Technology in the Classroom: The Complete Guide



There has always been technology in the classroom, even if it hasn’t always been welcome. Take a brief look at the history of technology’s uneasy relationship with education. Then see some common modern additions to the classroom ranging from computers to smartphones. Then you won’t want to miss the advantages (and disadvantages) to modern EdTech. However, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages, so we also provide a simplified implementation guide. 
Continue reading to learn everything you always wanted to know about technology in the classroom. 

There has always been technology in the classroom. From books to tablets or slates to interactive whiteboards, humans have used learning tools for as long as we have had formal education. 

And while the technology itself changes, some things remain the same. Teachers teach, learners learn, and everyone is uncertain about the latest tech’s role in education. Luckily, we have put together this guide for you to see a more complete picture of how technology fits into the 21st-century classroom. 

A Brief History of Technology in the Classroom

Technology has always had an uneasy relationship with education.

There was a time when the only available method of storing information was in people’s memories. Learners would memorize what their elders said. Scholars would have long dialogs, which learners would also have to memorize. Information was passed down through oral traditions of songs, stories, or memorized lectures. This was education without any technology. 

Then books showed up on the scene. Books allowed people to store knowledge externally without having to remember every fact. They were a permanent record of known information that could be passed down intact. It was a breakthrough in the storage and transmission of information, so naturally, people hated it. 

Socrates famously criticized books (and writing in general) as a weakness saying to Plato, “This discovery of yours will create forgetfulness in the learners’ souls because they will not use their memories.” Of course, we know this because Plato wrote it down. 

And so began a long history of the old guard resisting the latest technology in education. Each time new technology is introduced to schools and students, it’s the same story. Those educators who are set in their ways resist. Then they are overtaken by the younger generation trying out new things, finding the ones that work, and then implementing their new methods until something newer comes along. Rinse and repeat throughout the history of education.

  • late 1700s – The slate provides students with a portable, personal writing surface.
  • 1890s – The chalkboard appeared in classrooms, allowing larger class sizes.
  • 1900s – Mass-produced pencils and paper allowed students to have permanent written records of their work.
  • 1920s – Radio’s popularity leads to on-air classes.
  • 1930s – Overhead projectors adopted.
  • 1951 – Videotapes allow for audio and visual content.
  • 1959 – Photocopiers allowed schools to mass-produce printed materials on site.
  • 1980s – Personal computers are available to the average consumer.
  • 1990 – The Internet brings about unprecedented access to information.
  • 1991 – Interactive whiteboards become available.
  • 2005 – Learning Management System (LMS) takes off as a viable teaching tool.
  • 2012 – The iPad brings tablets into public perception.

Types of Technology in the Classroom

While interesting, the history of EdTech probably doesn’t help your students very much in the here and now. What technology is available in the modern classroom? And what is it doing for education?

Computers

Both desktops and laptops continue to have places in modern classrooms. At many schools, laptops are issued to students to use throughout the school year. In general lessons, laptops are used primarily for note-taking, writing, and independent research. Depending on the material being presented, computers also present an opportunity for adding more media to lessons, gamification, and connectivity with either classmates or instructors.


More powerful desktops are usually saved for computer-specific courses and computer labs, but they also have their place in the classroom. (A desktop is often part of a resource center for younger grades where it’s not yet appropriate for each student to have their own laptop.)

But while computers have value in the classroom, it’s important to note that they have limitations. For example, research suggests that taking notes by hand may be more effective than typing (though this is not yet definitive). And then there’s the potential for distraction in Internet-enabled laptops, but this could probably be said about windows on sunny days as well. 

The bottom line is that computers are commonly found in classrooms, and they are likely to remain in one form or another.

Projectors

Projectors have been used in classrooms in one form or another for well over 100 years. The modern classroom projector has come a long way from its single-slide ancestor, however. 

In the classroom, a projector acts primarily as a display. (There are certainly interactive projectors, but those are covered more in the next section on interactive whiteboards.) And display data needs to come from somewhere, so most projectors will be paired with a computer or other device. Even smart projectors won’t be able to do much more than playing a video or slideshow without streaming from another device.

As an established classroom technology, projectors are popular for their relative simplicity, low cost to purchase, and their ability to project to very large screens. With the advent of lamp-free projectors, there is less maintenance and fewer calibration issues than older models. However, there are still issues with shadows and glare, and projectors don’t work as well in brightly lit classrooms. 

Does a projector sound like a good fit for your classroom? You may want to check this out: What to Look for When Purchasing an Education Projector

Interactive Whiteboards

Interactive whiteboards (IWBs) are also sometimes called interactive displays or even digital whiteboards. As a catch-all term, an IWB is any display that also responds real-time to actions on its surface, allowing it to act as a whiteboard. This includes both projector-based interactive displays or interactive flat-panel displays (like ViewBoard). 


Due to their versatility, there is a global shift towards IWBs that is picking up momentum, especially interactive touch screen displays. The technology blends the best of multimedia and touch technologies with the familiar functions of a regular whiteboard. Therefore a teacher can show a video or search the Internet live, annotate the content, and then even share with students via their devices. 

But despite the ever-growing list of features available for IWBs, there are still a few challenges ahead. They are certainly more expensive than an analog whiteboard, and it still requires extra effort to produce content for them. These tend to be the challenges for any new technology, however, and as interactive whiteboards become more accessible they will continue to grow in popularity. 

Tablets

More portable than even laptops but with large viewing screens, tablets seem to be custom-made for education. They are very powerful research tools and may serve as a replacement for heavy, expensive textbooks. Their touch screens also allow students to interact with digital content more intuitively than with a keyboard and mouse or trackpad. 

Final Thoughts on Technology in the Classroom

Though technology in the classroom will never replace teachers, it is a valuable tool for improving learning outcomes and preparing students for a digital future. Like every advance in learning technology, there are fierce critics of adding more advanced EdTech into our schools. And their concerns are not entirely out of place, as there are still major challenges ahead as we attempt to better integrate modern connectivity to places of learning. 

But the benefits of updating our classrooms with modern resources definitely outweigh the disadvantages. Technological solutions solve far more problems than they create. Between improved engagement, broader appeal to more students, and preparing learners for a digital future, it’s clear that more classrooms need to take advantage of EdTech solutions. 

Want to read more about solutions for your classroom? Here’s a good primer: How to Build a Modern School – 6 Key Elements to Embed in Your Groundwork. Or go straight to ViewSonic’s education solutions to find out what we do for teachers and learners.



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