For more than two centuries, schools have used printed paper materials, such as textbooks, dictionaries and encyclopedias, to educate students, but today learning resources are reaching a limitedness realm. Virtual learning has introduced a plethora of new teaching opportunities for educators: multi-media presentations, computers, telecommunication resources and web-based lessons and units. With emerging technological resources, students also face new challenges and opportunities. Today's world demands that students learn how to access, manage, apply, and evaluate rapidly growing banks of information.
Technology-based learning must provide students with a wide range of expanded opportunities, from the basics to the complex. In order to meet these objectives, teachers should begin to build units of study that merge traditional learning with virtual learning experiences. The process of blending traditional internal content with the external virtual learning world will require all members of the staff to be trained in design methods for technology-based learning units.
Integrating technology into the classroom encourages a curriculum that is both challenging and meaningful for the students. It also creates a coherent, workable framework for teacher instruction. In order to integrate technology into the curriculum, the teacher must follow six essential steps: selecting content standards, establishing purpose, developing learning tasks, defining methods of assessment, identifying technology tools and applying technology integration. |
