Communication is known to many as the activity of conveying information through the exchange of thought, message, information, speech, visual, signal, writing, or behavior. It is also a significant exchange of information between two people or a group of individuals. With the growing use of technology, communication now occurs at a rate of high speed in a way that many people applaud and is being used in many different forums that would have been unheard off 5 to 10 years ago.
When reading, Twitter Goes To College, (Miners, 2009); I believe the message being expressed is that in today’s generation social networks, media devices, and use of the internet are all types of “today” communication technology which plays a huge positive role in education. Technology can be a powerful tool for achieving educational goals, simply because technology enables new approaches to teaching and learning for both the student and the teacher.A majority of college students engage in social networks such as Twitter and Facebook for educational benefits and entertainment. Twitter and Facebook usefulness depends on how the user engages in these social networks.
Twitter is known for sharing information with other individuals who share the same interest, and a “growing number of professors are embracing it as away to introduce students to a different kind of communication” (Miners, 2009).Professors also realized that communicating through Twitter keeps students engaged in course content in and outside the university, and keeps them current with real world event alerts or issues that are relevant to the course. No one is ever too old or experienced to still learn in today’s society and professors even use Twitter to find answers to teaching questions. Media devices are also a powerful tool in achieving educational goals. Devices such as computers, phones and tablets are a gateway to education because these technical devices improve and advance every day.For example, the latest phone that has been available on the market is the new iphone 5 accompanied by Siri.
Siri is a personal assistant on the iphone that responds to words that an owner may speak or a request that may be typed. In other words Siri lets you ask your phone anything and gives you an immediate response within seconds. Siri can answer obscure questions faster than most teachers can. Today it’s Siri; tomorrow it’s an even smarter phone or tablet that could take digital learning to the next level.In this situation, I believe technology is beneficial in education in education, at least at the college level.
Another powerful tool in achieving educational goals is the use of the internet. Some students, as young as 5, attend schools where they are taught how to use computers. They develop technological skills that they would need to function effectively in society. As we age and go on in life we may find it difficult to attend lectures in the classroom and so we stay home and take distance education classes online.Information not provided within the book or from the teacher, can be found by utilizing online sources. Communication is a wonderful way to share knowledge, information and contact with one another but upgrade communication with technology! It can be a powerful tool for achieving educational goals.
Technology facilitates new ideas to teaching and learning and brings the outside world into the classroom in a manner that was at one time not possible.
