Schools often have dedicated computer labs which different classes share for studying and research.
Computers in the classroom include any digital technology used to enhance, supplement, or replace a traditional educational curriculum. As computers
have become more accessible, inexpensive, and powerful, the demand for
this technology has increased, leading to more frequent use of computer
resources within classes, and a decrease in the student-to-computer
ratio within schools.
History
Origins
College campuses used computer mainframes
in education since the initial days of this technology, and throughout
the initial development of computers. The earliest large-scale study of
educational computer usage conducted for the National Science Foundation by The American Institute for Research
concluded that 13% of the nation's public high schools used computers
for instruction, although non-users still outnumbered users at a ratio
of 2 to 1. The study also concluded that computers proved to be very
popular with students, and that applications run on early models
included sports statistic managers, administration tools, and physics
simulators.
In 1975, Apple Inc. began donating Apple 1 model computers to schools, and mainframes began to lose their former dominance over academic research. Computer usage continued to grow rapidly throughout this era. In 1977, it was estimated that over 90% of students at Dartmouth College
had used computers at some point in their college careers. Walter
Koetke, the director of a Lexington, Massachusetts school system
commented that, "It's still possible for a student to get through here
without using the computer, but he would certainly have to try to do
it".
Computer-aided instruction
gained widespread acceptance in schools by the early 1980s. It was
during this period that drilling and practice programs were first
developed for exclusive classroom use. Schools became divided over which
computer manufacturers they were willing to support, with grade schools
generally using Apple computers and high schools preferring DOS
based machines. Hardware shortages in schools became a major issue,
leaving many teachers unable to provide enough computers for students to
use.
Despite this, by 1989 computer usage shifted from being a relative
rarity in American public schools, to being present in nearly every school district.
Modern Era
The interactive whiteboard is an example of computers replacing traditional classroom technology.
The early 1990s marked the beginning of modern media technology such as CD-ROMs as well as the development of modern presentation software such as Microsoft PowerPoint. Other computer-based technology including the electronic whiteboard and the laptop computer became widely available to students. In 1990, the Methodist Ladies' College
became the first campus to require every student to purchase a laptop.
Governments around the world began to take notice of the effectiveness
of this policy, and began financial initiatives to significantly
increase the use of laptop computers in other colleges as well. In 1996, Bill Clinton made over $2 billion in grants available in the Technology Literacy Challenge Fund,
a program which challenged schools to make computers available to every
student, connected to the outside world, and engaging. This marked a
significant increase in the demand for computer technology in many
public school systems throughout the globe.
Correlating with the development of modern operating systems like Windows 98
and the continuing support of government funding, the prevalence of
educational computer usage boomed during this era. Between 1997 and
1999, the ratio of students to multimedia computers
decreased from 21 students per machine to less than 10 students per
machine. Colleges began creating specialized classrooms designed to
provide students with access to the utilization of the most modern
technology available. Classrooms such as the "Classroom 2000"
built at Georgia Tech in 1999 which featured computers with audio and
video equipment designed to capture detailed recordings of lectures as a
replacement for traditional note taking
began to become more common. By 2000, the student to computer ratio at
some schools in the US decreased to only 5 students per school computer.
As collaborative classroom environments became mainstream, more schools as a whole began to invest in powerful networks
and faster Internet connections. By 2010, many school districts
implemented or encouraged "1:1 learning programs" which would ensure
that all students in grade school would be provided with a personal
laptop. Computers have significantly changed traditional teaching methodology into a more "hands-on" approach, with Forbes
predicting that, "Instead of parking themselves in a lecture hall for
hours, students will work in collaborative spaces, where future doctors,
lawyers, business leaders, engineers, journalists and artists learn to
integrate their different approaches to problem solving and innovate
together."
Experience has shown, however, that excessive use of computers can be detrimental to a student's basic academic skills. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
has compared average student literacy, numeracy and science skills in
31 countries (considering three large cities in China separately). It
also compared the levels of student computer use in those same
countries. The study's conclusion, after correcting for social
backgrounds and student demographics, was that moderate use of classroom
computers produces the best educational outcomes.
21st century
Demands
The
shift in worldwide computer usage and the need for computer skills in
today's workforce have pushed the United States government to create
guidelines for educators to ensure that students are prepared to meet
the demands of the 21st century. The Core Curriculum Content Standards
for education are aimed at preparing students with such skills demanded
of those entering the 21st century learning environment as well as the
21st century and work environment.
Changes such as this, along with the changes in the ways that
21st century learners communicate, have impacted the ways that classroom
computers are utilized. Currently, teachers are tapping into the
enhanced abilities of current classroom computer technology by utilizing
various Web 2.0
tools to enhance their instruction. Such tools are also being used to
extend classroom communication outside of the campus through online
collaborative tools. Centered primarily on collaboration and sharing,
Web 2.0 computer applications encourage student self-expression;
interaction with peers, and opportunity for authentic learning
experiences
Through the implementation and integration of Web 2.0 computer
technologies into the classroom setting, authentic and meaningful
learning experiences are now able to occur in ways that have been
previously unimaginable. Currently, the learning that is taking place is
not simply about typical concepts or facts as laid out in school
curricula. Instead, it is about the process of building connections
As a result, the awareness of the importance and the value of
communication is becoming instilled into children. Today, with a single
laptop, Webcam, projector,
and an Internet connection, a teacher can broadcast and begin
collaboration with any other classroom. As groups of learners coalesce
around shared passions online, they experience something that is
difficult to replicate in physical space.
Applications
Classroom
computer access to Web 2.0 applications such as online learning
communities and interactive educational tools offer a more dynamic
learning experience, with direct benefits to students. Web 2.0
technologies that are being utilized within the classroom have made it
possible for essential learning to be introduced to students during
their elementary levels of education and to be refined through their
middle, high school and collegiate experiences. As classroom computer
technology is being used for different types of communication—for
presentation, for class interaction, and for collaboration,
students are required to be readers and writers, editors and
publishers; and must be willing to collaborate and co-create with
others, working closely together to learn even more in the process.
Web 2.0 Interaction involves not only sharing ideas or information with
someone else, but also receiving feedback. The collaboration engages
groups of people in not only sending and receiving feedback but working
together for creating, building, and editing, These skills are a necessity for students' futures as they grow and enter the workplace.
The goal of using such computer applications is to increase peer-to-peer
interactions through digital means, in order to replicate real-life
21st century communication skills. One such technology that has gained
significant recognition within K-12 education is the Weblog.
Weblogs, or blogs, are frequently accessed on classroom computers due
to their positive effects upon students. These online journals are
primarily used to support communication in the form of presentation, and
they provide a useful tool for class interaction. Weblogs allow
students to present their own findings and discoveries to an authentic
audience. Receiving feedback about course work not just from your
teacher but from your peers, or possibly from the outside world, can be
very empowering to students. In their eyes, having the ability to
publish their writing on a blog suddenly transforms them into authors
and publishers.
Blogs make students are of careful and conscientious writing. Students
are no longer writing for an audience of one. Instead, their words face
an audience of their peers as well as countless others whose primary
goal is not only to read, but also to provide commentary, feedback and
even to critique and criticize their words. By using classroom computers
for such means, students become increasingly more cautious and aware of
their grammar, spelling and word-choice knowing that they are the
authors of a published piece of writing that will reach a wide audience.
Similarly, Wikis
are commonly accessed on classroom computers due to their positive
impacts. The collaborative environment that wikis facilitate can teach
students much about how to work with others, how to create community,
and how to operate in a world where the creation of knowledge and
information is increasingly becoming a group effort.
The implementations and uses of wikis range from the development of
group-based writing projects, to collaborative note taking, to
brainstorming. Teachers can set up wikis for groups of students, giving
them the opportunity to all join in on equal footing to give feedback,
to make suggestions and changes, and to jot down ideas. With a wiki,
everyone is an author of the wiki at the same time.
For example, "Teaching with Technology" is an annual survey that asks
teachers about technology in the classroom. Survey findings found it was
found that 38.37% of teachers said that technology has had an extremely
positive impact on education and 36.63% said that technology has mostly
had a positive impact on education.
Additionally, Wikis afford students the opportunity to express
themselves using multiple modalities. Therefore, children who struggle
to express themselves through the written word, are now at ease due to
ability to insert music, graphics, video, and photos into their writing.
With the help of this technology, students who struggle with language
are now able to create multimodal compositions, allowing them to
communicate meanings that were once inaccessible or not fully expressed
through their printed word.
These ongoing collaborative efforts also reinforce the notion of
careful, contentious writing. Students' words are no longer for an
audience of one, but instead for an audience of countless individuals.
The awareness of this global reach reminds students to be cautious with
grammar, word choice and style as they know that others will be
expanding upon their written ideas.
Because of their versatility, Podcasts
are also commonly accessed on classroom computers. These downloadable,
portable files allow listeners to subscribe to digitally recorded audio
clips and replay them at their own convenience. Similarly, the use of Vodcasts
has become almost as common, as they allow for students to view
digitally recorded video on classroom computers. Accessing Podcasts and
Vodcasts on classroom computers allows for differentiated instruction
within the classroom environment. These technologies provide students
with the opportunity to learn at their own pace and the freedom to go
back whenever possible and as frequently as necessary in order to check
their understanding. Podcasts are offering ESL students, and those with learning disabilities, the chance to review lectures at their own pace for increased comprehension. In fact, research was conducted to see how technology could help the visually impaired
in the classroom. It showed that the visually impaired students found
technology is better for them, compared to the regular paper. This
demonstrated that they can learn for themselves in a classroom. In this
case, the iPad2, helped increase the reading speed of those visually
impaired compared to the large printed text on paper. [18] Many ELL
and ESL students need additional support with defining commonly used
language as well as with the pronunciation of new vocabulary. Other
students, such as those with special needs have difficulty reading and
reviewing complex texts. Accessing Podcasts and Vodcasts on classroom
computers can easily provide helpful tools to address these students'
needs.
Ineffective use
Intrinsic
barriers such as a belief in more traditional teaching practices and
individual attitudes towards computers in education as well as the
teachers own comfort with computers and their ability to use them all
result in varying effectiveness in the integration of computers in the
classroom. Even with the increased access to computers within education
systems the actual use of computers in the class room lacks meaningful
activities that involve the students.
Teachers also appear to abandon the intended educational uses of the
computers purely for communication between staff and parents as well as
preparation of more traditional learning materials. A survey collected data from 306 in-service teachers from eight secondary schools. One concept that was found in the research was that for the individual category, which included personal skills and feelings, saw that anxiety and computer
self-efficiency had an impact on the teachers ability to teach. Through
different organizational skill sets, technology could either be
stressful and negative or reinforcing and positive for teachers.
