Personal Philosophy

Why is it important for me as an educator to incorporate technology in education?

      “Just like pencils and pens which plays a vital role in the classroom, technological devices should be seen just as important and should be integrated in the classroom”. Laptops and tablets have evolved into powerful learning tools that can be used in both the classroom and out in the field. Technology integration can provide an easy access to information, this is why having technology in the classroom is rather pivotal. However, the use of technological devices such as tablets and laptops are already widely present in the everyday life for both students and teachers. This is also why there is enough reason to believe that the use of technological devices in a classroom will improve students’ academic performance and research skills.

Moreover, a postulation by Berge and Muilenburg, (2013) states that, E-learning allows students to take advantage of many of the ideal learner-centered characteristics. Students can participate actively in the knowledge-making process by creating a collaborative essay in Google Docs or defining a topic in a wiki, for example. These instances depict learners engaging with society, albeit the exchanges are virtual, with the learners cut off from the rest of the actual world via computers situated in a fixed place (p.98).

Furthermore, it is on this ground that the use of these devices can be vital in creating critical thinkers and researchers in a classroom through the use of scholarly sites like Google Scholar. Academically, this is significant because the use of technology in the classroom may pave the way for individualized education to suit the specific requirements of students as individuals within a larger classroom setting. According to Winstead (2016), utilizing tablets enhances computing abilities and fosters autonomous thinking. Tablets are convenient to bring along for learning activities, which students document by taking photographs, videos, and making voice recordings about what they see.

It is for this reason that incorporating technology into the classroom will not only be easier but also more enjoyable. Students will find approaching research comfortable because they would have already had knowledge of how to use technological devices such as laptops and tablets. Moreover, this researcher seeks to investigate the academic impact of using technological devices students’ research skills in the classroom.