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The authors of this position paper describe the current and potential uses of new technologies in the classroom. Mobile, wireless devices such as global positioning systems, tablets, and cell phones are changing instruction and learning. Many of these tools provide constant access to Internet resources, which allows extensive communication and collaboration. The authors share ways educators can utilize new technologies such as the iPod and iPad.
"If we teach today's students as we taught yesterday's, we rob them of tomorrow"
John Dewey (1944, p. 167)
New technologies are changing the way educators think about education and literacy. The U.S. Department of Education has provided a national educational technology plan (20 10), titled Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology. The authors of this plan recommend applying the advanced technologies for personal and professional use to instruction and pedagogy to improve student learning. Although schools and universities are investing in technologies such as the iPad tablet, educators are struggling to keep pace with the speed of technological development and demand (Samuels & Farstrup, 2011). Many students have access to technologies at home or at school, especially in the form of mobile technology. Educators can utilize this technology so that academic learning translates to real-world applications. Students can keep an agenda on their phones or iPods, read books on their smart phones, and utilize mobile resources such as a dictionary, calculator, or camera. Students can use phones or other technology to take pictures of the classroom agenda or the teachers notes on the board.
Although the technology is readily available, teachers may not be successfully integrating technology into classroom practices. We encourage educators to integrate new technologies into classroom instruction by providing opportunities for students to utilize technology. We present an overview of educational transformations taking place and describe innovative ways to integrate new technologies, specifically the iPod and iPad.
Literacy
Digital literacies were labeled hot topics for reading education in 2010 (Cassidy & Cassidy, 2009). Biancarosa and Snow (2006) reported, "Literacy demands have increased and changed as the technological capabilities of our society have expanded and been made widely available; concomitantly, the need for flexible, self-regulated individuals who can respond to rapidly changing contexts has also increased" (p. 9). In addition, communication is increasingly digital,...