Trends in Integrating Technology in Higher Education

SPECIFIC  INSTRUCTIONS  see attached file for clarrification  1- Respond to the following prompts in the Week 1 Abstracts discussion forum by Wednesday:  Post links or APA citations to two articles you found valuable from The Chronicle of Higher Education or Education Week from your readings this week. What do you think the implications of the articles you selected are for higher education? Provide examples to support your perspectives. 2- Comment: on both responses  below as it will serve as a sample to follow responding to the prompts  Sample of response #1 Q.M  Article One: Higher Education in a Time of Insurrection (chronicle.com)  (Links to an external site.) The implications of the article above are powerful truths that our nation and world must realize.  Promoting responsible and ethical use of technology will save democracy and freedom (Spector, 2015).  People must be given an education on how to decipher truth from falsehood, real news from fake news, and the dangers of spreading lies and playing on people’s emotions.  President Trump’s immoral use of technology to rally supporters to attack Capitol Hill cost lives and threatened our democracy in ways we’ve never experienced or imagined before.   Rosenberg, B. 2021. The Chronicle of Higher Education: Higher Education in a Time of Insurrection. https://www.chronicle.com/article/higher-education-in-a-time-of-insurrection  (Links to an external site.) Spector, J. 2015. Foundations of Educational Technology: Integrative Approaches and Interdisciplinary Perspectives (Second Edition). Routledge. Article Two: Digital Games: Powerful Motivation Tool or Not So Much? (edweek.org)  (Links to an external site.) Digital gaming is a valuable educational tool.  With or without the pandemic, online gaming has been popular for both teachers and parents.  Research nonetheless doesn’t show a significant increase or decrease in test performance using digital games.  Assigning online games for schools is effective at times especially for the types of games that share immediate results and progress with the classroom teacher.  However, there are undoubtedly many challenges in terms of equal opportunity for all students.  For example, many online games are time-sensitive and for students who do not have high-speed internet access, they will not be successful. Many parents and teachers are concerned about the amount of screen time even though it’s instructional or education-based. As I continue to ponder over technology, I keep coming to the same conclusion that Spector explicitly described in Chapter 1 of Foundations of Educational Technology:  It is an incredibly useful tool if used responsibly but can have dangerous outcomes if misused.  Lieberman, M. 2021.  Education Week: Digital Games:  Powerful Motivational Tool or Not So Much? Digital Games: Powerful Motivation Tool or Not So Much? (edweek.org)  (Links to an external site.) Spector, J. 2015. Foundations of Educational Technology: Integrative Approaches and Interdisciplinary Perspectives (Second Edition). Routledge. Sample of response # 2 Y.D Articles: Carlson, S., & Gardner, L. (2020, December 29). The Year That Pushed Higher Ed to the Edge. Retrieved January 13, 2021, from https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-year-that-pushed-higher-ed-to-the-edge Lieberman, M. (2021, January 11). How Online Teaching Needs to Improve-Even After the Pandemic. Retrieved January 12, 2021, from https://www.edweek.org/technology/how-online-teaching-needs-to-improve-even-after-the-pandemic/2021/01 The first article I found by Lieberman (2021) is currently relevant to my job as I am a high school teacher teaching during the pandemic. I think this article is relevant because future education will no doubt have some component of online learning, whether it is at the high school or college/university level. This article sheds light on some of the ways in which online learning needs to improve to be effective in the long run, such ideas coming from lessons which we learned during and throughout the pandemic. One major take away from this article is the idea that more students can be reached with the online platform, even after the pandemic ends and instruction returns to in-person instruction. It is important to think about how online instruction can be incorporated into our educational system at all levels in that not all students excel in a traditional classroom format. Some students perform better in a unique and different setting than typically thought of. While there are many different online platforms out there, it is possible to find one that adapts to the needs of the student. For example, I find that asynchronous courses like my Alliant master’s program and this program are helpful for non-traditional students like myself. This format can utilize the technology available to ensure that students have access to all the materials for the course and that they can work on their own time. Even in my own high school classroom, I see some students excelling at distance learning due to the fact that they don’t have the distractions and social pressures that come with a physical classroom. The second article by Carlson and Gardner (2020) touches on the different aspects of challenges that the pandemic brought to light for higher education institutions. Many higher education institutions have been stretched thin financially by the pandemic, with lowered enrollment and the need to cut costs in any way they can. The pandemic has also highlighted the disparity between the demographics of students who attend higher education institutions. Furthermore, the pandemic has also affected low-income and minority groups, highlighting the difference in access to higher education. This is important to recognize as this creates a gap in the education of future generations of students. The article also points out that community colleges are more vulnerable due to the pandemic and I can say first hand, this is true, as enrollment at the community college I am adjunct faculty at has lowered enrollment this past year. Due to this and the pandemic transitioning online, I have not been able to be assigned courses to teach as adjunct. Though this is not my main source of income, it still highlights the idea that enrollment was struggling before the pandemic and still continues to struggle at higher education institutions such as community colleges.