Summary



Summary:   In conclusion, students need to be able to combine knowledge with technology in order to be successful in the workplace and in higher education. They need to possess the skills and knowledge needed to use technology in creative, problem solving, and innovative, and inventive ways. Students desire opportunities to be creative. The technology used within the physical education and social studies/geography areas are supported by burnable DVD's, presentation technology, wikis, and innovative websites such as Explore Learning and National Atlas. Techology used in the History classroom can expose students to experiences that would normally be prohibitive but are now made possible through virtual field trip experiences. Technology can be the tools used to create art, like paint or brushes.  Other lessons and subjects can be supported with Window Movie Makers, Audio Power Point, Audacity, and Wikispaces. According to Jason Ohler in The 4th R,  our culture is evolving from a “text-centric way of communicating” to exchanging information and contacts filled with pictures, diagrams, sound, and movement. Teachers need to respond to this evolution not only with providing instruction and opportunity to use technology but also provide students with instructions in designing skills, graphic literacy skills, and skills that consist of putting pictures and words together in new forms. “When students make a movie, they learn so much more than the content of the film,” says Fuglestad. Technology is important in every classroom. It can increase problem-solving, critical thinking, and creative thinking skills. Technology can be molded and assimilated by the student or teacher in ways that are best for the individual. One can learn in a specific, individualized manner. The student becomes more involved with his own learning, take ownership of it, and learns content and concepts in deeper ways. Including technology in education becomes a more effective way to teach and enhances the learning experience.

The computer and digital devices have become our means, our tools, for today's communication. Because communication is now digital, a student needs to know how to express his thoughts and feelings through technology. He can learn these skills in art class. A student can learn how to communicate with graphics for online literacy, so he can communicate in today’s society. The art class is where a student can learn the aesthetics of technology and in the process find his expression. Technology can be used as a tool to enhance learning, explore culture, and foster self-esteem through visual stimulation in the arts resulting in increased productivity and encouraged creativity. Gronseth’s article states that LiPira is aware that, “Technological literacy has been linked to academic success and employment.” Students from all cultural backgrounds can benefit from from these same methods. Skills including interpretation, prediction, evidentiary support, and more can be taught and fostered in the arts with software and other forms of technology. Students need to be able to work together and communicate using technology. They also need to increse their awareness of and ability to utilize learning networks for personal improvement fo skills. “Web 2.0 technologies have allowed us to work far beyond the borders of our classroom walls and collaborate with schools from around the world,” says David Gran.  A Math teacher (8th grade) in Woodstown Middle School in Woodstown, New Jersey discovered that his students were involved more when they have opportunity to visually show their work and compare it to the work of other students in their class or students in other classes. 

Research has supported the activities, standards, and technology through the Presidents Challenge information and MSPnet. Technology is only as powerful as the educators that incorporate it into their classrooms for geography and physical education. "Don't simply measure whether students can fill in a bubble on a test but whether they possess 21st century skills like problem-solving and critical thinking, entrepreneurship and creativity." - President Obama speaking on the cradle to career campaign. 



 **“The current and future health of America’s 21st Century Economy depends directly on how broadly and deeply Americans reach a new level of literacy—‘21st Century Literacy’—that includes strong academic skills, thinking, reasoning, teamwork skills, and proficiency in using technology.”**  <span style="display: block; color: #800000; font-family: Georgia, serif; text-align: center;">-21st Century Workforce Commission National Alliance of Business [|http://www.metiri.com]

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