Technology is growing across the world and “technology should be a tool for teaching an entire classroom” (22) not just used to produce work. The article “Revolution in Teaching and Learning,” by Carole Eaton from T.H.E. Journal (August, 2005) presents a heartening perspective on how new technology can support teachers, students, and faculty in learning and achieving their goals. My response to this article shows that technology can be a tool for teaching and how technology can change learning.

The article “Revolution in Teaching and Learning,” by Carole Eaton from T.H.E. Journal (August, 2005) presents an encouraging perspective on how new technology can assist teachers, students, and faculty in learning and achieving their goals. One of <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ohio</st1:place></st1:State>’s low performing Title I schools improved 124 percent on the state reading test with the assistance of new technology.  Eaton discusses the process before, during, and after the technology change in the Fairmount Park Elementary School. The entire elementary faculty went through intensive training to learn how to integrate technology into the everyday curriculum while still teaching the standards.  With the support of the entire well-informed faculty, the students improved greatly.

I hope that every school is provided with the supporting technology like Fairmount Park Elementary School has been. One statement Eaton provided was that they didn’t want the teachers to change the way they taught, just to teach using another layer of tools (p. 22).  I felt that took stress off of teachers and helped to get the teacher buy-in. “We pulled all the teachers from a single grade together for two days of training, which allowed us to focus on the specific content for that grade” (p. 22). I was very impressed with the training staff because they trained the teachers in their grade subject. Each teacher has specific examples on how to use the technology with the grade they teach. For the teachers to have those specific examples, helped greatly to be comfortable with the new technology they were provided with. My favorite part of the article was when Eaton described an actual example of a lesson. The explanation of the phonics lesson on the silent “e” with the new technology including the songs and interactive ways of learning made me want to teach that lesson to my future students. I want to see and learn the program to incorporate it into my future lesson plans. The article states four criteria for technology integration: Standards incorporation, Curriculum alignment, Whole-Class Instruction, and Adaptive, Engaging Content. Adaptive, Engaging Content is very important. Adapting the lesson to all types of learners is essential in order for each student to learn to the best of their ability. Having engaging content included in the technology lesson is significant so students will want to learn. “Technology should be a tool for teaching an entire classroom” (22). Not only should the technology lessons adapt and engage every student, technology should be able to be formed to focus on all subjects and topics in school, instead of just learning about computers in lab. Technology interests me greatly, and I intend on using technology in my future classroom. Technology improves learning, it’s one way to teach to all types of learners, and it can be adapted to all subjects and topics in school along with teaching the standards.

I believe that every teacher and school should have this type of technology and be able to utilize it in everyday lesson plans. I am just as stunned as the author about the improvement the students made with the help of new technology. I am also impressed with the teachers and faculty on how they overcame their fears of technology and incorporated technology in their everyday lessons. In this information age, technology is becoming more and more important. It is essential for teachers to incorporate a variety of technology in everyday lessons. I believe that teachers of every school and every grade should incorporate technology into their lessons because the improvement from this <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ohio</st1:place></st1:State> school is sheer proof that technology can change the way of learning.

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