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Shannon Odgers

Business 2
Final exam

Information Technology in Schools

Our society is a knowledge-based economy. The education that students receive is

significant to their survival and prosperity in the work environment, or in their adaptation

to college life. Their education must prepare them to enter a world that is located on the

information highway. The technology available is quite diverse and applicable in a

variety of ways. The benefits to the application of this technology to students can be

exponential in that they enhance the student's capacity to learn. The cost of implementing

educational technology can be a daunting aspect for schools, but new ways to aid in the

funding can relieve tension. Numerous statistics support the use of educational

technology and reveal the rewards for students of all ages. The days of stacking books

under an overhead projector to align it to the pull down curtain are virtually over.

Teachers are finding it more useful and less time consuming to apply their lesson plans to

a PowerPoint presentation. PowerPoint is a presentation graphics program that allows

teachers and students to create multimedia presentations that can incorporate text,

graphics, animation, audio, video, links, and most importantly interactivity (Shelly,

2004). Teachers can use technology to boost student's motivation and learning

comprehension to capture the audience's attention through colorful and eye grabbing

graphics. Another benefit to the teacher utilizing this technology is that the presentation
can be saved and used for the next set of students taking that subject. Students can also

employ presentation graphics software when creating their own presentations. With this

software, the presenter can easily include links to a variety of information sources.

Another useful tool for the teacher is the student management software. This tool allows

the tracking of the student's progress and attendance records. This can also be used by

school administration to organize the budget, inventory, technology, and expenses.

Teachers can use technology to create their own grade book by using Microsoft Excel.

Using this software as opposed to the written grade book from the days of old can

increase the teacher's time management by calculating the grades automatically and

decreasing the chances for human error. Like PowerPoint software, there is no need to

continuously purchase a new grade book every new class when a spreadsheet can easily

be duplicated from the prior class. An electronic spreadsheet can be simply stored with

numerous backups with no threat of it being lost or stolen. Adding to the benefits of using

student management software is that unforeseen deviations or recalculations are quickly

entered into the formula and new calculations are available within seconds. Teachers can

also create their own webpage in which students and parents can connect for updates on

homework and assignments. They can use their webpage to post links to helpful websites

that correlate with their lesson plan. The teacher's webpage can empower the parent to

contact the teacher with greater ease. The teacher can even create identification numbers

for the students and post grades on the webpage. Two examples that are currently being

used by colleges and universities are WebCT and BlackBoard. These websites offer

opportunities for both teacher and student to interact outside of the classroom. Teachers

can provide students with learning materials and instructions without having to be in the
presence of students. Likewise, students are able to submit class work via the web page

and teaches are able to post grades to the individual student. The internet is another

technological tool that can be used in the classroom for teaching and research purposes.

Students can become familiar with the internet, as they will need training for college

purposes or even for their own recreation. The internet offers students a vast array of

opportunities at their fingertips. These opportunities include skill-building practice, real-

world problem solving, interactive learning, discovery learning, and linking learners to

instructional resources (Shelly, 2004). Although the internet is very useful, monitoring is

needed by the teacher because of some of the malicious content that is also easily

accessed. The library or media center can also become technologically sound by

implementing an online catalog, which can also sharpen the researching skills of the

students. The library offers students access to computers and software for individual

projects that must be completed on their own time, outside of the classroom. Media

specialist also can work very closely with the teacher in attempts to sharpen the research

skills of the students. Some schools use the media center for broadcasting production of

daily school updates for the whole campus. To get a real sense of the benefits of this

technology, one should note the opinions of the actual participants of the educational

system. There are many perceived benefits to the implementation of educational

technology, but what made school officials decide to have the technology integrated in

the first place? Respondents from a questionnaire sent out to faculty who have used

technology as an aid to teaching and learning returned these results (Enerson, 1997): 1

60.2% said that it provided opportunity for practice 2 24.4% said that it would help

clarify difficult concepts 3 20.3% said it was to polish or organize course/present


materials 4 19.5% said it was to motivate and/ or entertain 5 13.9% said just because it

was there 6 4.1% said that it expanded boundaries of the classroom/access to information

After examining the "why" it was implemented, the focus is now turned to the

effectiveness of the implementation of the technology. Here are some statistics from the

same questionnaire cited above when respondents are asked, "What had worked best?"

(Enerson, 1997): 1 62.5% said clarifying and explaining 2 29% said polishing and

entertaining 3 22% said hands-on experience/practice 4 17.8% said access to information

An even more telling statistic in the polls was the immense evidence proven to the

teachers that computers and technology had made a mark and established its place in the

education institution. Provided below are a number of statistics from these teachers

showing the necessity for classroom technology (TechValEd, 2003). 1 86% of

respondents said in-class computers improve academic performance. 2 74% said

computers increase student attention in class. 3 65% of the teachers actually said that

computers can be more effective than teachers in conveying certain types of educational

materials. As students get older computers become even more of an essential aspect of

their education. According to teachers, grade level does factor into the technology

equation. When asked about the suitability of computers in class (TechValEd, 2003): 1

54% of elementary teachers approved 2 63% of middle school teachers approved 3 68%

of high school teachers approved Parent-Teacher communication is significantly

increased by the use of school WebPages and e-mail access. This connection extends the

classroom and school to the outside community and is extremely beneficial to the

working parents. When asked about the electronic communication between schools and

its community (TechValEd, 2003): 1 77% of schools have web sites jam-packed with
pertinent info 2 64% of teachers electronically communicate with parents 3 96% of

teachers have e-mail access Some eye-opening statistics that should be noted in regards

to technology are (TechValEd, 2003): 1 72% of teachers believe that technology has

made their jobs easier 2 76% of teachers need more training to make the best use 3 45%

of teachers had zero hours of training with technology There are many benefits to

technology, but the dilemma lies in the cost of implementing it into the school system.

However, there are a number of ways schools can increase funds for financing this

endeavor. Federal and state governments, private businesses, and organizations are

investing billions of dollars in Internet-related hardware and software for K-12 schools

(Shelly, 2004). Many teachers have found ways beyond the government to raise funds for

their classrooms. One such way is through the General Mills cereal Box Tops program.

Box Tops education is a program in which clippings from the cereal Box Top are worth

ten cents each and a teacher can earn up to $60,000 per year for their school. A neat idea

would be for a teacher to create a little friendly competition amongst classes with the

class that garnishes the most Box Tops winning a pizza party. With the money earned

technology such as computers, digital cameras, scanners, etc. can be added to the school's

technology collection. In conclusion, educational technology is fundamental in laying the

groundwork for preparing students for life beyond the school walls. With the uses and

benefits, that this technology produces teachers should not doubt the need for integrating

tech tools into their educational delivery. While educators have choices in this regard, the

only responsible choice is to recognize the importance of technology in society from a

practical and an operational perspective and functionally integrate it into the fabric of

students' educational experience (Tunison, 2002). In a knowledge-based society, students


cannot afford to enter the "real world" without being sufficiently trained in technology's

uses and functions.

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