Replacement or Enhancement

     No one can deny the importance of technology in today's society. It is difficult to find any job or activity that doesn’t require some level of technology to be added to it. In the classroom, many schools and students have one-to-one devices. This has introduced technology into the everyday lives of students. However, a common use of technology hasn’t enhanced the learning process, but only replaced the pencil, paper, and books that would have been used instead (Vahedi et al., 2019). The problem with this is that the technology being used in the classroom isn’t being utilized as the tool intended to be. Instead, it is just a replacement for something already available. 

    Technology can individualize learning. By utilizing technology properly, students can receive learning designed to enhance the lesson at a level they are most likely to succeed. By using technology in this way, students will likely be more engaged, increasing the learning process (David & Weinstein, 2024). The ultimate goal of educators is to provide the best lessons to help students reach their potential. The easiest way to achieve that goal is to individualize student lessons. By utilizing technology as a tool, teachers can individualize lessons with little to no added effort (David & Weinstein, 2024). This removes the replacement aspect of technology and produces a tool that enhances learning and education..

Resources:

David, L., & Weinstein, N. (2024). The how and how much of technology use in the classroom: A motivational approach to teachers’ technology use. European Journal of Education, 59(4). https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12674 

Vahedi, Z., Zannella, L., & Want, S. C. (2019). Students’ use of information and communication technologies in the classroom: Uses, restriction, and Integration. Active Learning in Higher Education, 22(3), 215–228. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787419861926