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How Technology is Changing the Way We Learn

By Charles Green

Digital technology is shaping the way we take photographs, listen to music, and access and store information; it even shapes the way we learn. At the University of Maryland’s University College, students in the criminal justice program use a gamelike simulation of a crime scene to gain practical understanding of the methods used in investigating crimes. At a local private school fourth graders are exchanging e-mail and digital photographs with international pen pals.

Educating our students about how to best use technological resources has become so important that, according to the federal No Child Left Behind Act, states should be improving the academic performance of their students partly “through the effective use of technology in classrooms throughout the State, including through improving the capacity of teachers to integrate technology effectively into curricula and instruction.” As a result of the act, the Maryland State Department of Education has developed comprehensive technology literacy standards for each grade level, establishing what students should know. Many schools across Maryland and the United States have designed special programs to teach their students how to effectively, efficiently, and ethically use the various technological resources available to them.

By the end of second grade, all students should be able to “identify and use functions represented by symbols and icons commonly found in applications.” Second graders also should have learned to keep their passwords and user IDs secret, as well as to understand the potential dangers of computer viruses and other intrusive applications. By eighth grade, students should be using technology systems in a responsible manner, mastering a variety of applications such as video, word processing, database, spreadsheet, and multimedia presentations; and solving routine hardware and software problems.

Both public and private schools are using computers in a number of ways. Language arts students learn how to use multimedia software to create and present their poetry. In middle school students undertake research projects that require Internet searching. They are able to demonstrate their skills by creating multimedia presentations, websites, and digital videos, having learned these programs through classes in media production. By high school students are using technology to conduct independent research, display and manipulate data, and express themselves creatively. Math and science labs in many advanced classes require the use of specialized equipment and software to complete complex assignments, including digital photography and video. Technology becomes an essential tool for students in communicating with others, conducting research, and producing creative work.

Real-time video technology now allows schools to share resources. One instructor can connect students in classrooms at numerous sites. Real-time two-way audio and video communication enables students to see and hear the interaction. The instructor can “engage” other sites during the session, by prior arrangement, and use video equipment to display graphics, computer files, and multimedia software.

Colleges may offer some of the best local examples of the different ways technology are being used to enhance and enrich education. Many colleges now have a virtual campus that uses several different formats to reach students who want to take courses off campus. Instructors can deliver lectures and other material over the Internet, and students are able to communicate with the instructor and each other by using e-mail and real-time chat rooms. The only time such students may actually meet each other face to face is to take proctored exams or assessments, either on campus or at designated testing centers.

For students who want to combine the learning formats of in-class instruction with online, computer-based learning, there are hybrid courses. These classes essentially split classroom time between campus rooms and the Internet. Their topics can vary widely, to include Introduction to Early Childhood Development and Programming in JavaScript. Telecourses offer a combination of lectures recorded on video, reading assignments, and seminars or labs. At all educational levels, from elementary school through graduate school, technology is helping teachers and students track and record grades. At many high schools teachers use a free website called SchoolNotes.com, which allows them to create pages containing homework and other class information and to communicate with students by e-mail. For example, students in an Advanced Placement (AP) modern European history class can view upcoming assignments, exams notices, and also find useful links, such as practice tests for the AP exam and a PowerPoint presentation on the Hundred Years War. The site has pages for all grade levels, from elementary to high school, and for all popular subjects, such as Spanish and geometry. To access their teachers’ pages, students simply enter the ZIP code of their school and find their class. With SchoolNotes students have access to the information they need, wherever they have access to the Internet.

At St. Mary’s Elementary School in Annapolis, parents and teachers can access an online program called PowerSchool, which shows the current grades and assignments of each student from third through eighth grade, as well as any missing assignments. They can use the program to check students’ schedules and make appointments. In Queen Anne’s County, parents can use an online computer service called Parentconnect to both check on their children’s grades and assignments and to check on whether they ordered lunch at the school cafeteria.

Students and their parents may be overwhelmed by all the different resources available to them. However, schools across the nation are coming up with new methods of teaching students how to responsibly and effectively use technology. And as the Maryland State Department of Education observes, “Most students are comfortable using technology in their daily lives and do so routinely.” With this in mind, we can be assured that throughout Maryland, students of all ages, from kindergarten to college, are using technology and it is enhancing their learning experience and preparing them for the information-driven world.

Charles Green is a freelance writer who lives in Annapolis.

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