The article I read was titled “Redefining Technology Role in Education” and was written by Al Musawi and Ali Sharaf for Creative Education 2.2. (2011)  In this article they looked at the growing role of technology in education.  They also looked at defining its uses based on the type of application.  They believe that, “These new roles, when combined, could set the stage for restructuring the education institutions in an innovative way that leaves the current education system in history.” (Musawi, Sharaf, par 1)  In this article they classified technology into three stages: the medium or resource role, the management role, and the delivery role.  They state that under medium/resource role technology is used as a tool to enhance instruction.  Examples of this include; e-books, power points, video and audio, projectors, smartboards and of course computers.  The next stage is management role.  This is where teachers and administrators rely on technology for the day to day tasks, what I have heard teachers refer to as “daily house keeping”.  Things like attendance, grade-books, and communication are all completed with the use of technology.  Delivery role is the last stage they define, and this is where technology is the only or primary delivery method for  learning.  Examples of this include Blackboard, WebCT, and Moodle which can be used for solely online education.

This article points to the growing desire for educators as well as students to utilize and incorporate technology into the classroom.  It also points to the fact that it requires more than some districts are capable of which is why they defined the three roles.  If a school district wishes to increase their technology they need to look at how the technology will be applied.  The different roles that they defined in the article have different levels of support, training, equipment and programs.  If your district is financially incapable of using technology as a complete delivery  role it is irresponsible to attempt it.  It is much more feasible to start with the medium/resource stage and work from there.  I have noticed that most of the schools I observed in seem to be past this level and are at least at the management role.  There are very few schools that have been able to completely digitize to the point of technology in the delivery role.

I feel that the most common way we view technology in the classroom is in the medium/resource role.  As a student teacher I used technology to enhance my lessons and not as the primary tool.  All of the articles I read including this one all point to technology being a tool and not a replacement for teachers and some traditional methods of delivery are still seen as important to educate students.  They seem to agree with the idea that the best possible situation is a blend of old and new.  I do look forward to the day when I can use technology on a more regular basis.  I would like to use blogs instead of notebook journals, I can have the students create podcasts or vodcasts in addition to watching them.  I might even hold class in a virtual classroom.  Technology can help to elevate problems, such as; I left my report at home on my computer or flash drive, instead I can use programs like the Cloud.  I can create study podcasts before tests or have the students create it themselves.  Using a smartboard I can post daily notes to a class website for anyone to access when ever they need to.  The optional uses of technology are limitless, if there is funding to purchase and maintain needed materials.  It is not without its issues.  Using technology we become responsible for teaching students how to use it ethically and maturely.  They need to know how to find valid accurate information.  They need to be able to identify bias in the information they are looking at.  Technology will make things easier but at the same time make things harder.  I feel that the pro’s out way the con’s and it is time to step up and do what our students need us to do.

Musawi, Al, and Ali Sharaf. "Redefining Technology Role in Education." Creative Education 2.2nd ser. (2011): 130-35. Print.

"Google Images." Google Images. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 July 2012. <http://www.google.com/imgres?q=technology>.