Parents and Educational Technology

Despite the increasing use of technology in education, many parents are fearful of technology's role in their children's lives. They do not understand its advantages and rather see technology as a means of distraction away from academics. The biggest issue with this reasoning is that most parents are not aware of appropriate uses of technology in their children's education and also don't realized that technology can enhance the parent's role in being an active participant in his or her child's schooling.

This article mentions the reasons why technology is so important and how it is used to enhance a student's learning in the present day. An increasing number of schools are using methods like the "flipped classroom," requiring students to know how to use technology to learn at home, while the classroom is used as a setting for exploration rather than didactics. There are also so many apps children can use to teach themselves or assess themselves on topics in which they need more practice. Most importantly, as children grow, they will be required to be facile with technology as a member of the 21st century workforce.

This other article gives tips for parents to learn about the new technology. For example, the student can play "show-and-tell" with their parents to explain a technology to them. The parents can also Google the technology to learn about it.

Finally, this website can give parents examples and ideas of how to use technology to be a part of their child's education. Teachers and parents can keep in touch through blogs, websites, and even email. Parents can download apps to monitor their children's grades. Lastly, parents can do video conferencing or participate in live chats with the teachers.

I hope these resources help any scared parents out there realize that while technology can have its pitfalls, when used appropriately, it can greatly enhance a child's learning and a parent's role in it.