ROLES AND FUNCTIONS OF EDUCATIONAL

TECHNOLOGY IN THE 21ST CENTURY EDUCATIONPrepared by: Erazon Mae C.

Dolera

Creating a 21st century education system is about making sure that all students are prepared to succeed in a competitive world; a world with plenty opportunities for highly skilled individuals and limited options for everyone else. It’s about maximizing the impact of technology to develop proficiency in 21st century skills, support innovative teaching and learning, and create robust education support systems.

Globalization has opened up the world. We blend traditions, create unique belief systems and transmit our values and cultures. The role of education is to prepare students to become active, successful, and contributing members of the society.

The problem now is that schools and teachers are left trying to figure out what their roles needs to be in the education of their 21st century students.

In order to prepare students to play their role in the 21st century society we are a part of, the following can be considered when deciding how education will look in our schools and classrooms.

1. Instruction should be student-centered

Students need to connect the new information with the knowledge they already have and apply it to solving the problem at hand.Students will need to have ‘learned how to learn’ on their own.The teacher would act as a facilitator for the students.Different styles are encouraged.Learning is about discovery, not memorization of facts.

2. Education should be collaborative

Students should be encouraged to work together to discover information, piece it together, and construct meaning.Collaboration should be dynamic.Students should learn how to recognize the different strengths and talents each person can bring to a project, and change roles depending on those attributes.Schools should also be collaborating with other educational institutions around the world.

3. Learning should have contextThe teacher provides guidance as to the skills that need to be acquired.The teacher can make a point of helping students to understand how the skills they are building can be applied in their lives.Teachers should take a more general approach and teach them the skills that are useful in any situation.

THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN

21ST CENTURY LEARNING

Technology is a tool, a way for fact-based learning and allows students to do a lot of the research using the Internet and various tools.

1.Technology allows for 24/7 access to information

2.Constant social interaction, and3.Easily created and shared digital

content

It is important for our students to learn in a global classroom, acknowledging that the classroom extends beyond the physical walls. Our students are more inclined to find information by accessing the Internet through cellphones and computers or chatting with friends on a social networking sites. If this is the case, it is necessary to embrace this highly motivational interest and embed it in our teaching. Teachers will begin to utilize technology to better meet the needs and interests of students. There is a call for action to integrate technology as a fundamental building block into education in three broad areas:

1.Use technology comprehensively to develop proficiency in 21st century skills.

2.Use technology comprehensively to support innovative teaching and learning.

3.Use technology comprehensively to create robust education support systems.

PROJECTED MEDIA

DIGITAL IMAGE PROJECTION

A digital projector, also called a digital projection display system, is a specialized computer display that projects an enlarged image on a movie screen. Such devices are commonly used in presentations. It is sometimes used for a program that facilitates three-dimensional (3D), interactive, full motion audio-visual files on a personal computerThere are two main types of digital projection display system.

Employs three transparent liquid-crystal-display (LCD) panels, one for each of the primary colors (red, green, and blue)The light of each pixel varies depending on the image data received from the computer.The light from the lamp is directed through the LCD panels.

Known as Digital Light Processing (DLP), a proprietary technology developed by Texas Instruments.Tiny mirrors are used instead of transparent panels.Each mirror represents one pixel. The light is reflected from it.

The older, less expensive type

The newer, more

expensive scheme

This is similar to a slide projector, where the “slide” consists of three LCD panels placed close together near the focal point of the projection lens.Efficient to use, ease of brightness and contrast adjustment, and high image resolution

The mirrors move back and forth, varying the amount of light that reaches the projections lens from each pixel.Color is obtained by passing the light from the lamp through a rotating wheel with red, green and blue filters.Light weight, high contrast, and lack of pixelation.

IMPORTANT FUNCTIONS OF EDUCATIONAL

TECHNOLOGY

1. Improvement of TeachingEducational Technology analyses the process of teaching thoroughly.It tries to find out the different variables of teaching, their interlinks and effects upon each other.By developing theories of teaching, it helps in improving the quality of education

2. Analysis of the Teaching-Learning Process

Educational Technology aims at analyzing the process of teaching-learning thoroughly.It is also concerned with various phases of teaching.It ties to establish better relationship between teaching and learning.

3. Improvement of LearningEducational Technology analyses the process of learning and the related theories.It facilitates more and more of learning in less time.

4. Enhancing Goals of EducationEducational Technology helps in finding out the right objectives.It helps in enhancing the right objectives in the light of changed circumstances and changed environment.

5. Training to TeachersRight type of training to the teachers is the need of the hour.

6. Development of CurriculumEducational Technology can do this job of developing a suitable curriculum appropriately.

7. Development of Teaching-Learning Materials

Materials have to be in accordance with the environment of the learners.Only right type of materials will able to modify the behavior of the learner suitably making him a fit person for the society.

8. Teaching-Learning StrategiesThe strategy has to be the right one, which should be according to the right materials and is able to bring about the effective teaching-learning.The knowledge of those strategies is a must for every teachers.

9. Development of Audio-Visual Aids

They need to used according to the times.

10. Help in Overall ImprovementEducational Technology helps in locating the problems in the different areas of education.It helps in remedying the drawbacks.It is made better through feedbacks, things are improved thoroughly and there is better control over the process of education.

11. Identification of Needs of the Community

Educational Technology identifies the needs of the community.It helps in providing equal education opportunities to backward people, disadvantaged students and deprived sections of the society.