Byteing the bullet : technology use in the classroom

Many students are fortunate enough to have access to technology at home and in the classroom to some extent. They have benefited from the positive effects of working with technology and have seen its continuous growth in the academic and professional world. However, there are many schools that have technology but do not know how to use it to the full potential and this is a great disadvantage to school aged children and their learning experiences. This influenced the decision to visit Del Rey Woods Elementary and see what their views of technology in the classroom were. Interviews and surveys were distributed to a variety of teachers from local and non-local schools to discover how technology is perceived and used first hand in the classroom. The main issues with technology were time, money, and support. An in class workshop was organized to provide students with small group learning experiences. Based on the data collected it was discovered that a lack of understanding of how to use technology to facilitate learning was a large issue for teachers. Most of the tools (even at lower income campuses) are available to these schools; however, many of the faculties lack the time and knowledge of how to put these to use. Making outside help available to these schools has the potential to give students and teachers the learning experiences these devices have to offer. This experience offered knowledge and insight on how technology can make the smallest difference in a classroom