Integrating Technology into the Teaching-Learning Process

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We live in an era where most of us are using technology so much these days in each and every domain of our lives. We spend most of our time glued to our smartphones, socializing with friends through Facebook and Instagram, gaining knowledge through various websites and apps, or even learning new skills by watching tutorial videos on YouTube. It is no doubt that technology has made our lives not only convenient, but fun and educational. Technology has also transformed and improved the educational system to a great extent and it has revolutionized the teaching and learning process. With technology, teachers and learners now have a variety of learning tools at their fingertips. Technology and education are a great combination that must be used together to deepen and enhance the learning process.

Technology is indeed a very powerful tool in education that can improve the students’ achievement as long as it is integrated thoughtfully into teaching and learning process. But sadly, we cannot deny the fact that our country is outdated in terms of the technology we use in our classrooms in comparison to our neighbouring countries. Like most cases in third world countries, our public schools lack budget and government funding thus it is highly unlikely that we would be able keep up with other countries’ advance technological trends. In my experience when we were having field study and remedial class conducted in public elementary and high schools, most of them are still stuck with the old dusty chalk and blackboard, old box television sets which is not even available in every classroom, semi-working projectors, and the worst of all the slowest yet very expensive internet connection. 

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But as an educator we should take this shortcomings as a challenge for us, we must not focus on what we don’t have but instead, we should be determined on finding ways to better integrate the use technology to facilitate learning by using any available resources we could find. We must bear in mind that the use of advance technology does not determine the effectiveness of your instruction. But rather it depends on the design of instruction which accounts for how people learn than the technology used to deliver the instruction. As teachers, we must focus on determining how to better integrate the use of a given technology to facilitate learning. Technology indeed plays a vital role in education, but it’s only a matter of how do we improve our use of technology to enhance the teaching-learning process.

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            As a future teacher, I believe that we should be resourceful given that there is lack of available resources in our area, I must take the initiative in integrating technology that would deepen and enhance the learning process of my students. Inspired by my Ed-Tech professors and instructors in our university, I would make use of what’s already available media that my students might already have. Such as netbooks, smartphones, tablets, and applications this way I can engage the learners because they are able to access the most up-to-date information quicker and easier. As we all know technology and interactive multimedia are more conductive to learning, so I should create a more dynamic classroom experience by incorporating an instructional strategy such as incorporating digital assignments and quizzes, simulations and gamification elements, video making, as well as a heavy emphasis and encouraging peer work and group collaboration. With this pedagogical strategy and the help of technology my students will become more active than passive learners.

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