Integrating Technology Into School Curricula: Why It Matters

Introduction

The past few decades have been characterized by a proliferation of technological innovations that have fundamentally altered the way most people shop, work, recreate, and receive an education. During this same period, there have been calls for increased accountability on the part of educators and improved academic outcomes at every level, with a wide range of federal, state, and local initiatives being introduced in response. At the same time, and particularly since the onset of the Great Recession of 2008, schools have been faced with dwindling budgets, making the need to use the most cost-effective approach to educational service delivery all the more important.

One of the most cost-effective approaches currently available is the use of various types of computer-based technologies in and outside the traditional classroom to help young learners take advantage of the vast array of informational and computational services that are readily available. To help better understand why the integration of technology into school curricula makes good academic, equity, and economic sense, this paper provides a review of the relevant peer-reviewed and scholarly literature, followed by a summary of the research and important findings in the conclusion.

Background and Overview of Technology in Education

Many of the young learners who comprise the Generation Y cohort — also termed the "Millennials," and increasingly referred to as the "Obama generation" — view technology in fundamentally different ways than their counterparts in the earlier traditionalist, baby boomer, and Generation X generations. For example, Van Horn (2006) notes that "The Millennials are distinctively different from either the 'baby boomers' or 'Gen Xers.' Millennials have different values and different social structures, and they not only use technology, they embrace it" (p. 727). This means that when Millennials enter the classroom today, they want and expect to find the same types of technology they use in their daily lives outside the classroom. In this regard, Schauffhauser emphasizes that "A generation of young people exposed to cutting-edge gaming technology and used to computing at home on high-powered, low-cost PCs may not get excited about devices running a last-generation operating system on hardware that was considered speedy several years ago" (21).

Moreover, many of these technologies are mobile in their delivery platform and increasingly wireless, with the ability to instantaneously access information by simply searching online challenging and reshaping traditional definitions of knowledge and intelligence. In the past, students might aspire to memorize all of the states and their capitals, the presidents (and even vice presidents), and so forth; currently, such information is readily available at the push of a button from almost anywhere. Van Horn (2006) reports the following statistics about teen internet use:

87% of U.S. teens between 12 and 17 years of age use the Internet, compared with just 66% of adults; 51% of teen Internet users go online on a daily basis; 81% play games online; 76% get news online; 43% have made purchases online; and 31% use the Internet to obtain health information (727).

These statistics indicate that young people entering the school system today bring with them an entirely different skill set from their counterparts just a few decades ago. These skills can be used in the classroom in effective and meaningful ways if the technology to support their use in curricular offerings is available. Such technologies range from simple, inexpensive notebooks increasingly used both in the classroom and at home, to "bell-and-whistle" desktops in computer labs, to whiteboards, smartboards, mobile phones, and other handheld devices that can be used to allow students to respond to teacher-provided prompts and other feedback opportunities designed to better engage their interest.

An inexpensive Internet-enabled notebook being promoted by the nonprofit organization One Laptop Per Child has already distributed tens of thousands of smaller laptop versions to students in developing countries around the world, and the program has since been extended to the United States as well. An article in State Legislatures reports that "Students in grades one through eight in Birmingham, Alabama, will be the first in the nation to receive laptop computers designed for children in third-world countries. The mayor signed an agreement to buy 15,000 laptops for $200 each from One Laptop Per Child, a nonprofit foundation whose goal is to give every child in the world access to a computer" (11). Although students are required to return their notebooks after completing eighth grade in this particular program, every notebook computer purchased by schools in the United States funds the purchase of a second notebook for a student in a developing nation ("Laptop Legacy" 11). These cost-effective technological solutions have been used to good effect with even very young learners (Bowne and Brokmeier 37). Wambach (2006) reports that "Studies on the effects of 1-to-1 computing, from sources such as the Center for Research in Educational Policy and NetDay, all support the premise that student access to computers in the classroom improves student engagement and achievement, and helps students acquire critical 21st-century skills" (58).

In response to the increasing demand for technology-based educational solutions, a growing number of companies have introduced their own one-to-one computer offerings, including Dell, Fourier Systems, Intel, Everex, Asus, One Laptop per Child (OLPC), and Acer (Schauffhauser 21). These initiatives have been widely embraced by educators, students, and parents alike, all of whom recognize the benefits to be gained from providing young learners with the tools and resources they need to become proficient learners in the 21st century (Schauffhauser 21).

It is important to note, however, that the quantity of technology must be balanced by attention to the quality of the technology integrated into curricular offerings. Wambach emphasizes that "Equipping teachers with technology is only a launching point. The success of a 1-to-1 computing program is in its application" (59). Fortunately, an enormous array of resources is available to facilitate this integration. Wambach adds that "Librarians, frequently doubling as K-12 media specialists, can supply teachers with lists of online curricula, sorted by grade and theme, to incorporate the internet and other computing tools into all subjects. Websites such as EduHound and Discovery Education provide free grade-appropriate lessons, projects, and games" (59). Given the increasing pace at which these initiatives are being embraced by the educational community, it is important to understand the more compelling reasons driving this adoption.

Conclusion

The research showed that in the Age of Information, there are a number of compelling reasons supporting the integration of technology into curricular offerings, including its ability to reduce the digital divide, increase access to information for learning-disabled students, deliver cost-effective solutions, and fulfill a professional obligation in an era of accountability. The research also showed that teachers today have access to a wide array of technological solutions that can facilitate the delivery of educational services, the administration of classrooms, and communication with stakeholders — including students, fellow teachers, administrators, and parents. Taken together, it makes strong academic, equity, and economic sense to use existing approaches to integrating technology into the curriculum and to actively seek new opportunities to incorporate technology into future curricular offerings in the 21st-century classroom.

Works Cited

Bowne, Mary, and Sue Brokmeier. "At the Zoo: Kindergartners Reinvent a Dramatic Play Area." Early Childhood Research & Practice 10.2 (2008): 37.

Fox, Christine. "More Than Machines: Comprehensive Technology Integration Programs Go beyond Laptop Initiatives to Provide Teachers with the Support They Need to Improve Student Engagement and Achievement." THE Journal 36.6 (2009): 23–24.

Kopkowski, Cynthia. "Ready to Upgrade?" NEA Today 24.6 (2008): 24–26.

"Laptop Legacy." State Legislatures 34.2 (2008): 11.

Mackall, Phil. "Interactive Whiteboards Enhance the Learning Experience for Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing Students." THE Journal 31.10 (2004): 64–66.

Schauffhauser, Dian. "Small Device, Big Appeal: Ultrahandy, Ultramobile, and Ultra-Low-Cost, Miniature PCs May One Day Unseat Conventional Laptops as the Machine of Choice for 1-to-1 Programs." THE Journal 35.9 (2008): 20–21.

Stone, Susan, and Eileen Gambrill. "Do School Social Work Textbooks Provide a Sound Guide for Education and Practice?" Children & Schools 29.2 (2007): 109–111.

Van Horn, R. "Generation 'M' and 3G." Phi Delta Kappan 87.10 (2006): 727.

Wambach, Catherine. "From Revolutionary to Evolutionary: 10 Years of 1-to-1 Computing Laptop Initiatives Are Now a Decade Old. Once a Point of Controversy, They Have Become the Cornerstone of Every District's Technology Hopes." THE Journal 33.14 (2006): 58–60.