Technology can be
found everywhere in today’s society. In
just the last twenty years, the use of technology has grown faster than any
other time in history. Even McDonald’s
are equipped with free wireless internet connections, and it is very easy to
find internet capable devices (tablet PC’s) for less than $100 and netbook PC’s
for less than $200 and not to mention smart phones than can be had for $50 or
less. The proliferation of technology is
such even in schools that the majority of students are from low-income families
at least a third can usually be found to have some access to technology. The one place that seems to be exempt of the
growing use of technology is in the study of history. In contrast, to other core class’s history
and other social studies classes seem to be lagging in the integration of
technology in the day-to-day teaching of history. Though it may seem an idiomatic combination, technology
and history, but technology opens up many possibilities in the study by
increasing student access to not only primary source documents but to media
that can make history more relevant and real.
It is this ability to enrich and deepen historical instruction that
perhaps is its greatest strength. The
use of technology in teaching history is not a replacement for sound teaching
principles. In fact, the use of
technology without sound teaching principles will not be as effective as a
class taught using sound teaching principles without the use of technological
assistance; however, when sound teaching principles and technology are used in
conjunction then one can achieve a better result than without the use of
technology. A teacher’s priority should
be to provide the best possible education not just an adequate education. American psychologist, Abraham Maslow said,
“If you only have a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.” That is true in all areas of late, but nowhere
more so than in the field of education, where teachers are responsible on a
daily basis of connecting with over one hundred individuals. The more “tools” in their repertoire the
easier this is accomplished.
However,
instruction is not the only job teachers are required to do. They are responsible for record keeping,
corresponding with parents, and managing discipline in the classroom. All of these aspects arguably can enrich the
learning experiences they however directly affect the amount of time teachers
can spend on both instruction and lesson planning. Technology can also aid in this aspect of
teaching history by freeing up time in these areas. Teachers are able to spend more time engaged
with students that may need instruction above that which was given in
class. Also, the nature of historical
instruction makes it hard for students to fully make up missed classes and this
too causes added work for teachers. However
in this too, technology can be useful in that it can allow students to retrieve
notes from a missed lecture, allows students to watch visual media on a topic
covered on the day a student was not present, and/or to have access to
materials handed out in class.
Technology can even allow students to directly ask questions of the
teacher without the teacher divulging an email address. All the functions listed above can be easily
accomplished by the creation of a teacher website. There are several websites that allow for the
creation of websites that are free and allow for easy construction of
websites. A teacher website is just one
“tool” available to teachers and can free up time that allows teachers to
explore other aspects of technology to strengthen instruction.
