Personal Framework

Catherine Biel 11/25/2013 EDUC 1070, Media and Technology in the Classroom Professor Katherine Brandon Concordia University Chicago

Technology in recent years has opened many doors in numerous fields of study. The field of education is one of those fields. New educational technological tools have allowed more students to learn more in their schooling. But these grand new tools for education, like any new machines, come with risks. These risks appear in four major areas: social, educational/funding, cultural, and legal. Today children and adults alike are using social media to connect with others in their neighborhood and even around the world. They are learning through social experiences, which is a theory supported by John Dewey and his Social Activism Theory (M.D. & Doering, 2013). According to Dewey children learn best by working together on tasks related to their interests (M.D. & Doering, 2013). So by having students talk to other students about a subject they all enjoy would, in theory, be the best way for the children to learn. However this use of technology in social forums can cause issues to arise. One such issue is that of personal information. Because students tend to feel more open when facing a computer screen rather than an actual person, students tend to reveal more personal information than they would in person. Because of this, teachers need to make sure their students understand what is okay to tell people that are online, and what not to tell those people. Another issue is that of misuse of technology. With technology providing easy access to social media sites students tend to use technology before thinking. A recent example of this is people using cell phones for a sexting, a practice of sending inappropriate pictures by phone (M.D. & Doering, 2013). While cell phones can be very useful for conversing and sharing ideas, they can also be easily used inappropriately. But before this technology can be used for social convenience, it must first be purchased. Like always, when new toys or tools come out they tend to be on the high end of the price range. Having the latest technology in the classroom helps students learn more than they would

in a less technologically furnished setting. And the government knows this, which is why state and federal funding has been provided to schools for obtained this new technology to students (Grants Alert.com, 2013). However due to recent cut backs in the education system across the country, federal and state funding is at a minimum. Therefore most schools receive little to no funding for new technology. And if the schools do find a way to include the latest technology, then the issue of who takes responsibility arises. Who should take blame if something goes wrong, the teacher or the student who caused the problem? On the issue of accountability, teachers must be aware of the cultural issues with technology. Even though it has been almost a hundred years since women received equal rights and the right to vote, certain ideas of gender separation still exist. Some cultures believe women have a certain place in life, and those ideas can translate into different technological tools. For example a computer game that teaches students how to bake by measuring out fractions seems like a fun way to teach students. The problem occurs when every character in the game is a woman, and all of these characters portray unrealistic depictions of women. This program can be unknowingly or knowingly be sending girls the wrong message based on their gender. The same idea can relate to minority students who may wonder why all of the educational games they play have no characters that look like them or their race. On the other hand, technology has been tremendously useful in the special needs, specifically with intellectually challenged, culture. New programs and tools are allowing to students to learn and communicate with their peers and teachers with more ease. By making communication easier, teachers can better assist students by knowing how to build or scaffold their learning. Scaffolding was a process advocated by Lev Vygotsky and his Scaffolding Theory. He believed teachers served students best by building on

the childs experiences (M.D. & Doering, 2013). Along with these cultural ups and downs come legal and ethical positives and negatives. Because technology allows for the easy accessing and sharing of information, things such as plagiarism, hacking, and illegal downloading becomes an issue. Plagiarism is when you steal and pass off the ideas or words of another as your own (An Encyclopedia Britannica Company, 2013). Hacking is when people identified as hackers gain access to secure systems without authorized access (M.D. & Doering, 2013). Finally, illegal downloading is when a person illegal downloads a program, applications, or information without consent. Teachers should be aware of these issues and be prepared by having policies in place when such events occur. Things like an acceptable use policy would save schools headaches by clearly outlining the dos and donts of using school technology (M.D. & Doering, 2013). However teaching students about plagiarism is not a bad thing. It is a positive thing because it teaches students to respect the ideas and hard work of others. And it enforces the idea that hard work is reworded and not allowed to be stolen lightly. Technology is a useful tool. With it many things are possible that were once impossible or hard to achieve. As a teacher I will protect my students by having an acceptable use policy. This policy will inform the students what they should never reveal online to someone they dont know. It will also include the definition of plagiarism and illegal downloading. Along with these definitions will be a clear statement of the consequences if any of the terms of usage are to be violated. I will also advocate for equal culturally represented software and programs, to allow for all my students to feel equal as much as possible in the digital word. I will also keep in mind the cost of new technology and be willing to accept any technology provided to me to be used in my classroom, because technology doesnt have to be fancy to be useful.

In conclusion, there are many different areas to consider when dealing with technology in schools. A teacher must be aware of the social, cultural, education/funding, and legal issues that come with using technology in the classroom. But a teacher must also realize how much technology can help students learn and achieve their goals. And that is why technology should be used in classrooms. Because even though it comes with problems, the issues are outweighed by the potential it brings to the students.

Bibliography
An Encyclopedia Britannica Company. (2013). Retrieved from Merriam Webster: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plagiarize. Retrieved on 25 November 2013. Grants Alert.com. (2013). Retrieved from All Grants: http://www.grantsalert.com/grants/all. Retrieved on 25 November 2013. M.D., R., & Doering, A. H. (2013). Intergrating Educational Technology into Teaching. Upper Saddle River: Pearson.