Education for me is a tool with which individuals are equipped in order to survive

and sustain their lives and well-being. It enhances the ability to learn and impart that knowledge
to others for their development. Education does not serve a single purpose; it serves multiple
objectives that can be either general or personal where great emphasis is placed on the diverse
economic, social, spiritual, cultural and political realities of individuals lives.
Technology is one of the most important aspects of todays society as it plays several vital
roles in our daily lives. Technology is becoming the instrument from which teaching and learning
operates in our educational environment and also the device that we use to carry out our daily
activities and transactions. Technology is defined by the website dictionary reference .com, as
the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their
interrelation with life, society, and the environment. John Dewey stated that if we teach today as
we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow. This means that teachers must always
upgrade their teaching styles and strategies as it applies to the teaching and learning process.
Research has shown that many of our youths are illiterate because of the lack of resources in the
teaching and learning process. If students are provided with the right resources and also with the
right technological tools that cater to their needs, then their interest and participation will be
improved. With the integration of technology within the learning process, students motivation
for learning will increase as it makes them more comfortable within the learning environment as
they will now be able to interact more with the learning material that will enhance the students
interest and participation and improve it over time through continuous practice. It will improve
communication of learning goals, facilitate higher order thinking skills, build valuable skills that
students will use in college and in the workplace and expand students understanding from
novice to mastery within the teaching and learning process. Students still learn the same way that

they always have by comparing new information with previously acquired knowledge and skills.
However, students today have different preferences for how information is presented, based on
their experiences with computer technology. What is different in the learning process is the array
of tools available to the learner. Computer technology automates previously laborious processes,
allowing students to focus on developing higher order thinking skills. It also makes an
unprecedented number of information resources available to students, often making for a more
circuitous path to learning. Therefore, integrated technology can improve student interest and
participation since they will be provided with a variety of technological tools in their learning
process as these technologies allow students to actively engage in the lesson, participate in
groups, frequent interaction and feedback and also connect students to real-world experts. The
use of integrated technology in schools will create an instructional environment that will
facilitate active engagement which will verify and meet the needs of students learning. This will
also facilitate collaborative problem solving and also improve students interest and participation
by providing students with authentic learning environments.
It is my belief that technology should be used in the education process because it helps to
facilitate the changes of the time, it is of interest to the children, it caters to the different learning
styles of children, it gives children graphic information for a better understanding, it provides
reinforcement for children and it enhances integration. Todays students are exposed to
technology in one way or the other as such they are described as digital natives. In order to seem
relevant to these digital natives we have to change our traditional teaching methodology. There
are different technology tools and mediums that can be employed to reach these digital natives
such as: multimedia, projector, speakers, charts, blogs, educational websites, and overhead
projector, games consoles for stimulations, smart toys and handheld devices. Curriculum

integration with the use of technology involves the infusion of technology as a tool to enhance
the learning in a content area or a multidisciplinary setting. Technology enables students to learn
in ways not previously possible. Effective integration of technology is achieved when students
are able to select technology tools to help them obtain information in a timely manner, analyze
and synthesize the information, and present it professionally. The technology should become an
integral part of how the classroom functionsas accessible as all other classroom tools. (ISTE,
NETS for Students, 2000, p. 6).
Integrating technological tools in the teaching and learning process which will create an
environment where students can learn from their experiences. The engagement theory is the
framework for the incorporation of technology within the teaching and learning process. The
fundamental idea underlying engagement theory is that students must be meaningfully engaged
in learning activities through interaction with others and worthwhile tasks. It is very consistent
with constructivist approaches, because it emphasizes collaboration among peers and a
community of learners, and can be aligned with situated learning theories because its focuses on
experiential and self-directed learning.
My duty as a teacher is to keep abreast of what technology tools interest my students,
acquire the necessary training in advancing my technological skills, in so doing I will be able to
use technology in a manner that is relevant. This way I am able to use the different categories of
technology to enhance my students learning. There are also different strategies I can use to
support my educational objectives. Students will have an opportunity to share their ideas. Using
computers to conduct internet searches for subjects of interest is also a good way of integrating
technology. When students are given the opportunity to interact with information technology
tools it makes learning relatable and fun for them. In this 21st century it is imperative that as a

teacher you are able to create a technology literate environment that exposes students, who are
digital natives and are technologically driven, to compare perspectives, beliefs and worldviews,
to facilitate collaboration through online mediums, to build consensus among members of a
community, to help students represent information in an articulate and creative way using the
different mediums.
When technology is integrated in the classroom it will cater to the different learning
styles and multiple intelligences present in the classroom thus improving teaching and learning
for the quality of education for students. The students of today are learning in a digital age which
requires teachers to customize and personalize learning activities to address students diverse
learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources. (NETS for
Teachers, 2008). Teachers must draw on a variety of technologies and use them as resources to
deepen students learning and scope; as such the technology integration matrix will be effective
in selecting the appropriate tools. When we simply ensure that students have access to the latest,
most powerful computers, we make technology an end unto itself instead of the powerful
teaching and learning tool that it can be. As a teacher I will use multiple technology tools to meet
the needs of all students (infusion). I will plan my lessons to incorporate the use of an
appropriate technology in order to cater for the different learning styles as well as to enhance my
students needs and abilities.
Technology deeply influences human and it has become a part of our daily lives. We can
find technology in school, offices, hospitals, communities and pretty much everywhere.
Technology has helped us communicating effectively, doing our work easily, and also getting
information quickly.