The Influence of Technology on Education Today

The influence of technology on our daily life is increasing every minute. It has become very important and necessary to improve the quality of our performance, make our schools more attractive for students and teachers to easily do their jobs and assignments. In general, the current generation is dealing with technological devices, such as cell phones, personal digital Assistants (PDA) and computers. Since people are very familiar with such devices and they have become part of daily life for communication, why shouldn’t we use such technologies to help enhance students’ learning in schools and encourage them to acquire good skills for their future life? As access to computer- based technology in schools and classrooms is to prepare teachers to use technology for instructional purpose, in Defense Language Institute (DLI), integrating technology plays an important role in delivering lessons in classrooms, especially in teaching culture notes, cultural presentations, and teaching vocabulary through activities, using the smart board, computer, projector, and sound media. These devices help teachers to use hypermedia in delivering lessons, with some interactive combination of text with pictures, sound, and video.
The majority of DLI students who have electronic devices, most likely use them primarily for educational purposes, secondarily for communication, classroom activities, presentation and surfing Internet for fun and pleasure. The popularity of using computer along with Internet in schools have changed the way we assume our tasks, activities and communicate with each other. The influence of computers and Internet has created a world that is much smaller in aspects, because ideas, information and knowledge through on line classes can be shared easily across the globe.
I think integrating technology in education and using it in the classroom helps change the central role of teachers to be facilitators and providers of learning environment and knowledge for students, as well as the role of the students is changed to become proconsumers. The use of technology in instruction improves students’ skills to be able to do research, assignments, getting on line feedback from instructors interactive communication, such as chatting, email messaging and discussion to empower collaborative learning, in addition to sharing ideas and knowledge round the world and receives variety of ideas in one topic being under discussion. According to what is mentioned previously, technology can be used in many ways as an integral part of the curriculum to meet the needs of the diverse learners. It gives both teachers and students more opportunities for feedback, reflection, and revision. Technology can also help learners organize and re-organize their knowledge. Using technology helps learners save time, and improves the learning outcomes. Different writers supported these ideas. Such as http://iteslj.org/Articles/Singhal-Internet.html
- http://coe.west.asu.edu/students/hcarter/techrationale.htm

Reference:
· www.insidehighered.com/news
· www.mewhorizons.org
· www.macinstruct.edu
· www.ecause.edu
· Educause Connect
· Journal of Teacher Education, Vol. 54, No. 4, 2003