TECHNOLOGY TRENDS IN EDUCATION
Educators, policymakers, and those who specialize in new learning styles and formats, lesson plans, and curriculum development, can no doubt see that today's technological trends in social medias, personal computers, and web based machinery, changing and evolving everyday, are influencing the classroom, the curriculum, and the educational systems across the globe in the primary, secondary, and higher education levels. One can also see how these changes are also beginning to create a profound change in the way we as individuals learn, absorb, and retain new information. Examples of such technologies being used in an online educational setting are in programs for higher education, now being offered in colleges and universities around the world to international students, and as a result of such technologies and social media software that specialize in creating online learning environments, a web based classroom setting that transcends borders to various countries and to multiple students overseas is made possible.
"The ease with which teachers and students can gather information over the Internet on virtually any topic has the potential to transform instructional content and pedagogical practice. Moreover, courses developed by the best teachers in one country or state can now be made available to students across many countries. The international export of courses is already common in various higher education institutions, such as through the University of Phoenix, or private universities such as the University of Illinois, and is now becoming increasingly available in secondary schools in more industrialized countries. It is just a matter of time and waiting now before these technological applications spread widely across the developing world. While the use of electronic communication technology as a medium for instructional purposes is just the beginning in a basic educational setting, it is already clear that it will be a dominant trend over the next decade" (Chapman, 18).
But this author goes on to say that the rapid spread of electronic communications has the capacity to affect the quality and efficiency of basic educational practices dramatically across the world in potentially both positive but also in negative ways. "The move to advanced technology use in primary and secondary based educational settings offers a great hope for improving the access, quality, and efficiency of basic education, however if policymakers are to reap a meaningful return on their investment in these changes, educators need to be made more aware of the key issues and formulate more sensible strategies for going about implementing technology in the classroom" (Chapman, 19).
Teachers as well as students do need to be educated as to the advantages and dangers of the online learning environment. Many positive sides to having technology in the classroom, depending on the age or grade level of the student, can be seen through the students' improvements in their grade levels, creativity through the use of social media tools, better absorption of information, and sometimes even in enhanced discussion skills. However educators do need to be wary of the presumption that technology tools have only positive benefits. If these tools are not used properly, they can indeed also have very negative repercussions if not implemented in the classroom in such a way that is relative and appropriate to the context of the classroom and subject material. How then could technology based learning change the dynamic of the classroom, or change an individuals capacity for retention to a point where such a learning environment becomes less productive, less efficient, and even less interactive? These are some of the questions and key issues revolving around technology and education that we will continue to raise and discuss throughout this website.