The Importance Of Educational Technology In Teaching

The Uses of Educational technology 

• Technology as a tutor (computer gives instructions and guides the user), 
• Technology as a teaching tool and 
• Technology as a learning tool. 

When using educational technology we should be primarily focused on the educational value of the tools and applications we use, how adequate they are in the acquisition of knowledge, whether there is an interaction between users and tools, and if we have positive effects in using them(Clements and Sarama, 2003; Glaubke 2007;Dynarski et al. 2007) . A number of authors suggest that we should focus on five areas of software programs that have the potential to strongly influence children’s learning experience: 

1. The educational value of the program, 
2. Its ability to engage children in learning, 
3. Ease of use, 
4. Interactivity between the child and programs, 
5. The possibility that a software program monitors the progress of the child. 

With the development of information and communication technology, especially 
computers, a number of researchers were trying to see the benefits and the effect of their use compared to older traditional learning(Morrison et al 2010). For many years, we tried to give answers to the question of advantages and disadvantages between traditional and modern teaching where the prevailing educational technology. The period from 1967 To 1972 is considered to be a period of consolidation of educational technology, which has become the most commonly used term in the science of pedagogy and the educational process.  

With the application of educational technology, students can independently progress in mastering teaching materials, to choose the pace of work, to repeat the material that is not sufficiently clear, that after tests performed immediately get results and track their progress. Interactive, multimedia content provides a great advantage of modern learning over traditional learning(Clark R 1983). With the application of educational technology we get feedback between the teacher and the student. Among the first studies on the comparison of the traditional and modern ways with the help of educational technologies research was Clark Richard. He tried to compare research between lectures and computer guidance and instruction to determine which the better way of learning is. He came to the conclusion that they are both effective depending on the ways they are used.  

The same conclusion came by other authors and that is that there are some major differences in the use of educational technology and traditional teaching(Dynarski et al. 2007; Kulik, 2003). On the other hand, research at the Center for Educational Research in Pittsburgh within Individually Prescribed Instruction showed that computers are better tailored to the individual abilities of students, rather than teachers themselves. Educational technology must inevitably be integrated into classrooms and curriculum. With the advent of educational technology in the classroom teacher, education is faced with the challenge that teachers integrate educational technology in their daily work. Numerous studies have shown that a small number of teachers is willing to integrate educational technology in their teaching activities. The reason is that there are two categories of teachers in the understanding of educational technology. Some of them have thorough understanding of modern technical appliances. 

Conclusion 

    The presence of educational technology is growing in the classroom. The new generation of kids come ready to work with these new technologies, which play an important role in 
children’s learning and acquiring various cognitive knowledge so that educational technology must be incorporated into future curricula. The application of educational technology 
enhances skills and cognitive characteristics. With the help of new technology comes an explosion of learning and receiving new information, especially on mobile devices. 

 Teachers have been using new technologies in the classroom. However, the development and application of new technologies grows as a measure that is the question of whether teachers are trained to keep up with them. Here we have two problems. Are the teachers have the ability to use educational technology and whether the school is sufficiently equipped with all modern technical means? Numerous studies were carried out, some are still ongoing, but we have to find the right strategies to apply educational technology in teaching.