TECHNOLOGY IN THE

CLASSROOM - IS IT

WORTH IT?

AUTHOR: STEVE KAPSALIS,

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

COACH

06 Apr 2016

Technology is continually evolving, with new advancements steamrolling into schools

and education.

The question I ask, with technology evolving so quickly, is education up to speed with

these advancements? The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

(OECD) doesn't think so.

The OECD have stated "computers and iPads in schools does not improve numeracy

and literacy skills” (1). They go one step further by saying that there was "no

appreciable improvements in student achievement in reading, mathematics or science

in the countries that had invested heavily in (information technology) for education” (1).

Australia is one of those countries that has one of the highest amount of users of

technology schools. Concerning? Yes! Maybe? Depends on how you look at it. What

the OECD findings suggest to me is that using technology in the classroom has far

more positive benefits than relying purely on traditional assessments on student

learning. We know that technology in the classroom helps students with critical thinking

and workplace skills they will need to be successful in their future. We want our

students to value the importance of collaboration, solving complex real problems and

making a positive difference for their future, developing different forms of

communication and leadership skills and improving motivation and productivity - most of

which are not assessed in the Higher School Certificate (HSC). All these positive

attributes is what provides me the passion to drive further greatness in our teachers to

integrate technology in the classroom. It also motivates me to work with teachers so

they can be confident, empowered and enthusiastic about integrating technology in the

classroom to create an environment for students to be engaged, empowered and have

a genuine, authentic interest for the love of learning.

I think it is great that so many Australian schools have invested heavily on the

infrastructure, professional development and technological devices in their learning

spaces. I also understand there is an important and vital link between the integration of

technology and schools = the teachers. However, are our teachers engaged with the

use of technology and are they prepared to use it in the classroom? No matter what

pedagogy is used in the classroom, are educational goals established prior to the

learning experiences taking place, especially when integrating technology?

When coaching teachers to integrate technology into the classroom it is vital to focus on

the learning outcome, rather than the technology itself. The question and focus should

be, "has learning been enhanced with the technology and what are the students

learning when using the devices that was impossible before?”.

1. OECD (2015), STUDENTS, COMPUTERS AND LEARNING: MAKING THE CONNECTION, PISA, OECD

Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264239555-en