Technology Integration in K12 Education in Taiwan and the United States

Taiwan has earned a reputation for being one of the leading countries with advanced technology industries. High tech gadgets and devices are affordably available all over the country. Technology has simply fascinated the population. But is this technology being integrated in the classrooms? Are high tech gadgets and computer based technology (Computer Based Technology) being harnessed effectively for classroom use?

In a study made by Yi-Wen Hung and Ying-Shao Hs of the National Taiwan University in 2007 entitled "Examining Teachers' CBT Use in the Classroom: A Study in Secondary schools in Taiwan", it was found out that most Taiwanese teachers are using computers a lot but mainly for accessing the internet, writing documents, sending emails but hardly for teaching related tasks except for grading.

Similarly, in the United States, a study made by National Center for Educational Statistics in 2009 revealed that while 97% of teachers surveyed have access to computers in the classroom, most of them (66%) use it for research.

There are teachers who even believe that students spend more time with high tech gadgets such as iPods, wii and ps3 which they believe are distracting their from traditional books.

Vision Of Secondary Education In 2015 - Tech Literacy

As our society becomes more technologically oriented, our world continues to "shrink". We have global access to all varieties of information with the click of a "mouse". Because of this phenomena called the Technology Age, my vision for the future is technology-based education. In order for this to work, there needs to be appropriate application supporting curriculum-based objectives. I vision a strong emphasis on student creativity and expression of ideas in multiple formats with different points of entry into a project for students working at different ability levels.

Secondary students (as well as elementary and junior high students) spend hours online every day and are web literate. However, when it comes to accessing resources for research papers, school projects, test preparation and college and career planning, these same students need to be guided to the best web sites for appropriate learning. These web sites need to be quickly located while supporting independent learning and thinking, research, and technologically sound educational practices. In addition students need an opportunity to collaborate with each other. What could be more exciting than global interaction...learning first hand from another student what life, culture, food (to name a few) is like on the other side of the globe.