SPECIAL SECTION: TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM
decisions. This should be driven by vigilant consideration of
assessment results that help illuminate the extent to which particular
interventions are working, and who is benefiting from the changes in
what ways.”
each student in a group. Through technology, students are provided
access to 24/7 learning, allowing them to take learning outside of their
typical classroom setting and work on their own time. This means a
cultural shift in the use of mobile technology in the classroom.
THE HOW
STEM Integration
The United States is pushing for young people to become scientists,
engineers, and innovators to shape tomorrow and to continue to
be global leaders. As a common buzzword in recent years, STEM –
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – continues to
play a crucial role in early learning. In a report by U.S. News, early
development of STEM skills supports reading, language, and STEM
skills later in life. Typically, STEM learning is a focus of high schoollevel students. Inadequate attention is being paid to STEM in early
childhood education since other key competencies, such as basic skills
in literacy and numeracy, are topics of focus. Educators are working
toward proper preparation for teaching early childhood STEM classes
to create an even more valuable learning experience for elementary
students.
Mobile and Digital Learning
Digital learning made a slow entrance into mainstream education,
but with the use of tablets and mobile devices, the number of teachers
using game-based learning in the classroom has doubled in the past
six years. “The explosion in teacher interest and usage of videos and
game-based learning could be a harbinger of a new awakening for
digital learning,” Julie Evans, the CEO of Project Tomorrow, says. In
a 2015 survey conducted by Project Tomorrow, 48 percent of K-12
teachers and nearly two-thirds of K-5 teachers reported adopting the
use of games in their weekly lessons. According to Education Week,
23 million devices were purchased in 2013 and 2014 alone. More
recently, tablets are taking over as an affordable option for bringing
technology to each individual student. One-to-one computing
hopes to provide teachers with the time to give each student more
personalized attention and time to work at his/her own pace.
New Learning Spaces
Gone are the days of sitting head-behind-head, avoiding eye
contact with your teacher, hoping she won’t call on you for the
answer to her question. Student-centered environments in colleges
and schools breed creativity and innovation through small-group
learning and instruction. “In a personalized learning classroom,
technology frees up time for teachers to do what they do best: teach
students in small groups and customize instruction,” Facebook
founder Mark Zuckerberg says. Zuckerberg along with the Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation and many others are seeing the positive
outcomes of personalized learning. Reinventing learning spaces is a
subtle approach that will make sure the student population is served
adequately, allowing teachers to spend more personalized time with
18 724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE | Penn Hills
Professional Development for Educators
The ever-changing landscape of education is hard to stay privy
to as an educator. Putting hundreds of hours into lesson plans each
school year makes the thought of adopting changes a daunting one.
Personalized professional development is changing the way teachers
are learning to teach their students. Administration-required seminars
are being replaced with real-time alternative credentialing. Teachers
are learning new ways for classroom learning, combining online
learning, service-based learning, and hands-on learning to provide
students with a valuable educational experience.
As technology continues to change and education tirelessly tries
to keep up, students and teachers can look forward to the exciting
opportunities in learning. School districts will continue to work
to make thoughtful technology purchases that develop a vision for
the future of education. Once technology is purchased, schools
must remember a crucial step in rollout: educating faculty and staff
on how to successfully
utilize the technology in
the classroom. The right
technology, with the right
professional development,
can lead to a valuable
education. From online
learning, to utilizing
wearables for interactive
teaching purposes,
education trends are going
to continue to morph
to ensure that students
graduate knowing they
are ready to take on the
world. n