Does Technology Change The Way We Teach?

The answer to this question can be summed in one word…”yes”, at least it has the potential to. However, whether or not it is used effectively, or even whether or not it is used at all, is dependent on each individual educator and circumstance. Also, I don’t think readers would be too impressed with a one word blog post. Therefore, I will use this blog post to discuss not whether technology changes the way we teach, as I feel that most people would agree with that statement at face value. Instead, I will use this blog post to discuss the most significant way in which it can change the way educators teach.

The greatest impact that technology has on the way educators teach is the wider audience it enables us to cater to, speaking both of student engagement and geographically. Instead of only standing up in front of a classroom and lecturing, which would engage only your auditory learners; or showing PowerPoint slides, which would exclude kinesthetic learners, the creativity that can be incorporated while developing lesson plans is limited only by the imagination of the content developer. With the technology available in today’s educational setting, it is unacceptable to deliver content that does not reach all learning styles. Even if technology is not available in every classroom, and thus cannot be used to help deliver educational content, it is reasonable to assume that the majority of teachers have access to various technologies. Thus, at the very least, technology can be used to help develop the lesson plans ahead of time, in an effort to broaden the students’ classroom learning experience.

Geographically, technology gives both students and teachers options that were not previously available. In higher education, the college a student attends does not need to coexist in the same geographical location, as online programs continue to proliferate. Furthermore, curriculum development consortiums can now be comprised of schools with similar resources and values, instead of those residing in close proximity to one another. Using tools such as virtual meetings, Google Docs, instant messenger, and email, communication and collaboration is no longer limited to neighboring school districts. Technology can therefore be used to ensure that the richest curriculum is developed.