Here at North Carolina Wesleyan College we need to integrate more technology into the classrooms, in order to better prepare students for the new millennium. There are many things the staff could do. .
One way to go about this would be to have at least one computer in every classroom. This would allow us instant access to tons of information. If we have a question that no one knew then we could simply look it up on the Internet. This world is becoming more advanced with all the new technology. By the students having access to a computer will keep us up to date with the latest technology. .
Many people are worried about computers taking over the teacher's jobs. It should not take over; we should just use it to aid us in our learning. Some schools have gone to on-line classes. These are classes that you take over the Internet. Everything is on your computer. This can help our computer skills tremendously. The web environment presents a number of educational opportunities over traditional classes. For example, many informational resources can be integrated in to the class. The instructor can assign web pages as required reading, or have students do research papers using online databases. Also, some instructors had guests in their on-line classes. The teacher could get an author, or an expert in their field to participate in an on-line discussion. The catch is that the guest is not anywhere near the class. They could be all the way across the world, and be involved in an in-depth discussion with a class here at Wesleyan. The emphasis in the written word encourages a deeper level of thinking in on-line classes. It is much easier to remember what was said if you have to type it. (The journal).
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There are many flaws to distance education as well. The first is that it requires a considerable amount of time to design, and develop an on-line class. The teacher must shift from provider to facilitator.