Benefits of integrating technology into curriculum

There is no question that technology is taking over the lives of children more and more each day. As teachers we cannot ignore this. In his article Klopfer explains, “Undoubtedly, without these recent technologies (i.e. digital games, Web 2.0, etc.) in the classroom, strong lessons can still be achieved, but there’s a sharp disconnect between the way students are taught in school and the way the outside world approaches socialization, meaning-making, and accomplishment. It is critical that education not only seek to mitigate this disconnect in order to make these two “worlds” more seamless, but of course also to leverage the power of these emerging technologies for instructional gain.” This quote resonated with me as I read on. The school that I work at has been making strides towards technological integration in the classroom. They promote the use of games and networking sites as a means of educating young students. Since I have started working at this school I have taken their challenge and integrated technology into my own classroom. I have used blogging for book club, games for math instruction, web quests for social studies, etc. Integrating technology into my curriculum has been extremely successful. I have noticed that students of all ages are more eager to learn when computers are involved because they feel a sense of ownership and expertise with technology. They also believe that learning with technology is fun and exciting, much more so than traditional lessons and education. Another benefit that I have found with using technology and gaming as a means of education is that educational games used in the classroom expand the repertoire of games students can play at home. I am currently a Kindergarten teacher and since the first day of school it has been evident that the majority of games my students are exposed to are violent in nature and in my opinion mindless. Our math curriculum is primarily game based, where some of the games are created in the classroom and others can be found on the internet. We have created a class page where parents and students can go to access the games we teach in school and use them at home. I have heard from parents that their children are much more inclined to play educational games at home than ever before. In my opinion, there is nothing better than keeping children engaged and interested in learning and the use of technology is an easy way for educators to sustain this love of learning.