With the vast and rapid development of science and technology, a computer is no longer considered as a source of luxury but it’s a requirement of the modern days. Computer technology has provided students of all ages the chance and opportunity to expand on what interests they have.

It also provides them help in improvement of their homework and test scores. The computers can offer newer ways of getting information across to their fellow students and teachers for example, PowerPoint presentations and animation software can be used to render information to the students in an interactive manner. The visual effects provided by the animation and presentation software result in inviting greater interest from the students.

The book Teachers and Machines by Larry Cuban provides an excellent history of technology throughout the 20th century in the classroom. The technology he discusses is from film, radio and television and then goes into the introduction of computers in the early 1980’s. In the 1980s teachers were afraid that their jobs were on the line because they thought they were all going to be replaced with computers.

It is important to use technology in schools, technology is made to simplify the way we do things, and so both students and teachers can benefit from the integration of technology in schools. This has been the case for years and a number of inventions have helped both student and teacher. For example, when the projector was introduced to school it was a huge success, for instance, class plans and notes can be prepared easier and thoroughly before a lesson. In addition, there have been many who believe that the overhead projector saves time and is easier to use than a chalkboard. For example, writing material on the chalkboard over a period of time tires the arm. Furthermore, the device allows the instructor to face the class, which helps facilitate classroom discussion and communication. The instructor can see over the whole classroom while using the overhead projector.

However, the chalkboard still serves its purpose in schools everywhere. Chalkboards had an impact on teaching and learning styles. Writing on a vertical surface is very important for fine motor development. It works out the developing muscles in the arm and wrist that are used for writing on chalkboards. Some teachers believe children learn to write neater in the chalk because of the friction with the board, compared to using slippery marker on a glossy whiteboard. The chalkboard is effective for self-pacing; the information remains visible and can be used later in the class. It allows flexibility and can be used to develop students drawing skills.

There is a more modern take on a blackboard in the form of an interactive white board, which looks like a regular whiteboard but uses wireless touch technology. It connects to a computer so teachers can become more and more creative with their lesson plans. This interactive board projects in front of a classroom so the children are able to see, touch and interact with the board. Since the interactive white board teachers are able to brainstorm, play games, click & drag activities, and interactive PowerPoint presentations. This invention has been exceptional because it has changed and revolutionised the way students learn.
A typewriter is defined as a mechanical or electromechanical device with a set of keys that when pressed cause characters to be printed on paper. The first typewriter was invented in 1876 by Christopher Sholes, Carlos Gidden, and Samaual Soule. The typewriter was mainly created so that writing long documents wouldn’t take as much time. Though the typewriter was very helpful in that time period there was still some difficulties. Since the keys were made out of metal at times the keys would get stuck, also if you made a mistake then you would have to start all over again.

There has always been emerging technology in the classroom and most of the time something better can almost always come along. Even in today’s technological dependant world there is always the next best product and emerging technology makes the classroom ever changing. For example Cloud computing helps students and educators collaborate online making it easier for deadlines to be met and work to be given in, a big attraction of Cloud computing is that it saves schools money and resources.

Virtual libraries are something that did not existed 15 years ago. This makes information more accessible for everyone for example, distance learners access the same journals as campus students from anywhere in the world. Students quickly build up their own virtual libraries of thousands of journal articles, just as mobile as any e-text. Renaming these files as closely as possible to the required bibliographic format, and cataloguing them, keeps them organized, accessible, and easy to cite in papers.

Talk about new tech next make the link between what Cuban thought about new tech also.

How do computers facilitate learning?

Before the arrival of microcomputers in the 1980s, mainframe computers were used to deliver drill and practice and simple tutorials for teaching students lessons. When microcomputers began populating classrooms, the natural inclination was to use them in the same way. A 1983 national survey of computer uses showed that drill and practice was the most common use of microcomputers (Becker, 1985).

Later on in the 1980s, teachers began to understand the importance and productivity of computers. The growing popularity of word processing, databases, spreadsheets, graphics programs, and desktop publishing was also enabling businesses to become more productive. With the development of computer technology and the eruption of the internet during the mid-1990s the nature of educational computing changed for ever. The communication tools like email and computer conferences that were not very often used are now a part of everyday life and have dominated the role of technologies in the classroom since.

The internet and computers provides rich and flexible information and media for representing what students know and what they learn. A great deal of research on computers and other technologies has shown that they are no more effective at teaching students than teachers. Studies show that when students learn within a classroom with electronic whiteboards, students are more engaged, more motivated and much more excited to do work. Technology like the whiteboard doesn’t just benefit the students, but the teachers also and it enables them to prepare dynamic multi-media lessons with hands-on components.