The purpose of technology in education is to assimilate students to the growing demands of technology in society. It is to help them know how to be prepared, responsible and respectful stewards of technology. On top of that, teachers utilize technology in the classroom to help each child grow in their academic, behavioral, spiritual, and critical thinking skills. Both technology preparation and overall student growth champion children to be ready for whatever God has in store for their life.  Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.” He created our students with a purpose and our job, as educators, is to help students prepare for it. 

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First, technology in the classroom can be used to simulate the real world and bring in deeper understanding or knowledge. In Enhancing Knowledge Transfer, 2020 (Dohn et al.), it states, “The role of technology is to supply this separate context, in the form of virtual spaces for training or reflection.” For example, I can take my students to see George Washinton’s home, Mount Vernon, or to the Mariana Trench deep in the ocean. The students learn from exploring places they may have never been to before and the experience enriches what is being taught in the classroom. Another type of simulation would be for them to experience what it was like to be a spy in the American Revolution through an escape room game, or what it was like to be a part of the salt trade in Africa during the Middle Ages through a computerized simulation. Students can then reflect on their experiences and gain more knowledge that they may not have gained through reading a textbook alone. 

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Another use of technology is to assist with problem based learning (PBL) which has a direct tie to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Dohn, et.al explained that students learn more when experienced teachers use inquiry based learning coupled with digital models (2020). Hughes and Roblyer (2023) agree when they write, “Familiarity with the curriculum enables teachers to identify potential areas of need that available technologies may support.” In my classroom, students get to engage with computer models and have the backing of teacher support to enhance their learning. It helps students to use the scientific method and discover more about structural issues that arise with natural forces. The students always leave the unit not only with more knowledge, but excitement that they learned something in a uniquely fun way. The Bible says in Proverbs 25:2, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the glory of kings to investigate a matter.” Students are made to investigate what God has created and to find out more about Him.  In my classroom, the children also gain knowledge about careers that they may want to pursue like being a structural engineer. 

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Technology can also help detect educational gaps and help fill them (Hughes & Roblyer, 2023). In my class, we have used iReady, Khan Academy, AR (Accelerated Reader) and MAP testing to find the gaps in learning. All of the programs help teachers know which areas need to be met and provide examples or lessons for the teacher to utilize in the classroom. iReady, Khan Academy, and AR also provide digital games, or activities to fill the gaps and to extend the learning for students who don’t have gaps. This helps the teacher to meet the needs of all the students in the classroom. All of these tools also provide students with a test at the end to show students their growth and mastery which helps them to be more motivated and know the joy in learning and accomplishing the goal set before them. It also shows students that they can do anything they put their minds to doing. 

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My class also utilizes technology to capture answers and thinking. We use Pear Deck during lessons for twofold reason: for me it is utilized as a formative assessment, but for the students it is another learning tool. I might have something like 53 x 64 projected on the screen and the student will then draw how they got their answers in Pear Deck. Then as we go through the answers and how they got them through the Pear Deck App. I can have students explain what they did and how they got their answer. Or, if the answer is wrong, I can have students figure out why it is wrong. Both are great learning tools for student growth. I can also use the student responses to go back and check in with students who may need a little extra support. Pear Deck works in any subject, not just math. 

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Lastly, technology can help students reflect on their educational learning and provide them with a depth of accomplishment and awe when they finish. For example, students can create a digital portfolio, a blog (Dohn, et al, 2020), a slides presentation to share with the class where they started the year, what they accomplished during the year, and what they learned by the end of the year. Every student has a slightly different representation of their learning because each student is uniquely different. But, the end result is the same: the celebration of growth and excitement over all they have learned and want to learn the next year. This project in my class has always been a hit and highlight of the year.

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Technology is vital in the classroom with an experienced teacher to help mediate and guide. The learner can leave the classroom with more knowledge, critical thinking skills, growth, and with a deeper sense of awe at the world that God created. It also helps students to catalog what they have accomplished. It shows that they are more than conquerors. In Romans 8:37 it says, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” When students look back at their growth through a technology tool they get to see the data that proves they overcame what was difficult, hard, trying, and were able to achieve tangible success. That is what God desires for all of us, to persevere through what is hard to ascertain what is good through it. So, technology benefits students in the classroom by showing them more of who God is and it is a tool that helps teachers to prepare them for what God desires them to accomplish in their futures. 
 

References

 

Dohn, N.B., Markauskaite, L., Hachmann, R. (2020). Enhancing knowledge 

          transfer. Handbook of research in educational communications and technology. Springer,   

          Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36119-8_5

Holman Christian Standard Bible. (1999). Holman Bible Publishers. 

Hughes, J.E., Roblyer, M.D. (2023). Integrating educational technology into teaching: 

          Transforming learning across disciplines. (9th ed). Pearson.