Just as technology has found a place in society, technology has a place in education. What that place is has been the subject of much debate. Larry Cuban in his book, Teachers and Machines (1986) discusses the rise and fall of various technologies since the 1920’s. From the phonograph to filmstrip projector, through radio and on to television a number of technologies have promised to radically change education. For the most part these radical transformations have not been realized for a number of reasons, but high among them is the failure of these technologies to adequately meet the needs of the teachers who try to use them.
Computers and the Internet are today’s technologies that promise to radically change education. The extent to which this happens depends largely on the ability of these technologies to meet the needs of those who must use them. In this module an attempt has been made to define four common classroom activities and use this structure as an organizer for these lessons on technology integration. These four common activities are gathering information, working with information, communicating, and reporting.
There is no right or wrong way to integrate technology and there is no perfect approach. Each instructor who sets out to integrate technology into their teaching practice must find the techniques that work best for them. This module will provide you with some insights about how to do this.
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