Technology has helped to expand the scope and depth of education across borders. Educational technology has enabled students to access more information and connect with more people than ever before. Learning can now be more individualized and students can access resources that will enable them to drive their own learning.

Computer aided instruction, or e-learning, can be used in and out of the classroom. Distance learning, computer-based training, and social networking tools are just a few examples. The immediate responsiveness of computer based programs, and the self-paced, private learning environment can help increase student motivation and inspire students to make connections with others who students who share similar interests. Entire classes can participate in video... (more)

Technology has helped to expand the scope and depth of education across borders. Educational technology has enabled students to access more information and connect with more people than ever before. Learning can now be more individualized and students can access resources that will enable them to drive their own learning.

Computer aided instruction, or e-learning, can be used in and out of the classroom. Distance learning, computer-based training, and social networking tools are just a few examples. The immediate responsiveness of computer based programs, and the self-paced, private learning environment can help increase student motivation and inspire students to make connections with others who students who share similar interests. Entire classes can participate in video conferences through the use of multimedia technology. Tools like TIGed can help classrooms around the world collaborate and work on projects together. Implementing such tools in the classroom aids in addressing the pressing need for today’s youth to be more aware of their global environment.

Educational technology has also served to support students who were once taken out of the classroom to receive individualized learning services. The need to accommodate students out of the classroom can be reduced as some tools can be employed directly in the classroom. Word processors for students with motor deficits and portable dictating machines for students with memory deficits are just two examples. Educational technology has accommodated students with severe physical disabilities in public schools. Computers can monitor eye gaze, detect a blink of an eye, respond to student breathing, and respond accordingly, thus allowing students to participate in classroom activities alongside their classmates.

The use of technology inside the classroom, however, has not always been greeted with optimism. While some educators highlight the significance of human interaction when introducing new concepts to pupils, others view technology as simply another medium - much like television and radio - through which traditional schooling can manifest its teachings.

No matter how one perceives the role of technology in the classroom (i.e. whether a mere tool, or an important medium), one fact remains clear: the ultimate value of the latest information communication technologies inside the classroom has been in its capacity to make available information in the hands of both students and educators in a matter incomprehensible to past generations. (wiki)