Amy Coffman

TE 206
9/28/14
Philosophy of Technology in Education
Technology is visible everywhere we go now. It seems like everyone has either a
cell phone, tablet, e-reader, laptop, Ipod, or game system. And some people have all of
those technologies! QR codes are found in advertising. T.V. commercials are focused on
consumers purchasing the next new technology. All schools and educators need to
embrace modern technology and use it to the best of their abilities to help students learn.
There are numerous ways I would implement technology into my future
classroom. I plan on teaching in a lower grade level elementary school. To me, this means
the technologies I use will need to be held at the school. I dont expect kindergartners to
check out tablets to take home over the weekend. They simply dont have the appropriate
responsibility for an expensive piece of technology at that age level. That being said, I
will need to ensure my classroom is equipped with modern technology.
In a perfect situation, every student would have a way to listen to stories, work
out math problems, practice their spelling words, learn about weather, and the history of
our great nation. I personally think tablets are the way to go. They are very portable, can
have keyboards attached, can assess the internet, and are easy to use. My biggest concern
is finding the means to gather 20 tablets for my classroom. Convincing my school district
that my classroom needed this technology might be challenging as Lori Days states, An
Ipad does not cost $500, even if thats what it says on the sticker. It costs $500 plus the
expense of training, IT support and eventual upgrade or replacement. I would have to
convince my school district that the tablets would be well worth the investment. To do

this, I would show them the Apple app store. I would also show them my personal tablet
that will have apps such as, Audible, which reads books aloud to the students; Video
Science, which shows short experiment videos that students can then recreate; and Fill
the Cup, which is a math game that shows students how two numbers can add up to
another number.
All students are diverse and come from different backgrounds. Rafiq Dossani
(Daugherty 2014) said, Schools need high-quality Internet connectivity,
developmentally appropriate computer software, and smart and portable devices if they
are to support disadvantaged students learning in early childhood. If all students,
regardless of their backgrounds, were taught to use technology and were given time
during school to use that technology, they would all succeed. To ensure that all my
students were learning to the best of their abilities, I would have a working device for
every student. During class, we would explore different apps and use them to expand on
our knowledge. It would be a year long project that would be used across the curriculum.
Providing all the students with the knowledge and confidence to use technology would be
the ultimate goal.
In conclusion, all students need to be given the opportunity and education in
modern technology. A student at Morningside High school (Barseghian, 2012) said, If
our school has technology and equitable resources, our graduation rates and college
attendance rates will increase. This means well have more prepared students for our
democracy, and well have more public conversations about equity. The easiest way to
do this would be to start young. Immersing the students with technology and giving them
time to use it throughout their school career will help ensure their success in college and

beyond.
References
Barseghian, T. (2012, March 6). Students Demand the Right to Use Technology in
Schools. Mindshift. Retrieved from
http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/03/students-demand-the-right-to-usetechnology-in-schools/.
Daugherty, L. (2014, March 3). Early Education Plays Role in Bridging the Digital
Divide. Rand Corporation. Retrieved from
http://www.rand.org/news/press/2014/03/03.html.
Day, L. (2013, January 3). Bridging the New Digital Divide. Edutopia. Retrieved from
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/bridging-the-new-digital-divide-lori-day.