Instructional Technology Paper

Running head: INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY PLAN

University of Phoenix

EDD 520: Critical Issues in Education

Sheryl Bunn

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Technology can be defined as “the relationship that society has with its tools and crafts, and to what extent society can control its environment” (Wikipedia, 2008). Technology has increasingly become part of the social and academic lives of virtually everyone across the globe (Lacina, 2008). Instructional strategies and the overall student learning environment can greatly benefit through the use of different technological programs, devices and applications. In order for technology to be successful it must be implemented as a tool to enhance the learning environment, and should not be used as a sole method for instruction. While many schools are prohibiting certain electronic devices such as portable media players such as the iPod, and other MP3 devices and cell phones, it is impossible to verify that every single student comes to school without an electronic device every day. Technology is going to part of our society for years to come, and it is only going to expand. Teachers and school administrators need discover innovative techniques to incorporate technology by using different electronic devices into classrooms, and capitalize on existing technological programs. Educators should want to make learning as enjoyable as possible for their students and for themselves. On October 23, 2001 the Apple Corporation launched a portable media player (MP3) called the iPod (Wikipedia, 2008). The iPod is used to transfer music, photos, videos, games, contact information, e-mail messages, Internet bookmarks, and calendars to models supporting these features (Wikipedia, 2008). Unfortunately, the iPod and other similar devices have been banned in many schools because of cheating concerns. However, cheating has been an issue in our schools long before the iPod was invented and by combating electronic devices such as the...