From Ali Hassan’s Blog:
Technology Integration is a Growth process
The word Integration has a variety of meanings attached to it but if we add ‘Technology’ before the word ‘Integration’ it means we are trying to find better ways of using technology for meaningful development.
Before we start discussing Technology Integration, we must have to find out the definition of Technology Integration and the shortest definition of Technology Integration is “it is a growth process”.
Technology has not only making our life easy but it also helps us to carryout things in interactive manners.
Instead of asking, “Do we have computers in our schools?” we need to ask some productive questions like: “How are technologies helping us to understand the learning process helping our students to enhance their learning abilities and preparing them to face the world outside the school?”
There are many types of technologies which we are using but some of the effective technologies are Interactive multimedia and telecommunication technologies which can be used as powerful tools for learning and educational improvement. Students are always keen learners and good observers, they love to play with different technological tools; they have the curiosity to explore things in a broader perspective using technology.
Technology does not happen by itself. Rather people make choices about what should be integrated with what and for which purpose. [ Marco Iansiti ]
Our Teachers are more focused towards classroom teaching, rather than integration. They need to focus on how to use technological tools which can be helpful in teaching and enhancing our students learning.
Generelly, People think that technology itegration means using computers in computer lab for documentation and spreadsheets this is not the case. Technology integration is in fact something beyond the classroom.
Internet based research, producing educational movies, bringing out creative magazines and engaging in meaningful discussion using blogs and forums are some of the tools of integration.
Written by Ali Hassan.
(Published in Quest [A Quarterly Publication of the Aga Khan Education Service, Pakistan] in July to September 2007 Issue)
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