Teacher's Role in the use of Technology

Teacher's role is no longer only the use of chalk and paper:

The teacher is no longer the center of attention as a dispenser of information, but rather plays the role of facilitator, setting project goals and providing guidance and resources, moving from student to student or group to group, providing suggestions and supports for student activity.

On the other hand, the educational goals and vision of learning through technology have been determined, it is important to provide professional development to teachers to help them choose the appropriate technologies and instructional strategies to meet these goals. Students cannot be expected to benefit from technology if their teachers are not comfortable with it. Teachers need to be supported in their efforts to use technology.

According to the Development Foundation, teachers who had received professional development with computers during the last six years were more likely to use computers in effective ways than those who had not participated in such training. The ongoing professional development is necessary to help teachers learn not only how to use new technology, but also how to provide meaningful instruction and activities using technology in the classroom (Fulton, 2007).

This writer thinks that the evidence shows that technology has enormous benefits for all our learners. But, the preliminary evidence is that it seems to have special benefits for those learners who are behind academically, for the students who are under-challenged and are less motivated, students with less parental involvement in their education and for parents and students in a single parental environment.