%2CNone%2C22%29educational+technology%24&inPS=true&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm&displaySubject=&docId=A152514987&docType=IAC
My say:
I believe this article answers the question because it relates to K-4th grade, and talks about technology improving the math skills of the students. It gives good reasons why technology is needed in a young students life and how it may benefit him or her the future. Plus they mention how it is a good idea to start it at an early age so they get ahead on this technological world they will grow up in. This article is a perfect defiintion on why our kids need technology for math and other subjects at an early age.
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