Annotated Bibliography Assignment

By Gabriela Medina, Team 5: Multiculturalism in Cinderella

1. Boundless. "Advantages of Using Technology in the Classroom." Boundless. Boundless Education, 3 July 2014. Web. 15 Nov. 2014.

     Boundless Education acknowledges the importance of computer skills and other forms of technological skills in our society. It is still common for educators to feel that technology should not be brought into a classroom which is why Boundless Education urges educators to embrace technology and help their students strive. Boundless emphasizes the importance of technology in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) which are all fields of rising popularity for professions. They discuss the importance for children to have a basis of technological skills so they can easily acquire more advance knowledge in their field.

     Boundless makes it clear how important technology is throughout different professional fields, but also how important it is for different types of learners. Technology allows for easy and quick adaptability for different types of learners whether that be a visual, auditory, kinesthetic, or special needs learner. This would mean there would be less children falling behind in class. They describe technology as being more interactive so children have to learn to play many roles at once such as being a reader, writer, and an editor when working on one project. 

2. "Effects of Technology on Classrooms and Students." Archived: Effects of Technology on Classrooms and Students. U.S. Department of Education, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2014.

     The U.S. Department of Education explains many advantages to incorporating technology in the classroom. It can lead to changes students and teachers have. For example teachers are seen as a source of information, by incorporating technology in a classroom setting they would then be viewed as more of facilitators. Steering their pupils in the right direction instead of telling them which direction to take. it allows a little more independency with a student in a positive. Because of this it has been found that students are capable of completing more complex tasks. They have the freedom to discover more information through outside sources that normally would not have been as easily as accessible to them. 

     Children using technology in the classroom have been found to pay more attention to their audience. They do this paying closer attention to their writing, presentation, etc. They color coordinate or emphasize on words they believe to be important by bolding it, etc. They also find video, or audio clips, sources they find that compliment their topic to clarify their topic more. They make sure the information they are relying is clear and concise.

3. Hendricks, Drew. "A Look at Recent Findings on Technology in the Classroom." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 14 Mar. 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.

     Hendricks addresses that fact that all children develop and grow and varying speeds just as they learn at varying speeds. He declares the importance of not over-stressing a child by attempting to learn part 2 of a lesson when the child is still attempting to learn part 1. He continues on to explain that there are many technological tools available for these children to help them keep up with their peers. Not only that but that there are other tools available to help teachers keep track of their students progress. This way it is easier for a teacher to keep better tabs on students and give extra help to whoever may need it.

     By giving this extra attention to struggling students, it allows for an increase in self-esteem not only academically but all around for a student. This self-confidence boost would actually be the first steps to closing the learning gap in the education system across our nation. Keeping track of this with students would become easier for the teacher because technology allows lesson plans to be more interactive for students with the use of smartboards unlike the traditional verbal lesson by a teacher. By making it more interactive the student has to pay closer attention.

4. McFarlane, Angela. Authentic Learning for the Digital Generation: Realising the Potential of Technology in the Classroom. Print. 

     The Author Angela McFarlane of this book is actually an advisor to many current governments around the world when it comes to the topic of technology in education. McFarlane comes up with the challenging thesis that currently schools are not teaching students as well as they could, that they are depriving them of a better education by putting bands on their electronic devices. She believes schools are falling behind. For example they did not begin incorporating computer labs in most schools until the late 80s and 90s, and that some schools computer labs today are outdated. She states schools need to embrace the concept of a personal tablet for students to broaden resources. McFarlane argues that later on in life these kids are expected to know how to operate a computer and a variety of programs on them, or how to use a search engine correctly. These kids are expected to know these skills from birth when they clearly do not. But were in fact discouraged from using them for educational purposes. Schools are meant to prepare students for the work force, not make the transition into it more difficult. 

5. Smith, Paul. "Great Benefits of Technology in Education." EdTechReview. N.p., 22 Oct. 2013. Web. 15 Nov. 2014.

     Mr. Smith takes a new approach when discussing the benefits of technology in a classroom. He decides begin with a benefit such as using less paper in all classrooms. This would save billions of pieces of paper throughout the country. A long with the paper it would decrease the number of printed textbooks in a classroom. This would mean no more outdated textbooks in classrooms, but the most up-to-date information for students an almost any given topic. Smith continues talking about other benefits such as how easily accessible education can become. As students get older they may find themselves having to dropout of school because they do not have the time, finances, or health to stay in school. Nowadays with online schools it is possible for individuals to obtain a degree while maintaining full-time jobs, because of their new flexible school schedule. These virtual schools can also maintain a student focused because they are not forced to sit at a desk for a certain amount of time, but can adjust their learning time to their own attention span. And although the student may not be physically present in a classroom, there is still a teacher at their disposal as well who can help facilitate their education and make sure they are progressing at a beneficial pace for the student.