Every National Teaching Organization Says to Use Technology
Dear Technophobe Teacher: What is your excuse again? No major education organization, not ONE, thinks that a student’s educaton should NOT include the effective use of technology in the classroom. No teacher at all has an excuse anymore other than you don’t want to do it. Here is a sample of position statements from some of the major subject specific education organizations in the US:
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Technology is an essential tool for learning mathematics in the 21st century, and all schools must ensure that all their students have access to technology. Effective teachers maximize the potential of technology to develop students’ understanding, stimulate their interest, and increase their proficiency in mathematics. When technology is used strategically, it can provide access to mathematics for all students.
National Science Teachers Association
It is therefore the position of the National Science Teachers Association that computers should have a major role in the teaching and learning of science. Computers have become an essential classroom tool for the acquisition, analysis, presentation, and communication of data in ways which allow students to become more active participants in research and learning. In the classroom, the computer offers the teacher more flexibility in presentation, better management of instructional techniques, and easier record keeping. It offers students a very important resource for learning the concepts and processes of science through simulations, graphics, sound, data manipulation, and model building. In the field, the portability of the laptop computer allows students to actively gather and analyze data and take it back to the classroom for in-depth study and the sharing of information. These capabilities can improve scientific learning and facilitate communication of ideas and concepts. Lest the following emphasis on computers be misunderstood, we assert at the outset that computers should enhance, but not replace essential “hands on” laboratory activities. (under review for revision)
International Society for Technology Education
As technology integration continues to increase in our society, it is paramount that teachers possess the skills and behaviors of digital age professionals. Moving forward, teachers must become comfortable being co-learners with their students and colleagues around the world.
National Association of Sports and Physical Education
The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) believes that technology can be an effective tool for supplementing instruction when used appropriately…
When used intentionally and appropriately, technology and interactive media are effective tools to support learning and development.When educators appropriately integrate technology and interactive media into their classrooms, equity and access are addressed by providing opportunities for all children to participate and learn (Judge, Puckett, & Cabuk 2004; Cross, Woods, & Schweingruber 2009). In such an environment, accommodations are made for children with special needs to use technology independently (Hasselbring & Glaser 2000), and technology strategies to support dual language learners are in place.
National Council for the Social Studies
Teaching, Learning, and the Curriculum: Social Studies Educators
- teachers implement curriculum plans that include methods and strategies for applying technology to maximize student learning in social studies;
- facilitate technology-enhanced experiences that address content standards and student technology standards;
- use technology to support learner-centered strategies that address the diverse needs of students;
- apply technology to develop students’ higher order skills and creativity;
- manage student-learning activities in a technology-enhanced environment.
International Reading Association
To become fully literate in today’s world, students must become proficient in the new literacies of 21st-century technologies. IRA believes that literacy educators have a responsibility to integrate information and communication technologies (ICTs) into the curriculum, to prepare students for the futures they deserve. We believe further that students have the right to
- Teachers who use ICTs skillfully for teaching and learning
- Peers who use ICTs responsibly and who share their knowledge
- A literacy curriculum that offers opportunities for collaboration with peers around the world
- Instruction that embeds critical and culturally sensitive thinking into practice
- Standards and assessments that include new literacies
- Leaders and policymakers who are committed advocates of ICTs for teaching and learning
- Equal access to ICTs
National Council of Teachers of English
Twenty-first century readers and writers need to
- Develop proficiency with the tools of technology
- Build relationships with others to pose and solve problems collaboratively and cross-culturally
- Design and share information for global communities to meet a variety of purposes
- Manage, analyze and synthesize multiple streams of simultaneous information
- Create, critique, analyze, and evaluate multi-media texts
- Attend to the ethical responsibilities required by these complex environments
