Running head: INTEGRATING INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY

Integrating Instructional Technology
Jimmy L. Burnett, Jr.
Grand Canyon University: EDU 225 Instructional Technology
July 22, 2012

Technology of the past 20 years has become a focal point of teaching and learning. As a teacher, it is my job to facilitate the learning for an individual by creating an environment that not only conducive for learning, but also places the child in a position to discover and learn them for themselves. Technology has given teachers to opportunity to take learning beyond the classroom, and has begun to reshape their role in the learning process. In the past, teachers were looked upon as the purveyor of all
Exploration

Pros: Computers allow students to learn through exploring the internet and doing research. The act of looking up information and researching papers with such an extensive resource can keep students engaged in a project and learning far longer than they would with a set of encyclopedias. Cons: Some students will explore beyond the bounds and parameters of the project and become distracted by other activities that they find on the internet.

Lesson Integration

Pros: By incorporating technology into lessons, students will become more engaged in and excited about the subject at hand. Lessons that would normally be tedious for many, such as social studies, can be much more engaging with virtual field trips and streaming video. Cons: Finding the right materials online to integrate into a lesson is not always easy. This means teachers may spend a lot more time planning lessons and become overwhelmed and frustrated (Hermitt, 2012). Wireless and Wired Classrooms The difference between the two types is mostly their connectivity to the technology, which is usually the internet or the network that your school operates. A wireless environment usually consists of a wireless connectivity that can be obtained through a wireless router or access point. Depending on the size of the school or company, multiple access points must be used to accommodate all of the devices