As the times change, so must an educator's style of teaching. Computer technology can play a large role in this change. There are many reasons and ways schools can introduce this technology into their curriculum. There will be three of these reasons and ways discussed in the following pages.
In today's society, many people believe it is time for school reform. The problem is employers are concerned that high school graduates do not have the necessary skills to be successful at a job when they graduate. Some researchers say that these reform efforts need to focus on the root causes of school problems (International). According to a California study by Paplin and Weeres in 1992, students and teachers saw little meaning in what they were asked to study. Students also wanted more activities and more opportunities to share ideas with classmates. This is not to say the basic skills are not important, but schools are not venturing much beyond the basic skills in providing a school-to-work transition. Before graduates can begin working they need to master foundation skills and competences. The three foundation skills are basic skills, thinking skills, and personal qualities. The competencies describe what people actually do at work and they include: resources, interpersonal skills, information skills, system skills, and technology utilization skills. Using these thinking skills is the alternative practice to the traditional rote memorization practice. This is the basic thought of the Constructivism theory. It basically says that, a teacher will encourage interaction between students" existing knowledge and new experiences. There are several different instructional practices associated with this theory and technologies can provide the vehicle for accomplishing them. They allow the leaner to use it for representation and expression of what they know. Learners of any age or culture can use the tools for analyzing the world, accessing information, and interpreting and organizing personal knowledge.
